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.

Then the Lord told me, “Get a large tablet and write on it in with an ordinary pen, ‘Maher-shalal-hash-baz.’

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

I will need Uriah the priest and Zechariah, son of Jeberekiah, to be my trustworthy witnesses.”

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

Then I slept with my wife the prophetess, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. The Lord told me, “Call him 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 even before the boy knows how to say ‘Daddy’ or ‘Mommy,’ the king of Assyria will carry off Damascus' wealth and Samaria's possessions.”

5 The LORD spoke also to me again, saying,

Then the Lord spoke to me 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 has rejected the waters of Shiloah that gently flow and instead have rejoiced with Rezin and Remaliah's son,

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:

the Lord is going to bring the powerful floodwaters of the Euphrates River against them—the king of Assyria with all his glorious army. It will flood all its channels and overflow all its banks.

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.

It will sweep on into Judah, overflowing and flooding through, reaching up to the neck. Like outspread wings it will engulf the whole of your land, 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.

Pay attention, you nations, and be smashed! Listen, all you distant lands, get ready, but you will be smashed. Get ready, but you will be smashed.

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

You can plan your strategy, but it will be foiled; you can say what you're intending, but it won't happen, 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,

For this is what the Lord told me, holding me with a strong hand, instructing me not to follow the way of this people. He said,

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.

Don't call a conspiracy everything that these people call a conspiracy. Don't fear what they fear. Don't be overawed!

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

The Lord Almighty is the one you should see as holy. He is the one you should fear, he is the one you should be in awe of.

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.

He will be a sanctuary for you. But to the royal families of both Israel and Judah he will be a stone they trip over and a rock that makes them stumble, a trap and a snare to the people who live in Jerusalem.

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

Many people will stumble over them. They will fall and be broken. They will be trapped and caught.

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

Safeguard this testimony, seal these instructions—they are for 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 wait for the Lord, the one who is hiding his face from Jacob's descendants. I will wait in hope 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.

Look, I'm here, together with the children the Lord has given me. They are signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who lives on Mount Zion.

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?

When someone suggests to you, “Go and ask mediums and spiritists who whisper and mutter,” shouldn't people ask their God? Why should they ask the dead on behalf of 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.

Go and examine God's law and his instructions! If what they say doesn't correspond with God's word, there will be no dawn for them.

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.

They will wander round the country, depressed and hungry. When they are starving they will become furious, and looking up they will curse their king and their God.

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

Then they will look towards the earth and see only misery and gloom and agonizing depression, and they will be thrown out into the darkness.