The Coming Assyrian Invasion

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] And (B)I will get reliable witnesses, (C)Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah, to attest for me.”

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; (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.”

The Lord spoke to me again: “Because this people has refused the waters of (I)Shiloah that flow gently, and rejoice over (J)Rezin and the son of Remaliah, 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, 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.”

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.

For to Us a Child Is Born

[j] But there will be no (AM)gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he (AN)brought into contempt the land of (AO)Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he (AP)has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.[k]

[l] (AQ)The people (AR)who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of (AS)deep darkness,
    on them has light shone.
(AT)You have multiplied the nation;
    you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
    as with (AU)joy at the harvest,
    as they (AV)are glad (AW)when they divide the spoil.
(AX)For the yoke of his burden,
    (AY)and the staff for his shoulder,
    the rod of his oppressor,
    you have broken as (AZ)on the day of Midian.
(BA)For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
    and every garment rolled in blood
    will be burned as fuel for the fire.
(BB)For to us a child is born,
    to us (BC)a son is given;
(BD)and the government shall be (BE)upon[m] his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called[n]
Wonderful (BF)Counselor, (BG)Mighty God,
    (BH)Everlasting (BI)Father, Prince of (BJ)Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
    (BK)there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
    to establish it and to uphold it
(BL)with justice and with righteousness
    from this time forth and forevermore.
(BM)The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Judgment on Arrogance and Oppression

The Lord has sent a word against Jacob,
    and it will fall on Israel;
and all the people will know,
    (BN)Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
    who say in pride and in arrogance of heart:
10 “The bricks have fallen,
    but we will build with dressed stones;
the sycamores have been cut down,
    but we will put cedars in their place.”
11 But the Lord raises the adversaries of Rezin against him,
    and stirs up his enemies.
12 (BO)The Syrians on the east and (BP)the Philistines on the west
    devour Israel with open mouth.
(BQ)For all this his anger has not turned away,
    and his hand is stretched out still.

13 The people (BR)did not turn to him who struck them,
    nor inquire of the Lord of hosts.
14 So the Lord cut off from Israel (BS)head and tail,
    palm branch and reed in one day—
15 (BT)the elder and honored man is the head,
    and (BU)the prophet who teaches lies is the tail;
16 for those who guide this people have been leading them astray,
    and those who are guided by them are swallowed up.
17 Therefore the Lord does not (BV)rejoice over their young men,
    and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows;
for everyone is (BW)godless and an evildoer,
    and every mouth speaks (BX)folly.[o]
(BY)For all this his anger has not turned away,
    and his hand is stretched out still.

18 For wickedness burns like (BZ)a fire;
    it consumes briers and thorns;
it kindles the thickets of the forest,
    and they roll upward in a column of smoke.
19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts
    the land is scorched,
and (CA)the people are like fuel for the fire;
    (CB)no one spares another.
20 (CC)They slice meat on the right, but are still hungry,
    and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied;
(CD)each devours the flesh of his own arm,
21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim devours Manasseh;
    together they are (CE)against Judah.
(CF)For all this his anger has not turned away,
    and his hand is stretched out still.

10 Woe to those who (CG)decree iniquitous decrees,
    and the writers who (CH)keep writing oppression,
to turn aside the needy from justice
    and (CI)to rob the poor of my people of their right,
that widows may be their spoil,
    and that they may make the fatherless their prey!
What will you do on (CJ)the day of punishment,
    in the ruin that will come (CK)from afar?
To whom will you flee for help,
    and where will you leave your wealth?
Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners
    or fall among the slain.
(CL)For all this his anger has not turned away,
    and his hand is stretched out still.

Judgment on Arrogant Assyria

Woe to Assyria, (CM)the rod of my anger;
    the staff in their hands is my fury!
Against a (CN)godless nation I send him,
    and against the people of my wrath I command him,
to take (CO)spoil and seize plunder,
    and to (CP)tread them down like the mire of the streets.
But he (CQ)does not so intend,
    and his heart does not so think;
but it is in his heart to destroy,
    and to cut off nations not a few;
for he says:
(CR)“Are not my commanders all kings?
(CS)Is not (CT)Calno like (CU)Carchemish?
    Is not (CV)Hamath like (CW)Arpad?
    (CX)Is not (CY)Samaria like Damascus?
10 As my hand has reached to (CZ)the kingdoms of the idols,
    whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 shall I not do to Jerusalem and (DA)her idols
    (DB)as I have done to Samaria and her images?”

