Isaiah 8

1 Moreover the LORD said to me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man’s pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.

And the Lord said to me, Take to yourself a volume of a great new [book], and write in it with a man's pen concerning the making a rapid plunder of spoils; for it is near at hand.

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

And make me witnesses [of] faithful men, Urias, and Zacharias the son of Barachias.

3 And I went to the prophetess; and she conceived, and bore a son. Then said the LORD to me, Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz.

And I went in to the prophetess; and she conceived, and bore a son. And the Lord said to me, Call his name, Spoil quickly, plunder speedily.

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 child shall know [how] to call [his] father or [his] mother, [one] shall take the power of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria before the king of the Assyrians.

5 The LORD spoke also to me again, saying,

And the Lord spoke to me yet again, [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 chooses not the water of Siloam that goes softly, but wills to have Rassin, and the son of Romelias [to be] king over you;

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:

therefore, behold, the Lord brings up upon you the water of the river, strong and abundant, [even] the king of the Assyrians, and his glory: and he shall come up over every valley of yours, and shall walk over every wall of yours:

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

and he shall take away from Juda [every] man who shall be able to lift up his head, [and every one] able to accomplish anything; and his camp shall fill the breadth of your land, [O] God with us.

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.

Know, you Gentiles, and be conquered; listen you, even to the extremity of the earth: be conquered, after you strengthened yourselves; for even if you should again strengthen yourselves, you shall again be conquered.

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

And whatever counsel you shall take, the Lord shall bring it to nothing; and whatever word you shall speak, it shall not stand amongst you: for God is with us.

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,

Thus says the Lord, With a strong hand they revolt from the course of 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.

Let them not say, [It is] hard, for whatever this people says, is hard: but fear not you their fear, neither be dismayed.

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

Sanctify you the Lord himself; and he shall be your fear.

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

And if you shall trust in him, he shall be to you for a sanctuary; and you shall not come against [him] as against a stumbling-stone, neither as against the falling of a rock: but the houses of Jacob are in a snare, and the dwellers in Jerusalem in a pit.

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

Therefore many amongst them shall be weak, and fall, and be crushed; and they shall draw near, and men shall be taken securely.

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

Then shall those who seal themselves that they may not learn the law be made manifest.

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

And [one] shall say, I will wait for God, who has turned away his face from the house of Jacob, and I will trust in 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.

Behold I and the children which God has given me: and they shall be [for] signs and wonders in the house of Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells in mount Sion.

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

And if they should say to you, Seek those who have in them a divining spirit, and them that speak out of the earth, them that speak vain words, who speak out of their belly: shall not a nation diligently seek to their God? why do they seek to the dead concerning the living?

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.

For he has given the law for a help, that they should not speak according to this word, concerning which there are no gifts to give for it.

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

And famine shall come sorely upon you, and it shall come to pass, [that] when you shall be hungry, you shall be grieved, and you shall speak ill of the prince and your fathers' ordinances: and they shall look up to heaven above,

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

and they shall look on the earth below, and behold severe distress, and darkness, affliction, and anguish, and darkness so that [one can’t] see; and he that is in anguish shall not be distressed only for a time.