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)
Isaiah 8
Common English Bible
Isaiah’s testimonies
8 The Lord said to me, “Take a large tablet, and write on it in ordinary letters,[a] For Maher-shalal-hash-baz.[b] 2 Summon trusted people, Uriah the priest and Zechariah, Jeberechiah’s son, to witness it.”
3 I then had sex with the prophetess, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz. 4 Before the boy knows how to say ‘my father’ and ‘my mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.”
5 The Lord spoke again to me: 6 Since this people has rejected the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and instead rejoices over[c] Rezin and Remaliah’s son— 7 therefore, look, the Lord is raising up against them the powerful floodwaters of the Euphrates, the king of Assyria and all his glory. It will rise up over all its channels, overflowing all its banks, 8 and sweep into Judah, flooding, overflowing, and reaching up to the neck. But God is with us;[d] the span of his wings will cover the width of the land.
9 Unite[e] yourselves, peoples, and be shattered!
Listen, all distant places of the earth!
Prepare to be shattered!
Prepare to be shattered!
10 Create a plan, but be frustrated!
Speak a word, but it won’t stand, for God is with us.[f]
11 The Lord spoke to me, taking hold of me and warning me not to walk in the way of this people: 12 Don’t call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy. Don’t fear what they fear, and don’t be terrified. 13 It is the Lord of heavenly forces whom you should hold sacred, whom you should fear, and whom you should hold in awe.
14 God will become a sanctuary—
but he will be a stone to trip over and a rock to stumble on for the two houses of Israel;
a trap and a snare for those living in Jerusalem.
15 Many of them will stumble and fall,
and be broken, snared, and captured.
16 Bind up the testimony; seal up the teaching among my disciples. 17 I will wait for the Lord, who has hidden his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in God. 18 Look! I and the children the Lord gave me are signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of heavenly forces, who lives on Mount Zion.
19 If they say to you: “Consult the ghosts and the spirits that chirp and mutter. (Shouldn’t a people consult its gods?) Consult the dead on behalf of the living 20 for instruction and for testimony”—they will surely say such things, but they will never see the dawn.[g]
21 They will pass through the land,[h] dejected and hungry, and when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will curse their king and God. They will turn toward heaven 22 and look to the earth, but they will see only distress and darkness, random movement, and the anguish and doom of banishment.[i]
Footnotes
- Isaiah 8:1 Heb uncertain
- Isaiah 8:1 Or spoil hastens, plunder hurries
- Isaiah 8:6 Or melts before
- Isaiah 8:8 Heb Immanuel
- Isaiah 8:9 Heb uncertain
- Isaiah 8:10 Heb Immanuel
- Isaiah 8:20 Heb uncertain for 8:19-20
- Isaiah 8:21 Or it
- Isaiah 8:22 Heb uncertain for 8:21-22
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.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible