Isaiah 8
English Standard Version
The Coming Assyrian Invasion
8 Then the Lord said to me, “Take a large tablet (A)and write on it in common characters,[a] ‘Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz.’[b] 2 And (B)I will get reliable witnesses, (C)Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah, to attest for me.”
3 And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, (D)“Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz; 4 (E)for before the boy knows how to cry ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the (F)wealth of (G)Damascus and the spoil of (H)Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.”
5 The Lord spoke to me again: 6 “Because this people has refused the waters of (I)Shiloah that flow gently, and rejoice over (J)Rezin and the son of Remaliah, 7 therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up against them (K)the waters of (L)the River,[c] mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it (M)will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks, 8 and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, (N)reaching even to the neck, and its (O)outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, (P)O Immanuel.”
9 Be broken,[d] you peoples, and (Q)be shattered;[e]
give ear, all you far countries;
strap on your armor and be shattered;
strap on your armor and be shattered.
10 Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing;
speak a word, (R)but it will not stand,
for God (S)is with us.[f]
Fear God, Wait for the Lord
11 For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and (T)warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 12 “Do not call (U)conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and (V)do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13 But the Lord of hosts, (W)him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14 And he will become a (X)sanctuary and (Y)a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many (Z)shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”
16 Bind up (AA)the testimony; (AB)seal the teaching[g] among my disciples. 17 I will (AC)wait for the Lord, who is (AD)hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. 18 (AE)Behold, I and (AF)the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion. 19 And when they say to you, “Inquire of the (AG)mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of (AH)the dead on behalf of the living? 20 (AI)To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no (AJ)dawn. 21 They will pass through the land,[h] greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against[i] their king and their God, and turn their faces upward. 22 (AK)And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into (AL)thick darkness.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 8:1 Hebrew with a man's stylus
- Isaiah 8:1 Maher-shalal-hash-baz means The spoil speeds, the prey hastens
- Isaiah 8:7 That is, the Euphrates
- Isaiah 8:9 Or Be evil
- Isaiah 8:9 Or dismayed
- Isaiah 8:10 The Hebrew for God is with us is Immanuel
- Isaiah 8:16 Or law; also verse 20
- Isaiah 8:21 Hebrew it
- Isaiah 8:21 Or speak contemptuously by
Isaiah 8
New King James Version
Assyria Will Invade the Land
8 Moreover the Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll, and (A)write on it with a man’s pen concerning [a]Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. 2 And I will take for Myself faithful witnesses to record, (B)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 (C)for before the child [b]shall have knowledge to cry ‘My father’ and ‘My mother,’ (D)the riches of Damascus and the [c]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 (E)Shiloah that flow softly,
And rejoice (F)in Rezin and in Remaliah’s son;
7 Now therefore, behold, the Lord brings up over them
The waters of [d]the River, strong and mighty—
The king of Assyria and all his glory;
He will [e]go up over all his channels
And go over all his banks.
8 He will pass through Judah,
He will overflow and pass over,
(G)He will reach up to the neck;
And the stretching out of his wings
Will [f]fill the breadth of Your land, O (H)Immanuel.[g]
9 “Be(I) 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 (J)Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing;
Speak the word, (K)but it will not stand,
(L)For [h]God is with us.”
Fear God, Heed His Word
11 For the Lord spoke thus to me with [i]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 [j]threats, nor be [k]troubled.
13 The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow;
Let Him be your fear,
And let Him be your dread.
14 (M)He will be as a [l]sanctuary,
But (N)a stone of stumbling and a rock of [m]offense
To both the houses of Israel,
As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 And many among them shall (O)stumble;
They shall fall and be broken,
Be snared and [n]taken.”
16 Bind up the testimony,
Seal the law among my disciples.
17 And I will wait on the Lord,
Who (P)hides His face from the house of Jacob;
And I (Q)will hope in Him.
18 (R)Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me!
We (S)are for signs and wonders in Israel
From the Lord of hosts,
Who dwells in Mount Zion.