12 (DC)When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, (DD)he[p] will punish the speech[q] of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes. 13 (DE)For he says:

“By the strength of my hand I have done it,
    and by my wisdom, for I have understanding;
I remove the boundaries of peoples,
    and plunder their treasures;
    like a bull I bring down those who sit on thrones.
14 My hand has found like a nest
    the wealth of the peoples;
and as one gathers eggs that have been forsaken,
    so I have gathered all the earth;
and there was none that moved a wing
    or opened the mouth or chirped.”

15 Shall (DF)the axe boast over him who hews with it,
    or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?
As if a rod should wield him who lifts it,
    or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!
16 Therefore the Lord God of hosts
    will send wasting sickness among his (DG)stout warriors,
and under his glory (DH)a burning will be kindled,
    like the burning of fire.
17 (DI)The light of Israel will become a fire,
    and (DJ)his Holy One a flame,
and (DK)it will burn and devour
    his thorns and briers (DL)in one day.
18 The glory of (DM)his forest and of his (DN)fruitful land
    the Lord will destroy, both soul and body,
    and it will be as when a sick man wastes away.
19 The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few
    that a child can write them down.

The Remnant of Israel Will Return

20 (DO)In that day (DP)the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more (DQ)lean on him who struck them, but (DR)will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21 A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, (DS)to the mighty God. 22 (DT)For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, (DU)only a remnant of them will return. (DV)Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. 23 For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth.

24 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: “O my people, (DW)who dwell in Zion, (DX)be not afraid of the Assyrians when they strike with the rod and lift up their staff against you as (DY)the Egyptians did. 25 For (DZ)in a very little while my fury will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction. 26 And (EA)the Lord of hosts will wield against them a whip, as when he struck (EB)Midian (EC)at the rock of Oreb. And his staff will be over the sea, and he will lift it (ED)as he did in Egypt. 27 And in that day (EE)his burden will depart from your shoulder, and (EF)his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because of the fat.”[r]

28 He has come to Aiath;
he has passed through (EG)Migron;
    at Michmash he stores (EH)his baggage;
29 they have crossed over (EI)the pass;
    at (EJ)Geba they lodge for the night;
(EK)Ramah trembles;
    (EL)Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30 Cry aloud, O daughter of (EM)Gallim!
    Give attention, O Laishah!
    O poor (EN)Anathoth!
31 Madmenah is in flight;
    the inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.
32 This very day he will halt at (EO)Nob;
    he will shake his fist
    at the mount of (EP)the daughter of Zion,
    the hill of Jerusalem.

33 Behold, the Lord God of hosts
    (EQ)will lop (ER)the boughs with terrifying power;
the great in height will be hewn down,
    and the lofty will be brought low.
34 He will cut down (ES)the thickets of the forest with an axe,
    and (ET)Lebanon will fall by the Majestic One.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 8:1 Hebrew with a man's stylus
  2. Isaiah 8:1 Maher-shalal-hash-baz means The spoil speeds, the prey hastens
  3. Isaiah 8:7 That is, the Euphrates
  4. Isaiah 8:9 Or Be evil
  5. Isaiah 8:9 Or dismayed
  6. Isaiah 8:10 The Hebrew for God is with us is Immanuel
  7. Isaiah 8:16 Or law; also verse 20
  8. Isaiah 8:21 Hebrew it
  9. Isaiah 8:21 Or speak contemptuously by
  10. Isaiah 9:1 Ch 8:23 in Hebrew
  11. Isaiah 9:1 Or of the Gentiles
  12. Isaiah 9:2 Ch 9:1 in Hebrew
  13. Isaiah 9:6 Or is upon
  14. Isaiah 9:6 Or is called
  15. Isaiah 9:17 Or speaks disgraceful things
  16. Isaiah 10:12 Hebrew I
  17. Isaiah 10:12 Hebrew fruit
  18. Isaiah 10:27 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain

