Isaiah 8

Assyria Will Invade the Land

1 Moreover the Lord said to me, Take a large scroll, and write on it with a mans pen concerning Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.2 And I will take for Myself faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.3 Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, Call his name 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 will be taken away before the king of Assyria.5 The Lord also spoke to me again, saying:6 Inasmuch as these people refused The waters of Shiloah that flow softly, And rejoice in Rezin and in Remaliahs son;7 Now therefore, behold, the Lord brings up over them The waters of the River, strong and mighty The king of Assyria and all his glory; He will go up over all his channels And go over all his banks.8 He will pass through Judah, He will overflow and pass over, He will reach up to the neck; And the stretching out of his wings Will fill the breadth of Your land, O Immanuel.9 Be shattered, O you peoples, and be broken in pieces! Give ear, all you from far countries. Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces; Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces.10 Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing; Speak the word, but it will not stand, For God is with us.

Fear God, Heed His Word

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:12 Do not say, A conspiracy, Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.13 The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow; Let Him be your fear, And let Him be your dread.14 He will be as a sanctuary, But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense To both the houses of Israel, As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.15 And many among them shall stumble; They shall fall and be broken, Be snared and taken.16 Bind up the testimony, Seal the law among my disciples.17 And I will wait on the Lord, Who hides His face from the house of Jacob; And I will hope in Him.18 Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me! We are for signs and wonders in Israel From the Lord of hosts, Who dwells in Mount Zion.19 And when they say to you, Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter, should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.21 They will pass through it hard-pressed and hungry; and it shall happen, when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and curse their king and their God, and look upward.22 Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness.

ISAIAH 8

A Warning and a Hope

1 The [Lord] said, “Isaiah, get something to write on. Then write in big clear letterst the name, MAHER-SHALAL-HASH-BAZ.t

2 I will tell Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah to serve as witnesses to this.”
3 Sometime later, my wife and I had a son, and the [Lord] said, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.

4 Because before he can say ‘Mommy’ or ‘Daddy,’ the king of Assyria will attack and take everything of value from Damascus and Samaria.”

5 The [Lord] spoke to me again and said:
6 These people have refused the gentle waters of Shiloaht and have gladly gone over to the side of King Rezin and King Pekah. 7 Now I will send the king of Assyria against them with his powerful army, which will attack like the mighty Euphrates River overflowing its banks.

8 Enemy soldiers will cover Judah like a flood reaching up to your neck.
But God is with us.t
He will spread his wings
and protect our land.t

9 All of you foreign nations,
go ahead and prepare for war,
but you will be crushed.

10 Get together and make plans,
but you will fail
because God is with us.

11 The [Lord] took hold of me with his powerful hand and said:
I'm warning you! Don't act like these people. 12 t Don't call something a rebellious plot, just because they do, and don't be afraid of something, just because they are. 13 I am the one you should fear and respect. I am the holy God, the [Lord] All-Powerful!

14-15 t Run to me for protection. I am a rock that will make both Judah and Israel stumble and break their bones. I am a trap that will catch the people of Jerusalem—they will be captured and dragged away.

Isaiah and His Followers

18 t My children and I are warning signs to Israel from the [Lord] All-Powerful, who lives on Mount Zion.
19 Someone may say to you, “Go to the fortunetellers who make soft chirping sounds or ask the spirits of the dead. After all, a nation ought to be able to ask its own gods

20 what it should do.”
None of those who talk like that will live to see the light of day! 21 They will go around in great pain and will become so hungry that they will angrily curse their king and their gods. And when they try to find help in heaven 22 and on earth, they will find only trouble and darkness, terrible trouble and deepest darkness.