Isaiah 8
1 And the Lord said unto me, Take thyself a large table, and write on it with distinct letters, Lemaher-shalal-chash-bas.
Then the Lord told me, “Get a large tablet and write on it in with an ordinary pen, ‘Maher-shalal-hash-baz.’
2 And I was to summon for myself trustworthy witnesses, Uriyah the priest, and Zecharyahu the son of Yeberechyahu.
I will need Uriah the priest and Zechariah, son of Jeberekiah, to be my trustworthy witnesses.”
3 And I came near unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bore a son. Then said the Lord to me, Call his name Maher-shalal-chash-bas.
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 yet the boy shall know to call, My father, and my mother, the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be carried away before 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 continued to speak unto me again, saying,
Then the Lord spoke to me again, saying,
6 Forasmuch as this people despiseth the waters of Shiloach that flow softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remalyahu'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 Yea therefore behold, the Lord bringeth up over them the strong and many waters of the river, —the king of Assyria, and all his glory; and he shall come up over all his channels, and step over all his banks;
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 he shall penetrate into Judah, overflow and flood over, even to the neck shall he reach; and his outstretched wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O 'Immanu-el.
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 Associate yourselves, O ye people, yet shall ye be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of the far portions of the earth: gird yourselves, yet shall ye be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, yet shall ye be broken in pieces.
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 Take counsel together, yet shall it come to naught; speak the word, and it shall not stand firm; for with us is God.
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 thus said the Lord to me with the strength of prophecy, and warned me not to walk 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 Call ye not a conspiracy all that this people may call a conspiracy, and what it feareth shall ye not fear, and be not terrified [thereat].
Don't call a conspiracy everything that these people call a conspiracy. Don't fear what they fear. Don't be overawed!
13 The Lord of hosts, him shall ye sanctify; and let him be your fear, and let him be your terror.
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 sanctuary; but also for a stone of stumbling and for a rock to fall over unto both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
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 many shall stumble over them, and fall, and be broken, and snared, and be caught.
Many people will stumble over them. They will fall and be broken. They will be trapped and caught.
16 Bind up the testimony, seal up the law among my disciples.
Safeguard this testimony, seal these instructions—they are for my disciples.
17 And I will wait for the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope 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 Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for tokens in Israel, from the Lord of hosts who dwelleth on 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 shall say unto you, “Inquire of those that have familiar spirits, and of the wizards, that whisper, and that mutter:” should not a people inquire of their God? [should we then] in behalf of the living [inquire] of 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 [Hold] to the law and to the testimony: if they are not to speak according to this word, in which there is no light.
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 the [people] shall pass through [the land], hard oppressed and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they will become enraged, and curse their king and their god, and turn toward on high [for aid].
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 they will look unto the earth; and behold there are trouble and darkness, dimness of oppression, and they shall be scattered into obscurity.
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.