Isaiah and His Children as Signs

The Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll(A) and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.”[a](B) So I called in Uriah(C) the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses(D) for me. Then I made love to the prophetess,(E) and she conceived and gave birth to a son.(F) And the Lord said to me, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.(G) For before the boy knows(H) how to say ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus(I) and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.(J)

The Lord spoke to me again:

“Because this people has rejected(K)
    the gently flowing waters of Shiloah(L)
and rejoices over Rezin
    and the son of Remaliah,(M)
therefore the Lord is about to bring against them
    the mighty floodwaters(N) of the Euphrates—
    the king of Assyria(O) with all his pomp.(P)
It will overflow all its channels,
    run over all its banks(Q)
and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it,(R)
    passing through it and reaching up to the neck.
Its outspread wings(S) will cover the breadth of your land,
    Immanuel[b]!”(T)

Raise the war cry,[c](U) you nations, and be shattered!(V)
    Listen, all you distant lands.
Prepare(W) for battle, and be shattered!
    Prepare for battle, and be shattered!
10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted;(X)
    propose your plan, but it will not stand,(Y)
    for God is with us.[d](Z)

11 This is what the Lord says to me with his strong hand upon me,(AA) warning me not to follow(AB) the way of this people:

12 “Do not call conspiracy(AC)
    everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,(AD)
    and do not dread it.(AE)
13 The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,(AF)
    he is the one you are to fear,(AG)
    he is the one you are to dread.(AH)
14 He will be a holy place;(AI)
    for both Israel and Judah he will be
a stone(AJ) that causes people to stumble(AK)
    and a rock that makes them fall.(AL)
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
    a trap and a snare.(AM)
15 Many of them will stumble;(AN)
    they will fall and be broken,
    they will be snared and captured.”

16 Bind up this testimony of warning(AO)
    and seal(AP) up God’s instruction among my disciples.
17 I will wait(AQ) for the Lord,
    who is hiding(AR) his face from the descendants of Jacob.
I will put my trust in him.(AS)

18 Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me.(AT) We are signs(AU) and symbols(AV) in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.(AW)

The Darkness Turns to Light

19 When someone tells you to consult(AX) mediums and spiritists,(AY) who whisper and mutter,(AZ) should not a people inquire(BA) of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Consult God’s instruction(BB) and the testimony of warning.(BC) If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light(BD) of dawn. 21 Distressed and hungry,(BE) they will roam through the land;(BF) when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse(BG) their king and their God. 22 Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom,(BH) and they will be thrust into utter darkness.(BI)

[e]Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom(BJ) for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,(BK) but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

The people walking in darkness(BL)
    have seen a great light;(BM)
on those living in the land of deep darkness(BN)
    a light has dawned.(BO)
You have enlarged the nation(BP)
    and increased their joy;(BQ)
they rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
    when dividing the plunder.(BR)
For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,(BS)
    you have shattered(BT)
the yoke(BU) that burdens them,
    the bar across their shoulders,(BV)
    the rod of their oppressor.(BW)
Every warrior’s boot used in battle
    and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,(BX)
    will be fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born,(BY)
    to us a son is given,(BZ)
    and the government(CA) will be on his shoulders.(CB)
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor,(CC) Mighty God,(CD)
    Everlasting(CE) Father,(CF) Prince of Peace.(CG)
Of the greatness of his government(CH) and peace(CI)
    there will be no end.(CJ)
He will reign(CK) on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice(CL) and righteousness(CM)
    from that time on and forever.(CN)
The zeal(CO) of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

The Lord’s Anger Against Israel

The Lord has sent a message(CP) against Jacob;
    it will fall on Israel.
All the people will know it—
    Ephraim(CQ) and the inhabitants of Samaria(CR)
who say with pride
    and arrogance(CS) of heart,
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
    but we will rebuild with dressed stone;(CT)
the fig(CU) trees have been felled,
    but we will replace them with cedars.(CV)
11 But the Lord has strengthened Rezin’s(CW) foes against them
    and has spurred their enemies on.
12 Arameans(CX) from the east and Philistines(CY) from the west
    have devoured(CZ) Israel with open mouth.

