Esias 8

1 And the Lord said to me, Take to yourself a volume of a great new [book], and write in it with a man's pen concerning the making a rapid plunder of spoils; for it is near at hand.

Yahweh said to me, “Take a large tablet and write on it, 'Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.'

2 And make me witnesses [of] faithful men, Urias, and Zacharias the son of Barachias.

I will summon faithful witnesses to attest for me, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah.”

3 And I went in to the prophetess; and she conceived, and bore a son. And the Lord said to me, Call his name, Spoil quickly, plunder speedily.

I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then Yahweh said to me, “Call his name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.

4 For before the child shall know [how] to call [his] father or [his] mother, [one] shall take the power of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria before the king of the Assyrians.

For before the child knows to cry, 'My father,' and, 'My mother,' the riches of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried away by the king of Assyria.”

5 And the Lord spoke to me yet again, [saying],

Yahweh spoke to me again,

6 Because this people chooses not the water of Siloam that goes softly, but wills to have Rassin, and the son of Romelias [to be] king over you;

“Because this people has refused the gentle waters of Shiloah, and is happy over Rezin and Remaliah's son,

7 therefore, behold, the Lord brings up upon you the water of the river, strong and abundant, [even] the king of the Assyrians, and his glory: and he shall come up over every valley of yours, and shall walk over every wall of yours:

therefore the Lord is about to bring up on them the waters of the River, mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory. It will come up over all its channels and overflow its banks.

8 and he shall take away from Juda [every] man who shall be able to lift up his head, [and every one] able to accomplish anything; and his camp shall fill the breadth of your land, [O] God with us.

The River will sweep onward into Judah, flooding and passing on, until it reaches to your neck. Its outstretched wings will fill the breadth of your land, Immanuel.”

9 Know, you Gentiles, and be conquered; listen you, even to the extremity of the earth: be conquered, after you strengthened yourselves; for even if you should again strengthen yourselves, you shall again be conquered.

You peoples will be broken to pieces. Listen, all you distant countries: arm yourselves for war and be broken in pieces; arm yourselves and be broken in pieces.

10 And whatever counsel you shall take, the Lord shall bring it to nothing; and whatever word you shall speak, it shall not stand among you: for God is with us.

Form a plan, but it will not be carried out; issue the command, but it will not be carried out, for God is with us.

11 Thus says the Lord, With a strong hand they revolt from the course of the way of this people, saying,

Yahweh spoke to me, with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people.

12 Let them not say, [It is] hard, for whatever this people says, is hard: but fear not you their fear, neither be dismayed.

Do not call conspiracy anything that this people calls conspiracy, you will not fear what they fear, and do not be terrified.

13 Sanctify you the Lord himself; and he shall be your fear.

It is Yahweh of hosts whom you will honor as holy; he is the one you must fear, and he is the one you must dread.

14 And if you shall trust in him, he shall be to you for a sanctuary; and you shall not come against [him] as against a stumbling-stone, neither as against the falling of a rock: but the houses of Jacob are in a snare, and the dwellers in Jerusalem in a pit.

He will become a sanctuary; but he will be a stone of striking, and a rock of stumbling— for both the houses of Israel, and he will be a trap and a snare to the people of Jerusalem.

15 Therefore many among them shall be weak, and fall, and be crushed; and they shall draw near, and men shall be taken securely.

Many will stumble over it and fall and be broken, and be ensnared and captured.

16 Then shall those who seal themselves that they may not learn the law be made manifest.

Bind up my testimony, seal the official record, and give it to my disciples.

17 And [one] shall say, I will wait for God, who has turned away his face from the house of Jacob, and I will trust in him.

I will wait for Yahweh, who hides his face from the house of Jacob; I will trust in him.

18 Behold I and the children which God has given me: and they shall be [for] signs and wonders in the house of Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells in mount Sion.

See, I and the sons whom Yahweh has given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from Yahweh of hosts, who lives on Mount Zion.

19 And if they should say to you, Seek those who have in them a divining spirit, and them that speak out of the earth, them that speak vain words, who speak out of their belly: shall not a nation diligently seek to their God? why do they seek to the dead concerning the living?

They will say to you, “Consult with the mediums and spiritists,” those who chirp and mutter incantations. But should a people not consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?

20 For he has given the law for a help, that they should not speak according to this word, concerning which there are no gifts to give for it.

To the law and to the testimony! If they do not say such things, it is because they have no light of dawn.

21 And famine shall come sorely upon you, and it shall come to pass, [that] when you shall be hungry, you shall be grieved, and you shall speak ill of the prince and your fathers' ordinances: and they shall look up to heaven above,

They will pass through the land greatly distressed and hungry. When they are hungry, they will become angry and curse their king and their God, as they turn their faces upward.

22 and they shall look on the earth below, and behold severe distress, and darkness, affliction, and anguish, and darkness so that [one can’t] see; and he that is in anguish shall not be distressed only for a time.

They will look at the earth and see distress, darkness, and oppressive gloom. They will be driven into a land of darkness.