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Isaiah 8
Expanded Bible

Assyria Will Come Soon

8 The Lord told me, “Take a large ·scroll [or tablet] and write on it with ·an ordinary pen [or ordinary letters/script; L the stylus of a man]: ‘Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz [C “quick to the plunder; swift to the spoil”].’ 2 ·I will call [or So I called; or Call…!] some men to be reliable witnesses: Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah.”

3 Then I ·went to [C euphemism for sexual relations] the prophetess, and she became ·pregnant [conceived] and had a son. The Lord told me, “Name the boy Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz [v. 1], 4 because the king of Assyria will ·take away [carry off] the wealth of Damascus and the ·possessions [spoil; plunder] of Samaria before the boy learns to say ‘my father’ or ‘my mother’ [C about age two; the first stage of the destruction, which culminated in 722 bc; see 7:15–16].”

5 Again the Lord spoke to me, saying,

6 “[L Because] These people refuse to accept
    the ·slow-moving [gently flowing] waters of the pool of Shiloah [C probably the stream flowing from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam (John 9:7); God’s gentle influence is contrasted with the “flood” of the Assyrian invasion; v. 7]
and ·are terrified of [or rejoice over] Rezin
    and the son of Remaliah [C Pekah; 7:1, 4–5].
7 So ·I, the Lord, [L look/behold, the Lord] will bring against them
    a powerful flood of water from the ·Euphrates River [L River]—
    the king of Assyria and all his ·power [glory].
·The Assyrians will be like water rising [L It will rise] over ·the banks of the river [its channels],
    flowing over ·the land [its banks].
8 That water will ·flow [sweep] into Judah and pass through it,
    rising to ·Judah’s throat [L the neck].
·This army [L It] will spread its wings like a bird
    until it covers ·your whole country [the breadth of our land], ·Immanuel [or God is with us].”

9 ·Be broken [or You will be broken], all you nations,
    and [L you will] be ·smashed to pieces [shattered].
Listen, all you faraway ·countries [lands].
    ·Prepare for battle [T Gird yourselves] and [you will] be ·smashed to pieces [shattered]!
    ·Prepare for battle [T Gird yourselves] and [you will] be ·smashed to pieces [shattered]!
10 ·Make your plans for the fight [Devise your strategy],
    but ·they will be defeated [it will be thwarted].
·Give orders to your armies [L Speak a command/word],
    but ·they will be useless [L it will not stand],
because ·God is with us [L Immanuel].

Warnings to Isaiah

11 [L For] The Lord spoke to me with his ·great power [L strong hand] and warned me not to ·follow the lead [L walk in the way] of ·the rest of the [L this] people. He said,
12 “·People are saying that others make plans against them,
    but you should not believe them [L Don’t call ‘conspiracy’ everything this people calls ‘conspiracy’].
Don’t be afraid of what they fear;
    do not dread those things.
13 But remember that the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] is holy.
    He is ·the one you should [L your] fear;
    he is ·the one you should [L your] dread.
14 Then he will be a ·place of safety for you [sanctuary; holy place; or snare].
    ·But [or And] for the two ·families [houses] of Israel [C Israel and Judah],
he will be like a stone that causes people to stumble,
    like a rock that makes them fall [Rom. 9:33; 1 Pet. 2:6–8].
He will be like a trap for the ·people [inhabitants] of Jerusalem,
    and he will catch them in his ·trap [snare].
15 Many people will ·fall over this rock [L stumble over them].
    They will fall and be broken;
    they will be ·trapped [snared] and caught.”

16 ·Make an agreement [or Preserve this prophecy; L Bind up this testimony].
    Seal up the teaching ·while my followers are watching [or and entrust it to my followers/disciples; L among my followers/disciples].
17 I will ·wait for [patiently trust] the Lord [C for his help],
    the Lord who is ·ashamed of [L hiding his face from] the ·family of Israel [L house of Jacob].
I will ·wait for [hope in; trust in] him.

18 ·I am here, and with me are [L Look/T Behold, I and] the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and ·proofs [symbols; warnings; omens] for the people of Israel from the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], who ·lives [dwells] on Mount Zion.

19 Some people say, “Ask the mediums and ·fortune-tellers [necromancers; spiritists], who ·whisper [or chirp] and mutter [C using incantations to call up spirits; 1 Sam. 28:8–11], what to do.” ·But I tell you that people should ask their God for help. Why should people who are still alive ask something from the dead? [or “Should not a nation consult their gods, asking the dead on behalf of the living?”; C in this interpretation the quotation continues to the end of the verse]. 20 ·You should follow the teachings and the agreement with the Lord [L (Look) to the law/instruction and to the testimony]. ·The mediums and fortune-tellers do not [L Those who do not; or If they do not] speak ·the word of the Lord [L according to this word], ·so their words are worth nothing [or they are spiritually blinded; L they have no dawn].

