Isaiah 8

1 And Jehovah said to me, Take thee a great tablet, and with a man's writing-instrument write on it, Hasteth-the-prey, Speedeth-the-spoil.

Then the LORD said to me, “Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary stylus: Maher-shalal-hash-baz.

2 And I took with me faithful witnesses, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah, the son of Berechiah.

And I will appoint for Myself trustworthy witnesses—Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah.”

3 I went in to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then said Jehovah to me, Call his name, Hasteth-the-prey, Speedeth-the-spoil.

And I had relations with the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. The LORD said to me, “Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz.

4 For before the child shall learn to say, My father, and My mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be borne away before the king of Assyria.

For before the boy knows how to cry ‘Father’ or ‘Mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.”

5 Moreover, Jehovah spake to me again, saying:

And the LORD spoke to me further:

6 Because this people despiseth The soft-flowing waters of Siloah, And rejoiceth in Rezin, and the son of Remaliah,

“Because this people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and rejoiced in Rezin and the son of Remaliah,

7 Therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth upon them the strong and mighty waters of the river; [[The king of Assyria and all his glory.]] He shall rise above all his channels, And go over all his banks.

the Lord will surely bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates — the king of Assyria and all his pomp. It will overflow its channels and overrun its banks.

8 And he shall pass through Judah, overflowing and spreading; Even to the neck shall he reach, And his stretched-out wings shall fill the whole breadth of thy land, O Immanuel!

It will pour into Judah, swirling and sweeping over it, reaching up to the neck; its spreading streams will cover your entire land, O Immanuel!

9 Rage, ye nations, and despair! Give ear, all ye distant parts of the earth! Gird yourselves, and despair! Gird yourselves, and despair!

Huddle together, O peoples, and be shattered; pay attention, all you distant lands; prepare for battle, and be shattered; prepare for battle, and be shattered!

10 Form your plan, and it shall come to naught; Give the command, and it shall not stand; For God is with us.

Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted; state a proposal, but it will not happen. For God is with us.”

11 For thus spake Jehovah to me with a strong hand, Instructing me not to walk in the way of this people:

For this is what the LORD has spoken to me with a strong hand, instructing me not to walk in the way of this people:

12 Call not everything a confederacy which this people calleth a confederacy; Fear ye not what they fear, Neither be afraid!

“Do not call conspiracy everything these people regard as conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear; do not live in dread.

13 Jehovah of hosts, sanctify ye him; Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread!

The LORD of Hosts is the One you shall regard as holy. Only He should be feared; only He should be dreaded.

14 And he shall be to you a sanctuary; But a stone of stumbling, and a rock to strike against, To the two houses of Israel, A trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

And He will be a sanctuary— but to both houses of Israel a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, to the dwellers of Jerusalem a trap and a snare.

15 And many among them shall stumble; They shall fall, and be broken; They shall be ensnared and taken.

Many will stumble over these; they will fall and be broken; they will be ensnared and captured.”

16 Bind up the revelation, Seal the word, with my disciples!

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

17 I will, therefore, wait for Jehovah, Who now hideth his face from the house of Jacob; Yet will I look for him.

I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in Him.

18 Behold, I, and the children which Jehovah hath given me, Are signs and tokens in Israel From Jehovah of hosts, who dwelleth upon mount Zion.

Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me as signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD of Hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.

19 And when they shall say to you, “Inquire of the necromancers and the wizards, That chirp, and that murmur,” [[Then say ye, ]] “Should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead for the living?”

When men tell you to consult the spirits of the dead and the spiritists who whisper and mutter, shouldn’t a people consult their God instead? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?

20 To the word, to the revelation! If they speak not according to this, For them no bright morning shall arise.

To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.

21 They shall pass through the land distressed and famished; And when they are famished, they shall be enraged, and curse their king and their God, And look upward.

They will roam the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged; and looking upward, they will curse their king and their God.

22 And if they look to the earth, Behold distress and darkness, fearful darkness! And into darkness shall they be driven.

Then they will look to the earth and see only distress and darkness and the gloom of anguish. And they will be driven into utter darkness.