Isaiah 8

1 And Jehovah said to me, Take thee a great tablet, and write thereon with a man's style, concerning Maher-shalal-hash-baz.

And Jehovah saith unto me, 'Take to thee a great tablet, and write upon it with a graving tool of man, To haste spoil, enjoy prey.'

2 And I took unto me to witness, sure witnesses, Urijah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.

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

3 And I came near to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son; and Jehovah said unto me, Call his name, Maher-shalal-hash-baz.

And I draw near unto the prophetess, and she conceiveth, and beareth a son; and Jehovah saith unto me, 'Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz,

4 For before the lad knoweth to cry, My father! and, My mother! the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.

for before the youth doth know to cry, My father, and My mother, one taketh away the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria, before the king of Asshur.'

5 And Jehovah spoke again to me, saying,

And Jehovah addeth to speak unto me again, saying:

6 Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah which flow softly, and rejoiceth in Rezin and in the son of Remaliah,

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

7 therefore behold, the Lord will bring up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory; and he shall mount up over all his channels, and go over all his banks:

Therefore, lo, 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 hath gone up over all its streams, And hath gone on over all its banks.

8 and he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow it and go further, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel!

And it hath passed on into Judah, It hath overflown and passed over, Unto the neck it cometh, And the stretching out of its wings Hath been the fulness of the breadth of thy land, O Emmanu-El!

9 Rage, ye peoples, and be broken in pieces! And give ear, all ye distant parts of the earth: Gird yourselves, and be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and be broken in pieces!

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

10 Settle a plan, and it shall come to nought; speak a word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.

Take counsel, and it is broken, Speak a word, and it doth not stand, Because of Emmanu-El!'

11 For Jehovah spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and he instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying,

For thus hath Jehovah spoken unto me with strength of hand, and instructeth me against walking in the way of this people, saying,

12 Ye shall not say, Conspiracy, of everything of which this people saith, Conspiracy; and fear ye not their fear, and be not in dread.

'Ye do not say, A confederacy, To all to whom this people saith, A confederacy, And its fear ye do not fear, Nor declare fearful.

13 Jehovah of hosts, him shall ye sanctify; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

Jehovah of Hosts — Him ye do sanctify, And He [is] your Fear, and He your Dread,

14 And he will be for a sanctuary; and for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

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

15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

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

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

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

17 And I will wait for Jehovah, who hideth his face from the house of Jacob; and I will look for him.

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

18 Behold, I and the children that Jehovah hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel, from Jehovah of hosts, who dwelleth in mount Zion.

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

19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto the necromancers and unto the soothsayers, who chirp and who mutter, [say, ] Shall not a people seek unto their God? [Will they go] for the living unto the dead?

And when they say unto you, 'Seek unto those having familiar spirits, And unto wizards, who chatter and mutter, Doth not a people seek unto its God? — For the living unto the dead!

20 To the law and the testimony! If they speak not according to this word, for them there is no daybreak.

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

21 And they shall pass through it, hard pressed and hungry; and it shall come to pass when they are hungry, they will fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and will gaze upward:

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

22 and they will look to the earth; and behold, trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they shall be driven into thick darkness.

And unto the land it looketh attentively, And lo, adversity and darkness! — Dimness, distress, and thick darkness is driven away, But not the dimness for which she is in distress!