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
Lexham English Bible
Signs of the Assyrian Invasion
8 Then Yahweh said to me, “Take yourself a large tablet and write on it with a common stylus pen: Maher-Halal-Hash-Baz. 2 And I will require reliable witnesses as a witness for me: Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah.” 3 And I approached the prophetess, and she conceived, and she gave birth to a son. And Yahweh said to me, “Call his name Maher-Halal-Hash-Baz. 4 For before the boy knows to call ‘my father’ and ‘my mother,’ one will carry away the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria in the presence of the king of Assyria.”
Shiloah Waters and Euphrates Flood
5 And Yahweh continued to speak to me again, saying,
6 “Because this people has refused the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and rejoices over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, 7 therefore look! The Lord is bringing up the waters of the great and mighty river against them, the king of Assyria and all his glory.
And he will rise above all his channels,
and he will flow over all his banks.
8 And he will sweep into Judah;
he will overflow and he will flood up to the neck.
He will reach, and he will spread his wings out over your entire land,[a] God with us.”
9 Be broken, you peoples, and be dismayed.
And listen, all distant parts of the earth;
gird yourselves and be dismayed;
gird yourselves and be dismayed!
10 Make a plan,[b] but it will be frustrated!
Speak a word, but it will not stand,
for God is with us!
Wait for Yahweh
11 For Yahweh said this to me while his hand weighed heavily on me,[c]
and he warned me not to walk[d] in the way of this people, saying,
12 “You must not call conspiracy everything that this people calls conspiracy,
and you must not share its fear,[e] and you must not be in dread.
13 You shall regard Yahweh of hosts as holy,
and he is your[f] fear, and he is your dread.
14 And he will become like a sanctuary and a stumbling-stone,
and like a stumbling-rock for the two houses of Israel,
like a trap and a snare for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 And many shall stumble among them,
and they shall fall and they shall be broken,
and they shall be ensnared and they shall be caught.”
16 Bind up the testimony;
seal the teaching among my disciples.
17 And I will wait for Yahweh,
who hides his face from the house of Jacob,
and I will await him.
18 Look! I and the children whom Yahweh has given to me are like signs and portents in Israel from Yahweh of hosts, the one who dwells on the mountain of Zion. 19 Now if they tell you, “Consult the ghosts and the spirits, those who chirp and those who mutter. Should not a people consult its gods, the dead on behalf of the living, 20 for teaching and for testimony?” surely they who speak like this have no dawn.[g]
21 And it[h] will pass through it[i] distressed and hungry, and this shall happen: when it is hungry, it will be enraged, and it will curse its king and its gods,[j] and it will face upwar 22 or look to the earth. But look! Distress and darkness, the gloom of affliction! And it will be thrust into darkness!
Footnotes
- Isaiah 8:8 Literally “the outspreading of his wings will be the fullness of the breadth of your land”
- Isaiah 8:10 Literally “Plan counsel”
- Isaiah 8:11 Literally “with the strength of the hand”
- Isaiah 8:11 Literally “instructed me from walking”
- Isaiah 8:12 Literally “fear its fear”
- Isaiah 8:13 The Hebrew is plural
- Isaiah 8:20 Literally “if not, they say like this word that there is no dawn for him,” which could also mean “if not, let them say a word like this: that there is no dawn for him”
- Isaiah 8:21 That is, the nation
- Isaiah 8:21 That is, the land
- Isaiah 8:21 Or “God”
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.
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