Isaiah 8
1 Then Yahweh said to me, “Make a large signboard. And write clearly on it, ‘Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz’ [which means ‘quickly (plunder/take by force) and steal everything’].”
| ויאמר יהוה אלי קח לך גליון גדול וכתב עליו בחרט אנוש למהר שלל חש בז |
2 [So] I requested Uriah the [Supreme] Priest and Jeberekiah’s son Zechariah, men who were both honest/trustworthy witnesses, to watch me as I was doing that.
| ואעידה לי עדים נאמנים--את אוריה הכהן ואת זכריהו בן יברכיהו |
3 Then I had sex with [EUP] [my wife, who was] a prophetess, and she became pregnant and [then] gave birth to a son. Then Yahweh said to me, “Give him the name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (which means ‘suddenly attacked, quickly conquered’),
| ואקרב אל הנביאה ותהר ותלד בן ויאמר יהוה אלי קרא שמו מהר שלל חש בז |
4 because before he is old enough to say ‘papa’ or ‘mama’, the King of Assyria will [come with his army and] quickly take away all the valuable things in Damascus and in Samaria.”
| כי בטרם ידע הנער קרא אבי ואמי--ישא את חיל דמשק ואת שלל שמרון לפני מלך אשור |
5 Yahweh spoke to me again and said, “[Tell the people of Judah, ]
| ויסף יהוה דבר אלי עוד לאמר |
6 ‘[I have taken good care of] you people, but you have rejected that, [thinking that] my help was very little, like [MET] the little canal through which water flows from the Gihon Spring into Jerusalem. Instead, you have been happy [to request help from] King Rezin and King Pekah.
| יען כי מאס העם הזה את מי השלח ההלכים לאט ומשוש את רצין ובן רמליהו |
7 Therefore, I will cause the people of Judah to be attacked by [the powerful army of] the King of Assyria, which will be [like] a great flood from the [Euphrates] River. Their soldiers will [be everywhere in your country, like] a river that overflows all its banks.
| ולכן הנה אדני מעלה עליהם את מי הנהר העצומים והרבים--את מלך אשור ואת כל כבודו ועלה על כל אפיקיו והלך על כל גדותיו |
8 Those soldiers will go all over Judah— [like a river whose water] [MET] rises as high as a person’s neck. Their army will spread over the land [quickly], like an eagle, and they will cover your entire land! But I will be with you!’”
| וחלף ביהודה שטף ועבר עד צואר יגיע והיה מטות כנפיו מלא רחב ארצך עמנו אל |
9 Listen, all you [people in] distant countries! [You can] prepare to attack Judah. [You can] prepare [for battle, and shout your] war-cries, but your [armies will] be crushed/shattered!
| רעו עמים וחתו והאזינו כל מרחקי ארץ התאזרו וחתו התאזרו וחתו |
10 [You can] prepare for what you will do [to attack Judah], but what you plan to do will not happen! You will not succeed, because God is with us!
| עצו עצה ותפר דברו דבר ולא יקום כי עמנו אל |
11 Yahweh strongly warned me [MTY] not to act like the [other] people in Judah did. He said to me,
| כי כה אמר יהוה אלי כחזקת היד ויסרני מלכת בדרך העם הזה לאמר |
12 “Do not say that everything that people do is conspiring/rebelling [against the government], like [other] people say, and do not (be afraid of/worry about) the things that other people are afraid of.
| לא תאמרון קשר לכל אשר יאמר העם הזה קשר ואת מוראו לא תיראו ולא תעריצו |
13 [I, ] the Commander of the armies of angels, am the one you should consider to be holy. And I am the one you should fear, the one you should revere.
| את יהוה צבאות אתו תקדישו והוא מוראכם והוא מערצכם |
14 I will protect you(sg). [But as for] the [other] people [MTY] in Israel and Judah, I will be [like] [MET] a stone that causes people to stumble, a rock that causes them to fall down. [And as for] the people of Jerusalem, I will be [like] [MET] a trap or a snare [DOU].
| והיה למקדש ולאבן נגף ולצור מכשול לשני בתי ישראל לפח ולמוקש--ליושב ירושלם |
15 Many [people] will stumble and fall down and never get up again. They will experience great troubles; they will be captured [by their enemies].”
| וכשלו בם רבים ונפלו ונשברו ונוקשו ונלכדו |
16 [So, I say to you who are my disciples], seal up this scroll on which I have written the messages that God has given to me, and give his instructions to [others] who have accompanied me.
| צור תעודה חתום תורה בלמדי |
17 I will wait to see what Yahweh [will do]. He has rejected the descendants [MTY] of Jacob, but I will confidently expect him to help me.
| וחכיתי ליהוה המסתיר פניו מבית יעקב וקויתי לו |
18 I and the children that Yahweh has given to me are [like] signs to warn [the people of] Israel; we are warnings from the Commander of the armies of angels the one who lives [in his temple] on Zion Hill [in Jerusalem].
| הנה אנכי והילדים אשר נתן לי יהוה לאתות ולמופתים בישראל--מעם יהוה צבאות השכן בהר ציון |
19 Some people may urge you(pl) to (consult/go and talk with) those who talk with the spirits of dead people or with those who say that they receive messages from those spirits. They whisper and mutter [about what we should do in the future]. But God is [RHQ] the one whom we should ask to guide us! It is ridiculous [RHQ] for people who are alive to request spirits of dead people to tell us [what we should do]!
| וכי יאמרו אליכם דרשו אל האבות ואל הידענים המצפצפים והמהגים הלוא עם אל אלהיו ידרש בעד החיים אל המתים |
20 Pay attention to God’s instructions and teaching! If people do not say things that agree with what God teaches us, [what they say is worthless]. [It is as though] those people are in darkness.
| לתורה ולתעודה אם לא יאמרו כדבר הזה אשר אין לו שחר |
21 They will wander through the land, worried/discouraged and hungry. And when they become [very] hungry, they will become very angry. They will look up [toward heaven] and curse God and [will also] curse their king.
| ועבר בה נקשה ורעב והיה כי ירעב והתקצף וקלל במלכו ובאלהיו--ופנה למעלה |
22 They will look around the land and see only trouble/distress and darkness and things that cause them to despair. And [then] they will be thrown into the very black darkness [of hell]. (questioned)
| ואל ארץ יביט והנה צרה וחשכה מעוף צוקה ואפלה מנדח |
