Isaiah 8

1 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.

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.

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

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

3 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.

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.

4 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.

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.

5 And the Lord spoke to me again, saying:

Moreover, Jehovah spake to me again, saying:

6 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:

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

7 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,

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.

8 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.

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!

9 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.

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

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

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

11 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:

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

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

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

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

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

14 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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

18 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.

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.

19 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?

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?”

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

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

21 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.

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.

22 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.

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