Yet for all this, his anger(DA) is not turned away,
    his hand is still upraised.(DB)

13 But the people have not returned(DC) to him who struck(DD) them,
    nor have they sought(DE) the Lord Almighty.
14 So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail,
    both palm branch and reed(DF) in a single day;(DG)
15 the elders(DH) and dignitaries(DI) are the head,
    the prophets(DJ) who teach lies(DK) are the tail.
16 Those who guide(DL) this people mislead them,
    and those who are guided are led astray.(DM)
17 Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men,(DN)
    nor will he pity(DO) the fatherless and widows,
for everyone is ungodly(DP) and wicked,(DQ)
    every mouth speaks folly.(DR)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
    his hand is still upraised.(DS)

18 Surely wickedness burns like a fire;(DT)
    it consumes briers and thorns,(DU)
it sets the forest thickets ablaze,(DV)
    so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.
19 By the wrath(DW) of the Lord Almighty
    the land will be scorched(DX)
and the people will be fuel for the fire;(DY)
    they will not spare one another.(DZ)
20 On the right they will devour,
    but still be hungry;(EA)
on the left they will eat,(EB)
    but not be satisfied.
Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring[f]:
21     Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh;(EC)
    together they will turn against Judah.(ED)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
    his hand is still upraised.(EE)

10 Woe(EF) to those who make unjust laws,
    to those who issue oppressive decrees,(EG)
to deprive(EH) the poor of their rights
    and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,(EI)
making widows their prey
    and robbing the fatherless.(EJ)
What will you do on the day of reckoning,(EK)
    when disaster(EL) comes from afar?
To whom will you run for help?(EM)
    Where will you leave your riches?
Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives(EN)
    or fall among the slain.(EO)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,(EP)
    his hand is still upraised.

God’s Judgment on Assyria

“Woe(EQ) to the Assyrian,(ER) the rod(ES) of my anger,
    in whose hand is the club(ET) of my wrath!(EU)
I send him against a godless(EV) nation,
    I dispatch(EW) him against a people who anger me,(EX)
to seize loot and snatch plunder,(EY)
    and to trample(EZ) them down like mud in the streets.
But this is not what he intends,(FA)
    this is not what he has in mind;
his purpose is to destroy,
    to put an end to many nations.
‘Are not my commanders(FB) all kings?’ he says.
    ‘Has not Kalno(FC) fared like Carchemish?(FD)
Is not Hamath(FE) like Arpad,(FF)
    and Samaria(FG) like Damascus?(FH)
10 As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols,(FI)
    kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria—
11 shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images
    as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?(FJ)’”

12 When the Lord has finished all his work(FK) against Mount Zion(FL) and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria(FM) for the willful pride(FN) of his heart and the haughty look(FO) in his eyes. 13 For he says:

“‘By the strength of my hand(FP) I have done this,(FQ)
    and by my wisdom, because I have understanding.
I removed the boundaries of nations,
    I plundered their treasures;(FR)
    like a mighty one I subdued[g] their kings.(FS)
14 As one reaches into a nest,(FT)
    so my hand reached for the wealth(FU) of the nations;
as people gather abandoned eggs,
    so I gathered all the countries;(FV)
not one flapped a wing,
    or opened its mouth to chirp.(FW)’”

15 Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it,
    or the saw boast against the one who uses it?(FX)
As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up,
    or a club(FY) brandish the one who is not wood!
16 Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    will send a wasting disease(FZ) upon his sturdy warriors;(GA)
under his pomp(GB) a fire(GC) will be kindled
    like a blazing flame.
17 The Light of Israel will become a fire,(GD)
    their Holy One(GE) a flame;
in a single day it will burn and consume
    his thorns(GF) and his briers.(GG)
18 The splendor of his forests(GH) and fertile fields
    it will completely destroy,(GI)
    as when a sick person wastes away.
19 And the remaining trees of his forests(GJ) will be so few(GK)
    that a child could write them down.

