| 1 | Then the Lord said to me, Take a large tablet [of wood, metal, or stone] and write upon it with a graving tool
and
in ordinary characters [which the humblest man can read]: Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz [they (the Assyrians) hasten to the spoil (of Syria and Israel), they speed to the prey]. |
| 2 | And I took faithful witnesses to record
and
attest [this prophecy] for me, Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah. |
| 3 | And I approached [my wife] the prophetess, and when she had conceived and borne a son, the Lord said to me, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz [as a continual reminder to the people of the prophecy], |
| 4 | For before the child knows how to say, My father or my mother, the riches of Damascus [Syria’s capital] and the spoil of Samaria [Israel’s capital]
[a]shall be carried away before the king of Assyria. |
| 5 | The Lord spoke to me yet again and said, |
| 6 | Because this people [Israel and Judah] have refused
and
despised the waters of Shiloah [Siloam, the only perennial fountain of Jerusalem, and symbolic of God’s protection and sustaining power] that go gently, and rejoice in
and
with Rezin [the king of Syria] and Remaliah’s son [Pekah the king of Israel], |
| 7 | Now therefore, behold, the Lord brings upon them the waters of the River [Euphrates], strong and many—even the king of Assyria and all the glory [of his gorgeous retinue]; and it will rise over all its channels, brooks, valleys,
and
canals and extend far beyond its banks; |
| 8 | And it will
[b]sweep on into Judah; it will overflow
and
go over [the hills], reaching even [but only] to the neck [of which Jerusalem is the head], and the outstretched wings [of the armies of Assyria] shall fill the breadth of Your land, O Immanuel
[c][Messiah, God is with us]! |
| 9 | Make an uproar
and
be broken in pieces, O you peoples [rage, raise the war cry, do your worst, and be utterly dismayed]! Give ear, all you [our enemies]
of
far countries. Gird yourselves [for war], and be thrown into consternation! Gird yourselves, and be [utterly] dismayed! |
| 10 | Take counsel together [against Judah], but it shall come to nought; speak the word, but it will not stand, for God is with us [Immanuel]! |
| 11 | For the Lord spoke thus to me with His strong hand [upon me], and warned
and
instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, |
| 12 | Do not call conspiracy [or hard, or holy] all that this people will call conspiracy [or hard, or holy]; neither be in fear of what they fear, nor [make others afraid and] in dread. |
| 13 | The Lord of hosts—regard Him as holy
and
honor His holy name [by regarding Him as your only hope of safety], and let Him be your fear and let Him be your dread [lest you offend Him by your fear of man and distrust of Him]. |
| 14 | And He shall be a sanctuary [a sacred and indestructible asylum to those who reverently fear and trust in Him]; but He shall be a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. |
| 15 | And many among them shall stumble thereon; and they shall fall and be broken, and be snared and taken. |
| 16 | Bind up the testimony, seal the law
and
the teaching among my [Isaiah’s] disciples. |
| 17 | And I will wait for the Lord, Who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; and I will look for
and
hope in Him. |
| 18 | Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are
[d]signs and wonders [that are to take place] in Israel from the Lord of hosts, Who dwells on Mount Zion. |
| 19 | And when the people [instead of putting their trust in God] shall say to you, Consult for direction mediums and wizards who chirp and mutter, should not a people seek
and
consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? |
| 20 | [Direct such people] to the teaching and to the testimony! If their teachings are not in accord with this word, it is surely because there is no dawn
and
no morning for them. |
| 21 | And they [who consult mediums and wizards] shall pass through [the land] sorely distressed and hungry; and when they are hungry, they will fret, and will curse by their king and their God; and whether they look upward |
| 22 | Or look to the earth, they will behold only distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish, and into thick darkness
and
widespread, obscure night they shall be driven away. |
Cross references:
-
Isaiah 8:7 : Isa. 7:17.
-
Isaiah 8:8 : Num. 14:9; Ps. 46:7.
-
Isaiah 8:14 : Isa. 28:6; Rom. 9:33; I Pet. 2:6-8.
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