Isaiah 8

1 Moreover, the LORD said to me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Maher-shalal-hash-baz.

And Yahweh said unto me: Take thee a large tablet, —and write thereon in plain characters, To Maher-shalal-hash-baz. ["Speed-spoil-hurry-prey".]

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

That I may take in attestation, faithful witnesses, —even Uriah the priest, and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah.

3 And I went to the prophetess; and she conceived, and bore a son. Then said the LORD to me, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz.

Then approached I unto the prophetess, and she conceived and bare a son, —and Yahweh said unto me, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz.

4 For before the child shall have knowledge 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 boy shall have knowledge to cry, My father! and, My mother! the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be carried away before the king of Assyria.

5 The LORD spoke also to me again, saying,

And again Yahweh spake unto me yet further saying:

6 Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's son;

Because this people hath refused the waters of Shiloah which flow softly, —and are rejoicing with Rezin and the son of Remaliah,

7 Now therefore, behold, the LORD bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, [even] the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all its channels, and go over all its banks:

now therefore, lo! the Lord is about to bring up against them the waters, strong and many, of the River ["Euphrates"], even the king of Assyria and all his glory, —and he shall rise over all his channels, and flow over all his banks;

8 And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach [even] to the neck; and the extension of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.

and roll on throughout Judah—overflow and pass along, till unto the neck, he shall reach, —and it shall be, that, the stretching out of his wings, shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel!

9 Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces.

Rage, O ye peoples, —and be overthrown, And give ear, all ye distant parts of the earth, —Gird yourselves and be overthrown, Gird yourselves, and be overthrown:

10 Take counsel together, and it shall come to naught; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God [is] with us.

Determine a plan, —and it shall be frustrated, —Speak a word, and it shall not stand, For With-us-is-GOD!

11 For the LORD spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,

For, thus, spake Yahweh unto me like a firm grasp of the hand, —when he admonished me, not to walk in the way of this people, saying:

12 Say ye not, A confederacy, to all [them to] whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.

Ye shall not say—A confederacy! of everything of which this people may say. A confederacy! And their fear, shall ye not fear or regard as awful:

13 Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and [let] him [be] your fear, and [let] him [be] your dread.

Yahweh of hosts, him, shall ye hallow, —And let, him, be your fear, and let, him inspire you with awe;

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

So shall he become a hallowed asylum, —But a stone to strike against, and a rock to stumble over unto both houses of Israel A trap and a snare to the dweller in Jerusalem;

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

And many, shall stumble among them, —and fall and be torn, and snared, and captured.

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

Bind thou up the testimony, —Seal the instruction amongst my disciples.

17 And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.

I will therefore long for Yahweh, Who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, —And will wait, for him.

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

Lo! I and the children whom Yahweh hath given me, are for signs and for wonders in Israel, —from Yahweh of hosts, who is making his habitation in Mount Zion.

19 And when they shall say to you, Seek to them that have familiar spirits, and to wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek to their God? for the living to the dead?

But, when they say unto you—Seek ye unto the necromancers and unto the wizards, who chirp, and who mutter, Should not a people seek, unto its God? In behalf of the living, [should it seek] unto the dead?

20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them.

To the law and to the testimony! If they speak not according to this word, [It is], because they have no dawning day.

21 And they shall pass through it, distressed and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.

Therefore shall they pass through it hard pressed and hungry, —And it shall be when they hunger, then will they rage and revile their king and their god and turn their faces upwards;

22 And they shall look to the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and [they shall be] driven to darkness.

And unto the land, shall they look hard, And lo! distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish, driven away!