The Remnant of Israel

20 In that day(GL) the remnant of Israel,
    the survivors(GM) of Jacob,
will no longer rely(GN) on him
    who struck them down(GO)
but will truly rely(GP) on the Lord,
    the Holy One of Israel.(GQ)
21 A remnant(GR) will return,[h](GS) a remnant of Jacob
    will return to the Mighty God.(GT)
22 Though your people be like the sand(GU) by the sea, Israel,
    only a remnant will return.(GV)
Destruction has been decreed,(GW)
    overwhelming and righteous.
23 The Lord, the Lord Almighty, will carry out
    the destruction decreed(GX) upon the whole land.(GY)

24 Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says:

“My people who live in Zion,(GZ)
    do not be afraid(HA) of the Assyrians,
who beat(HB) you with a rod(HC)
    and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did.
25 Very soon(HD) my anger against you will end
    and my wrath(HE) will be directed to their destruction.(HF)

26 The Lord Almighty will lash(HG) them with a whip,
    as when he struck down Midian(HH) at the rock of Oreb;
and he will raise his staff(HI) over the waters,(HJ)
    as he did in Egypt.
27 In that day(HK) their burden(HL) will be lifted from your shoulders,
    their yoke(HM) from your neck;(HN)
the yoke(HO) will be broken
    because you have grown so fat.[i]

28 They enter Aiath;
    they pass through Migron;(HP)
    they store supplies(HQ) at Mikmash.(HR)
29 They go over the pass, and say,
    “We will camp overnight at Geba.(HS)
Ramah(HT) trembles;
    Gibeah(HU) of Saul flees.(HV)
30 Cry out, Daughter Gallim!(HW)
    Listen, Laishah!
    Poor Anathoth!(HX)
31 Madmenah is in flight;
    the people of Gebim take cover.
32 This day they will halt at Nob;(HY)
    they will shake their fist(HZ)
at the mount of Daughter Zion,(IA)
    at the hill of Jerusalem.

33 See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    will lop off(IB) the boughs with great power.
The lofty trees will be felled,(IC)
    the tall(ID) ones will be brought low.(IE)
34 He will cut down(IF) the forest thickets with an ax;
    Lebanon(IG) will fall before the Mighty One.(IH)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 8:1 Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz means quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil; also in verse 3.
  2. Isaiah 8:8 Immanuel means God with us.
  3. Isaiah 8:9 Or Do your worst
  4. Isaiah 8:10 Hebrew Immanuel
  5. Isaiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-21 is numbered 9:1-20.
  6. Isaiah 9:20 Or arm
  7. Isaiah 10:13 Or treasures; / I subdued the mighty,
  8. Isaiah 10:21 Hebrew shear-jashub (see 7:3 and note); also in verse 22
  9. Isaiah 10:27 Hebrew; Septuagint broken / from your shoulders

Jesus, High Priest of a Better Covenant

Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, (A)one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in (B)the true tent[a] that the Lord (C)set up, not man. For (D)every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus (E)it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve (F)a copy and (G)shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, (H)“See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” But as it is, Christ[b] has obtained a ministry that is (I)as much more excellent than the old as (J)the covenant (K)he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. (L)For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.

For he finds fault with them when he says:[c]

(M)“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
    when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel
    and with the house of Judah,
not like the covenant that I made with their fathers
    on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
For they did not continue in my covenant,
    and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.
10 (N)For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
    after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds,
    and (O)write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
    and they shall be my people.
11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor
    and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for they shall (P)all know me,
    from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,
    (Q)and I will remember their sins no more.”

13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And (R)what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 8:2 Or tabernacle; also verse 5
  2. Hebrews 8:6 Greek he
  3. Hebrews 8:8 Some manuscripts For finding fault with it he says to them

The High Priest of a New Covenant

Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest,(A) who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,(B) and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle(C) set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.

Every high priest(D) is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices,(E) and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer.(F) If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.(G) They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy(H) and shadow(I) of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned(J) when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”[a](K) But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant(L) of which he is mediator(M) is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.

For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.(N) But God found fault with the people and said[b]:

“The days are coming, declares the Lord,
    when I will make a new covenant(O)
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant
    I made with their ancestors(P)
when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt,
because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
    and I turned away from them,
declares the Lord.
10 This is the covenant(Q) I will establish with the people of Israel
    after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
    and write them on their hearts.(R)
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.(S)
11 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,(T)
    from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will forgive their wickedness
    and will remember their sins no more.(U)[c](V)

13 By calling this covenant “new,”(W) he has made the first one obsolete;(X) and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 8:5 Exodus 25:40
  2. Hebrews 8:8 Some manuscripts may be translated fault and said to the people.
  3. Hebrews 8:12 Jer. 31:31-34