< Isaiah 8 >

1 And the Lord said to me, Take a great writing-board, and on it put down in common letters, Maher-shalal-hash-baz;
Then the LORD said to me, “Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary stylus: Maher-shalal-hash-baz.
2 And take true witnesses to the writing, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah, the son of Jeberechiah.
And I will appoint for Myself trustworthy witnesses—Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah.”
3 And I went in to my wife, and she became with child, and gave birth to a son. Then the Lord said to me, Give him the name Maher-shalal-hash-baz,
And I had relations with the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. The LORD said to me, “Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz.
4 For before the child is able to say, Father, or, Mother, the wealth of Damascus and the goods of Samaria will be taken away by the king of Assyria.
For before the boy knows how to cry ‘Father’ or ‘Mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.”
5 And the Lord said again to me,
And the LORD spoke to me further:
6 Because this people will have nothing to do with the softly-flowing waters of Shiloah, and have fear of Rezin and Remaliah's son;
“Because this people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and rejoiced in Rezin and the son of Remaliah,
7 For this cause the Lord is sending on them the waters of the River, deep and strong, even the king of Assyria and all his glory: and it will come up through all its streams, overflowing all its edges:
the Lord will surely bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates — the king of Assyria and all his pomp. It will overflow its channels and overrun its banks.
8 And it will come on into Judah; rushing on and overflowing, till the waters are up to the neck; and his outstretched wings will be covering the land from side to side: for God is with us.
It will pour into Judah, swirling and sweeping over it, reaching up to the neck; its spreading streams will cover your entire land, O Immanuel!
9 Have knowledge, O peoples, and be in fear; give ear, all you far-off parts of the earth:
Huddle together, O peoples, and be shattered; pay attention, all you distant lands; prepare for battle, and be shattered; prepare for battle, and be shattered!
10 Let your designs be formed, and they will come to nothing; give your orders, and they will not be effected: for God is with us.
Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted; state a proposal, but it will not happen. For God is with us.”
11 For the Lord, controlling me with a strong hand, gave me orders not to go in the way of this people, saying,
For this is what the LORD has spoken to me with a strong hand, instructing me not to walk in the way of this people:
12 Do not say, It is holy, about everything of which this people says, It is holy; and do not be in fear of what they go in fear of.
“Do not call conspiracy everything these people regard as conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear; do not live in dread.
13 But let the Lord of armies be holy to you, and go in fear of him, giving honour to him.
The LORD of Hosts is the One you shall regard as holy. Only He should be feared; only He should be dreaded.
14 And he will be for a holy place: but for a stone of falling and a rock of trouble to the two houses of Israel, and to the men of Jerusalem, for a net in which they may be taken.
And He will be a sanctuary— but to both houses of Israel a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, to the dwellers of Jerusalem a trap and a snare.
15 And numbers of them, falling on the stone, will be broken, and will be taken in the net.
Many will stumble over these; they will fall and be broken; they will be ensnared and captured.”
16 Let my teaching be kept secret: and my words be given to my disciples only.
Bind up the testimony and seal the law among my disciples.
17 And I will be waiting for the Lord, whose face is veiled from the house of Jacob, and I will be looking for him.
I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in Him.
18 See, I and the children whom the Lord has given me, are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of armies, whose resting-place is in Mount Zion.
Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me as signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD of Hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.
19 And when they say to you, Make request for us to those who have control of spirits, and to those wise in secret arts, who make hollow bird-like sounds; is it not right for a people to make request to their gods, to make request for the living to the dead?
When men tell you to consult the spirits of the dead and the spiritists who whisper and mutter, shouldn’t a people consult their God instead? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?
20 Then say to them, Put your faith in the teaching and the witness. ... If they do not say such things. ... For him there is no dawn. ...
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.
21 And he will go through the land in bitter trouble and in need of food; and when he is unable to get food, he will become angry, cursing his king and his God, and his eyes will be turned to heaven on high;
They will roam the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged; and looking upward, they will curse their king and their God.
22 And he will be looking down on the earth, and there will be trouble and dark clouds, black night where there is no seeing.
Then they will look to the earth and see only distress and darkness and the gloom of anguish. And they will be driven into utter darkness.

< Isaiah 8 >