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Isaiah 8:11-20
New International Version
Isaiah 8:11-20
New International Version
11 This is what the Lord says to me with his strong hand upon me,(A) warning me not to follow(B) the way of this people:
12 “Do not call conspiracy(C)
everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,(D)
and do not dread it.(E)
13 The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,(F)
he is the one you are to fear,(G)
he is the one you are to dread.(H)
14 He will be a holy place;(I)
for both Israel and Judah he will be
a stone(J) that causes people to stumble(K)
and a rock that makes them fall.(L)
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
a trap and a snare.(M)
15 Many of them will stumble;(N)
they will fall and be broken,
they will be snared and captured.”
16 Bind up this testimony of warning(O)
and seal(P) up God’s instruction among my disciples.
17 I will wait(Q) for the Lord,
who is hiding(R) his face from the descendants of Jacob.
I will put my trust in him.(S)
18 Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me.(T) We are signs(U) and symbols(V) in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.(W)
The Darkness Turns to Light
19 When someone tells you to consult(X) mediums and spiritists,(Y) who whisper and mutter,(Z) should not a people inquire(AA) of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Consult God’s instruction(AB) and the testimony of warning.(AC) If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light(AD) of dawn.
Isaiah 8:11-20
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition
Isaiah 8:11-20
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition
11 For 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: 12 Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what it fears, or 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 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. 15 And many among them shall stumble; 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 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. 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, 20 for teaching and for instruction?’ surely, those who speak like this will have no dawn!
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Isaiah 8:11-20
Good News Translation
Isaiah 8:11-20
Good News Translation
The Lord Warns the Prophet
11 With his great power the Lord warned me not to follow the road which the people were following. He said, 12 (A)“Do not join in the schemes of the people and do not be afraid of the things that they fear. 13 Remember that I, the Lord Almighty, am holy; I am the one you must fear. 14 (B)Because of my awesome holiness I am like a stone that people stumble over; I am like a trap that will catch the people of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel and the people of Jerusalem. 15 Many will stumble; they will fall and be crushed. They will be caught in a trap.”
Warning against Consulting the Dead
16 You, my disciples, are to guard and preserve the messages that God has given me. 17 (C)The Lord has hidden himself from his people, but I trust him and place my hope in him.
18 (D)Here I am with the children the Lord has given me. The Lord Almighty, whose throne is on Mount Zion, has sent us as living messages to the people of Israel.
19 But people will tell you to ask for messages from fortunetellers and mediums, who chirp and mutter. They will say, “After all, people should ask for messages from the spirits and consult the dead on behalf of the living.”
20 You are to answer them, “Listen to what the Lord is teaching you! Don't listen to mediums—what they tell you cannot keep trouble away.”[a]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Isaiah 8:20 Verse 20 in Hebrew is unclear.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition (NRSVACE)
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993, 1995 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.
Good News Translation (GNT) 
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.