21 ·People will wander through the land [L They will pass through] ·troubled [or destitute] and hungry. When they become hungry, they will become angry and will look up and curse their king and their God. 22 They will look around them at their land and see only ·trouble [distress], darkness, and awful gloom. And they will be forced into the darkness.

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Isaiah 8
New American Standard Bible

Damascus and Samaria Fall

8 Then the Lord said to me, “Take for yourself a large tablet and (A)write on it [a]in ordinary letters: [b](B)Maher-shalal-hash-baz. 2 And [c]I will take to Myself faithful witnesses for testimony, (C)Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.” 3 So I approached the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Name him [d](D)Maher-shalal-hash-baz; 4 for (E)before the boy knows how to cry out ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of (F)Damascus and the spoils of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.”

5 Again the Lord spoke to me further, saying,

6 “Inasmuch as these people have (G)rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah
And rejoice in (H)Rezin and the son of Remaliah;
7 Now therefore, behold, the Lord is about to bring on them the (I)strong and abundant waters of the (J)Euphrates River,
That is, the (K)king of Assyria and all his glory;
And it will (L)rise over all its channels and go over all its banks.
8 Then (M)it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass through,
It will (N)reach as far as the neck;
And the spread of its wings will [e]fill the expanse of [f]your land, (O)Immanuel.

A Believing Remnant

9 “(P)Be broken, you peoples, and be [g](Q)shattered;
And listen, all remote places of the earth.
[h]Get ready, yet be [i]shattered;
[j]Get ready, yet be [k]shattered.
10 (R)Devise a plan, but it will fail;
State a [l]proposal, but (S)it will not stand,
For [m](T)God is with us.”

11 For so the Lord spoke to me [n]with (U)mighty power and instructed me (V)not to walk in the way of this people, saying,

12 “You are not to say, ‘It is a (W)conspiracy!’
Regarding everything that this people call a conspiracy,
And (X)you are not to fear [o]what they fear or be in dread of it.
13 It is the (Y)Lord of armies (Z)whom you are to regard as holy.
And He shall be your fear,
And He shall be your dread.
14 Then He will become a (AA)sanctuary;
But to both houses of Israel, He will be a (AB)stone of stumbling and a rock [p]of offense,
And a snare and a (AC)trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 Many (AD)will stumble over them,
Then they will fall and be broken;
They will be snared and caught.”

16 (AE)Bind up the testimony, (AF)seal the [q]Law among (AG)my disciples. 17 And I will (AH)wait for the Lord (AI)who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; I will wait eagerly for Him. 18 (AJ)Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are for (AK)signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of armies, who (AL)dwells on Mount Zion.

19 When they say to you, “(AM)Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,” should a people not (AN)consult their God? Should they (AO)consult the dead in behalf of the living? 20 To the [r](AP)Law and to the testimony! If they do not speak in accordance with this word, it is because (AQ)they have no dawn. 21 They will pass through [s]the land (AR)dejected and hungry, and it will turn out that when they are hungry, they will become enraged and curse [t]their king and their God as they face upward. 22 Then they will (AS)look to the earth, and behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be (AT)driven away into darkness.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 8:1 Lit with the stylus of man
  2. Isaiah 8:1 I.e., swift is the plunder, speedy is the prey
  3. Isaiah 8:2 Another reading is take for me
  4. Isaiah 8:3 I.e., swift is the plunder, speedy is the prey
  5. Isaiah 8:8 Lit be the fullness of
  6. Isaiah 8:8 Or Your
  7. Isaiah 8:9 Or dismayed
  8. Isaiah 8:9 Lit Belt up your waist
  9. Isaiah 8:9 Or dismayed
  10. Isaiah 8:9 Lit Belt up your waist
  11. Isaiah 8:9 Or dismayed
  12. Isaiah 8:10 Lit word
  13. Isaiah 8:10 Heb Immanu-el
  14. Isaiah 8:11 Lit according to the strength of hand
  15. Isaiah 8:12 Lit their fear
  16. Isaiah 8:14 Or to trip on
  17. Isaiah 8:16 Or teaching
  18. Isaiah 8:20 Or teaching
  19. Isaiah 8:21 Lit it
  20. Isaiah 8:21 Or by their king
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