Isaiah 8

1 And Jehovah saith unto me, 'Take to thee a great tablet, and write upon it with a graving tool of man, To haste spoil, enjoy prey.'

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

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

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

3 And I draw near unto the prophetess, and she conceiveth, and beareth a son; and Jehovah saith unto me, 'Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz,

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 youth doth know to cry, My father, and My mother, one taketh away the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria, before the king of Asshur.'

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 Jehovah addeth to speak unto me again, saying:

Yahweh spoke to me again,

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

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

7 Therefore, lo, 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 hath gone up over all its streams, And hath gone on over all its banks.

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 it hath passed on into Judah, It hath overflown and passed over, Unto the neck it cometh, And the stretching out of its wings Hath been the fulness of the breadth of thy land, O Emmanu-El!

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 Be friends, O nations, and be broken, And give ear, all ye far off ones of earth, Gird yourselves, and be broken, Gird yourselves, and be broken.

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 Take counsel, and it is broken, Speak a word, and it doth not stand, Because of Emmanu-El!'

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 For thus hath Jehovah spoken unto me with strength of hand, and instructeth me against walking in 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 'Ye do not say, A confederacy, To all to whom this people saith, A confederacy, And its fear ye do not fear, Nor declare fearful.

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

13 Jehovah of Hosts — Him ye do sanctify, And He [is] your Fear, and He your Dread,

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 He hath been for a sanctuary, And for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of falling, To the two houses of Israel, For a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

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

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

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

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

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

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

18 Lo, I, and the children whom Jehovah hath given to me, [Are] for signs and for wonders in Israel, From Jehovah of Hosts, who is dwelling in Mount Zion.

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 when they say unto you, 'Seek unto those having familiar spirits, And unto wizards, who chatter and mutter, Doth not a people seek unto its God? — For the living unto the dead!

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

21 — And it hath passed over into it, hardened and hungry, And it hath come to pass, That it is hungry, and hath been wroth, And made light of its king, and of its God, And hath looked upwards.

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 unto the land it looketh attentively, And lo, adversity and darkness! — Dimness, distress, and thick darkness is driven away, But not the dimness for which she is in distress!

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