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Isaiah 8
Expanded Bible
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.
Isaiah 8
New International Version
Isaiah 8
New International Version
Isaiah and His Children as Signs
8 The Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll(A) and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.”[a](B) 2 So I called in Uriah(C) the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses(D) for me. 3 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) 4 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)”
5 The Lord spoke to me again:
6 “Because this people has rejected(K)
the gently flowing waters of Shiloah(L)
and rejoices over Rezin
and the son of Remaliah,(M)
7 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)
8 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)
9 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)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 8:1 Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz means quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil; also in verse 3.
- Isaiah 8:8 Immanuel means God with us.
- Isaiah 8:9 Or Do your worst
- Isaiah 8:10 Hebrew Immanuel
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