Isaiah 8

1 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.”

And the Lord said to me: Take thee a great book, and write in it with a man’s pen. Take sway the spoils with speed, quickly take the prey.

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

And I took unto me faithful witnesses, Urias the priest, and Zacharias the son of Barachias.

3 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,

And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived, and bore a son. And the Lord said to me: Call his name, Hasten to take away the spoils: Make haste to take away the prey.

4 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.”

For before the child know to call his father and his mother, the strength of Damascus, and the spoils of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of the Assyrians.

5 And YHWH adds to speak to me again, saying,

And the Lord spoke to me again, saying:

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

Forasmuch as this people hath cast away the waters of Siloe, that go with silence, and hath rather taken Basin, and the son of Romelia:

7 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.

Therefore behold the Lord will bring upon them the waters of the river strong and many, the king of the Assyrians, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and shall overflow all his banks,

8 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!

And shall pass through Juda, overflowing, and going over shall reach even to the neck. And the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Emmanuel.

9 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.

Gather yourselves together, O ye people, and be overcome, and give ear, all ye lands afar off: strengthen yourselves, and be overcome, gird yourselves, and be overcome.

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

Take counsel together, and it shall be defeated: speak a word, and it shall not be done: because God is with us.

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

For thus saith the Lord to me: As he hath taught me, with a strong arm, that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying:

12 “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.

Say ye not: A conspiracy: for all that this people speaketh, is a conspiracy: neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.

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

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

14 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.

And he shall be a sanctification to you. But for a stone or stumbling, and for a rock of offence to the two houses of Israel, for a snare and a ruin to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

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

And very many of them shall stumble and fall, and shall be broken in pieces, and shall be snared, and taken.

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

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

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

And I will wait for the Lord, who hath hid his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.

18 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.

Behold I and my children, whom the Lord hath given me for a sign, and for a wonder in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwelleth in mount Sion.

19 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?

And when they shall say to you: Seek of pythons, and of diviners, who mutter in their enchantments: should not the people seek of their God, for the living of the dead?

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

To the law rather, and to the testimony. And if they speak not according to this word, they shall not have the morning light.

21 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.

And they shall pass by it, they shall fall, and be hungry: and when they shall be hungry, they will be angry, and curse their king, and their God, and look upwards.

22 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!

And they shall look to the earth, and behold trouble and darkness, weakness and distress, and a mist following them, and they cannot fly away from their distress.