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 told me, “Get a large tablet and write on it in with an ordinary pen, ‘Maher-shalal-hash-baz.’

2 And take true witnesses to the writing, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah, the son of Jeberechiah.

I will need Uriah the priest and Zechariah, son of Jeberekiah, to be my trustworthy witnesses.”

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,

Then I slept with my wife the prophetess, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. The Lord told me, “Call 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 even before the boy knows how to say ‘Daddy’ or ‘Mommy,’ the king of Assyria will carry off Damascus' wealth and Samaria's possessions.”

5 And the Lord said again to me,

Then the Lord spoke to me again, saying,

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 waters of Shiloah that gently flow and instead have rejoiced with Rezin and Remaliah's son,

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 is going to bring the powerful floodwaters of the Euphrates River against them—the king of Assyria with all his glorious army. It will flood all its channels and overflow all 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 sweep on into Judah, overflowing and flooding through, reaching up to the neck. Like outspread wings it will engulf the whole of your land, Immanuel!

9 Have knowledge, O peoples, and be in fear; give ear, all you far-off parts of the earth:

Pay attention, you nations, and be smashed! Listen, all you distant lands, get ready, but you will be smashed. Get ready, but you will be smashed.

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.

You can plan your strategy, but it will be foiled; you can say what you're intending, but it won't 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 told me, holding me with a strong hand, instructing me not to follow the way of this people. He said,

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.

Don't call a conspiracy everything that these people call a conspiracy. Don't fear what they fear. Don't be overawed!

13 But let the Lord of armies be holy to you, and go in fear of him, giving honour to him.

The Lord Almighty is the one you should see as holy. He is the one you should fear, he is the one you should be in awe of.

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.

He will be a sanctuary for you. But to the royal families of both Israel and Judah he will be a stone they trip over and a rock that makes them stumble, a trap and a snare to the people who live in Jerusalem.

15 And numbers of them, falling on the stone, will be broken, and will be taken in the net.

Many people will stumble over them. They will fall and be broken. They will be trapped and caught.

16 Let my teaching be kept secret: and my words be given to my disciples only.

Safeguard this testimony, seal these instructions—they are for 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, the one who is hiding his face from Jacob's descendants. I will wait in hope for 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.

Look, I'm here, together with the children the Lord has given me. They are signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who lives 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 someone suggests to you, “Go and ask mediums and spiritists who whisper and mutter,” shouldn't people ask their God? Why should they ask 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. ...

Go and examine God's law and his instructions! If what they say doesn't correspond with God's word, there will be no dawn for them.

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 wander round the country, depressed and hungry. When they are starving they will become furious, and looking up 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 towards the earth and see only misery and gloom and agonizing depression, and they will be thrown out into the darkness.