19 And when they say to you, (T)“Seek those who are mediums and wizards, (U)who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they (V)seek the dead on behalf of the living? 20 (W)To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because (X)there[o] 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 (Y)curse [p]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.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 8:1 Lit. Speed the Spoil, Hasten the Booty
- Isaiah 8:4 knows how
- Isaiah 8:4 plunder
- Isaiah 8:7 The Euphrates
- Isaiah 8:7 Overflow
- Isaiah 8:8 Lit. be the fullness of
- Isaiah 8:8 Lit. God-With-Us
- Isaiah 8:10 Heb. Immanuel
- Isaiah 8:11 Mighty power
- Isaiah 8:12 Lit. fear or terror
- Isaiah 8:12 Lit. in dread
- Isaiah 8:14 holy abode
- Isaiah 8:14 stumbling over
- Isaiah 8:15 captured
- Isaiah 8:20 Or they have no dawn
- Isaiah 8:21 Or by their king and by their God
Isaiah 8
Revised Standard Version
Isaiah’s Son a Sign of the Assyrian Invasion
8 Then the Lord said to me, “Take a large tablet and write upon it in common characters, ‘Belonging to Ma′her-shal′al-hash′baz.’”[a] 2 And I got reliable witnesses, Uri′ah the priest and Zechari′ah the son of Jeberechi′ah, to attest for me. 3 And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Call his name Ma′her-shal′al-hash′baz; 4 for before the child knows how to cry ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samar′ia will be carried away before the king of Assyria.”
5 The Lord spoke to me again: 6 “Because this people have refused the waters of Shilo′ah that flow gently, and melt in fear before[b] Rezin and the son of Remali′ah; 7 therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the River, mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory; and it will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks; 8 and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck; and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Imman′u-el.”
9 Be broken, you peoples, and be dismayed;
give ear, all you far countries;
gird yourselves and be dismayed;
gird yourselves and be dismayed.
10 Take counsel together, but it will come to nought;
speak a word, but it will not stand,
for God is with us.[c]
11 For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 12 “Do not call conspiracy all that this people call conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13 But the Lord of hosts, him you shall regard as holy; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14 And he will become a sanctuary, and a stone of offense, and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many shall stumble thereon; they shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”
Disciples of Isaiah
16 Bind up the testimony, seal the teaching among my disciples. 17 I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. 18 Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion. 19 And when they say to you, “Consult the mediums and the wizards who chirp and mutter,” should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the teaching and to the testimony! Surely for this word which they speak there is no dawn. 21 They will pass through the land,[d] greatly distressed and hungry; and when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will curse[e] their king and their God, and turn their faces upward; 22 and they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be thrust into thick darkness.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 8:1 That is The spoil speeds, the prey hastes
- Isaiah 8:6 Cn: Heb rejoices in
- Isaiah 8:10 Heb immanu el
- Isaiah 8:21 Heb it
- Isaiah 8:21 Or curse by
Isaiah 8
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Isaiah’s Son a Sign of the Assyrian Invasion
8 Then the Lord said to me, “Take a large tablet and write on it in common characters, ‘Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz,’[a](A) 2 and have it attested[b] for me by reliable witnesses, the priest Uriah and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah.”(B) 3 And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz, 4 for before the child knows how to call ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away by the king of Assyria.”(C)
5 The Lord spoke to me again: 6 “Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that flow gently and melt in fear before[c] Rezin and the son of Remaliah,(D) 7 therefore the Lord is bringing up against it the mighty flood waters of the River, the king of Assyria and all his glory; it will rise above all its channels and overflow all its banks; 8 it will sweep on into Judah as a flood and, pouring over, will reach up to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.(E)
9 Take notice,[d] you peoples, and be dismayed;
listen, all you far countries;
gird yourselves and be dismayed![e]
10 Take counsel together, but it shall be brought to naught;
speak a word, but it will not stand,
for God is with us.”(F)
11 The Lord spoke thus to me while his hand was strong upon me and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying:(G) 12 “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what it fears or be in dread.(H) 13 But the Lord of hosts, him you shall regard as holy; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.(I) 14 He will become a sanctuary, a stone one strikes against; for both houses of Israel he will become a rock one stumbles over, a trap and a snare for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.(J) 15 And many among them shall stumble; they shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”(K)
Disciples of Isaiah
16 Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching among my disciples.(L) 17 I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.(M) 18 See, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.(N) 19 Now if people say to you, “Consult the ghosts and the familiar spirits that chirp and mutter; should not a people consult their gods, the dead on behalf of the living,(O) 20 for teaching and for instruction?” surely those who speak like this will have no dawn!(P) 21 They will pass through the land,[f] greatly distressed and hungry; when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will curse[g] their king and their gods. They will turn their faces upward,(Q) 22 or they will look to the earth, but they will see only distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish, and they will be thrust into thick darkness.[h](R)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.