Isaiah 8

1 And the Lord said to me: “Take up for yourself a large book, and with a man’s pen write in it: ‘Take away the spoils quickly; plunder swiftly.’”

And YHWH says to me, “Take a great tablet to yourself, and write on it with an engraving tool of man, To hurry spoil, enjoy prey.”

2 And I summoned to myself faithful witnesses: Uriah, the priest, and Zechariah, the son of Berechiah.

And I cause faithful witnesses to testify to me, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah.

3 And I joined with the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the Lord said to me: “Call his name: ‘Rush to take away the spoils; Hurry to be plundered.’

And I draw near to the prophetess, and she conceives, and bears a son; and YHWH says to me, “Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz,

4 For before the boy knows how to call to his father and his mother, the strength of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria will be taken away, in the sight of the king of the Assyrians.”

for before the youth knows to cry, My father, and, My mother, one takes away the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria, before the king of Asshur.”

5 And the Lord spoke to me further, saying:

And YHWH adds to speak to me again, saying,

6 “Because this people has cast aside the waters of Shiloah, which go forth silently, and has instead chosen Rezin and the son of Remaliah,

“Because that this people has refused The waters of Shiloah that go softly, And is rejoicing with Rezin and the son of Remaliah,

7 for this reason, behold, the Lord will lead over them the waters of a river, strong and plentiful: the king of the Assyrians with all his glory. And he will rise up throughout all his streams, and he will overflow all his banks.

Therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up on them, The waters of the river, the mighty and the great (The king of Asshur, and all his glory), And it has gone up over all its streams, And has gone on over all its banks.

8 And he will pass through Judah, inundating it, and he will cross over and arrive, even at its neck. And he will extend his wings, filling the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.”

And it has passed on into Judah, It has overflown and passed over, It comes to the neck, And the stretching out of its wings Has been the fullness of the breadth of your land, O Immanuel!

9 O people, gather together, and be conquered! All distant lands, listen! Be strengthened, and be conquered! Gird yourselves, and be conquered!

Be friends, O nations, and be broken, And give ear, all you far-off ones of earth, Gird yourselves, and be broken, Gird yourselves, and be broken.

10 Undertake a plan, and it will be dissipated! Speak a word, and it will not be done! For God is with us.

Take counsel, and it is broken, Speak a word, and it does not stand, Because of Immanuel!”

11 For the Lord said this to me, and he has instructed this to me with a strong hand, lest I go forth in the way of this people, saying:

For thus has YHWH spoken to me with strength of hand, and instructs me against walking in the way of this people, saying,

12 “You should not say ‘It is conspiracy!’ For all that this people speaks is a conspiracy. And you should not be frightened or alarmed with their fear.

“You do not say, A confederacy, To all to whom this people says, A confederacy, And its fear you do not fear, Nor declare fearful.

13 Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself. Let him be your dread, and let him be your fear.

YHWH of Hosts—Him you sanctify, And He [is] your Fear, and He your Dread,

14 And so shall he be a sanctification to you. But he will be a stone of offense and a rock of scandal to the two houses of Israel, and a snare and a ruin to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

And He has been for a sanctuary, And for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of falling, To the two houses of Israel, For a trap and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

15 And very many of them will stumble and fall, and they will be broken and entangled and seized.

And many among them have stumbled and fallen, And been broken, and snared, and captured.”

16 Bind the testimony, seal the law, among my disciples.”

Bind up the testimony, Seal the Law among My disciples.

17 And I will wait for the Lord, who has concealed his face from the house of Jacob, and I will stand before him.

And I have waited for YHWH, Who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob, And I have looked for Him.

18 Behold: I and my children, whom the Lord has given to me as a sign and a portent, in Israel, from the Lord of hosts, who lives on Mount Zion.

Behold, I, and the children whom YHWH has given to me, [Are] for signs and for wonders in Israel, From YHWH of Hosts, who is dwelling in Mount Zion.

19 And though they say to you, “Seek from seers and diviners,” they who hiss in their incantations, should not the people seek from their God, for the sake of the living, and not from the dead?

And when they say to you, “Seek to those having familiar spirits, And to wizards, who chatter and mutter,” Does a people not seek to its God? To the dead on behalf of the living?

20 And this is, moreover, for the sake of the law and the testimony. But if they do not speak according to this Word, then he will not have the morning light.

To the Law and to the testimony! If not, let them say after this manner, “That there is no dawn to it.”

21 And he will pass by it; he will fall and become hungry. And when he is hungry, he will become angry, and he will speak evil against his king and his God, and he will lift himself upward.

And it has passed over into it, hardened and hungry, And it has come to pass, That it is hungry, and has been angry, And made light of its king, and of its God, And has looked upwards.

22 And he will gaze downward to the earth, and behold: tribulation and darkness, dissolution and distress, and a pursuing gloom. For he will not be able to fly away from its distress.

And it looks attentively to the land, And behold, adversity and darkness! Dimness, distress, and thick darkness are driven away, But not the dimness for which she is in distress!