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;

And Jehovah said to me, Take thee a great tablet, and with a man's writing-instrument write on it, Hasteth-the-prey, Speedeth-the-spoil.

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

And I took with me faithful witnesses, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah, the son of Berechiah.

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,

I went in to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then said Jehovah to me, Call his name, Hasteth-the-prey, Speedeth-the-spoil.

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 child shall learn to say, My father, and My mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be borne away before the king of Assyria.

5 And the Lord said again to me,

Moreover, Jehovah spake 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 despiseth The soft-flowing waters of Siloah, And rejoiceth 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:

Therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth upon them the strong and mighty waters of the river; [[The king of Assyria and all his glory.]] He shall rise above all his channels, And go over all his 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.

And he shall pass through Judah, overflowing and spreading; Even to the neck shall he reach, And his stretched-out wings shall fill the whole breadth of thy land, O Immanuel!

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

Rage, ye nations, and despair! Give ear, all ye distant parts of the earth! Gird yourselves, and despair! Gird yourselves, and despair!

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.

Form your plan, and it shall come to naught; Give the command, and it shall not stand; 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 thus spake Jehovah 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.

Call not everything a confederacy which this people calleth a confederacy; Fear ye not what they fear, Neither be afraid!

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

Jehovah of hosts, sanctify ye him; Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread!

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 shall be to you a sanctuary; But a stone of stumbling, and a rock to strike against, To the two houses of Israel, A trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

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

And many among them shall stumble; They shall fall, and be broken; They shall be ensnared and taken.

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

Bind up the revelation, Seal the word, with 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, therefore, wait for Jehovah, Who now hideth his face from the house of Jacob; Yet will I look 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.

Behold, I, and the children which Jehovah hath given me, Are signs and tokens in Israel From Jehovah of hosts, who dwelleth upon 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?

And when they shall say to you, “Inquire of the necromancers and the wizards, That chirp, and that murmur,” [[Then say ye, ]] “Should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead for 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 word, to the revelation! If they speak not according to this, For them no bright morning shall arise.

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 shall pass through the land distressed and famished; And when they are famished, they shall be enraged, and curse their king and their God, And look upward.

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.

And if they look to the earth, Behold distress and darkness, fearful darkness! And into darkness shall they be driven.