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Isaiah 8
1599 Geneva Bible
Isaiah 8
1599 Geneva Bible
8 1 The captivity of Israel and Judah by the Assyrians. 6 The infidelity of the Jews. 9 The destruction of the Assyrians. 14 Christ the stone of stumbling to the wicked. 19 The word of God must be inquired at.
1 Moreover the Lord said unto me, Take thee a [a]great roll, and write it [b]with a man’s pen, Make speed to the spoil: haste to the prey.
2 Then I took unto me [c]faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the Priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.
3 After, I came unto the [d]Prophetess, which conceived, and bare a son. Then said the Lord to me, Call his name, [e]Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.
4 For before the [f]child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, he shall take away the riches of Damascus, and the spoil of Samaria, before the [g]King of Assyria.
5 ¶ And the Lord spake yet again unto me, saying,
6 Because this people hath refused the waters of [h]Shiloah that run softly, and rejoice with Rezin, and the son of Remaliah,
7 Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of [i]the River mighty and great, even the King of Assyria with all his glory, and he shall come up upon all their rivers, and go over all their banks,
8 And shall break into Judah, and shall overflow, and pass through, and shall come up to the [j]neck, and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O [k]Immanuel.
9 Gather together on heaps, O ye [l]people, and ye shall be broken in pieces, and hearken all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and you shall be broken in pieces: gird yourselves, and you shall be broken in pieces.
10 Take counsel together, yet, it shall be brought to naught: pronounce a decree, yet shall it not stand: for God is with us.
11 For the Lord spake thus to me, in taking [m]of mine hand, and taught me, that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,
12 Say ye not, A [n]confederacy, to all them to whom this people saith a confederacy, neither fear you [o]their fear, nor be afraid of them.
13 [p]Sanctify the Lord of hosts, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread,
14 And he shall be as a [q]Sanctuary: but as a stumbling stone, and as a rock to fall upon, to both the houses of Israel, and as a snare and as a net to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 And many among them shall stumble, and shall fall, and shall be broken, and shall be snared, and shall be taken,
16 [r]Bind up the testimony: seal up the Law among my disciples.
17 Therefore I will wait upon the Lord that hath hid his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.
18 Behold, I and the [s]children whom the Lord hath given me, are as signs and as wonders in Israel, [t]by the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in Mount Zion.
19 And when they shall say unto you, Inquire at them that have a spirit of divination, and at the soothsayers which whisper and murmur, [u]Should not a people inquire at their God? from the [v]living to the dead?
20 To the [w]Law, and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word: it is because there is no [x]light in them.
21 Then he that is afflicted and famished, shall go to and fro in [y]it: and when he shall be hungry, he shall even fret himself, [z]and curse his king and his gods, and shall look upward.
22 And when he shall look to the earth, behold trouble, and [aa]darkness, vexation, and anguish, and he is driven to darkness.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 8:1 That thou mayest write in great letters, to the intent it may be more easily read.
- Isaiah 8:1 Meaning, after the common fashion, because all men might read it.
- Isaiah 8:2 Because the thing was of great importance, he took these two witnesses, which were of credit with the people, when he set this up upon the door of the Temple, albeit Uriah was a flattering hypocrite, 2 Kings 16:11.
- Isaiah 8:3 Meaning, to his wife, and this was done in a vision.
- Isaiah 8:3 Or, make speed to the spoil: haste to the prey.
- Isaiah 8:4 Before any child be able to speak.
- Isaiah 8:4 That is, the army of Assyria.
- Isaiah 8:6 Which was a fountain at the foot of mount Zion, out of the which ran a small river through the city: meaning, that they of Judah, distrusting their own power, which was small, desired such power and riches as they saw in Syria and Israel.
- Isaiah 8:7 That is, the Assyrians which dwell beyond Euphrates.
- Isaiah 8:8 It shall be ready to drown them.
- Isaiah 8:8 He speaketh this to Messiah, or Christ, in whom the faithful were comforted, and who would not suffer his Church to be destroyed utterly.
- Isaiah 8:9 To wit, ye that are enemies to the Church, as the Assyrians, Egyptians, Syrians, etc.
- Isaiah 8:11 To encourage me that I should not shrink for the infidelity of this people, and so neglect mine office.
- Isaiah 8:12 Consent not ye that are godly, to the league and friendship that this people seek with strangers and idolaters.
- Isaiah 8:12 Meaning, that they should not fear the thing that they feared, which have no hope in God.
- Isaiah 8:13 In putting your trust only in him, in calling upon him in adversity, patiently looking for his help, and fearing to do anything contrary to his will.
- Isaiah 8:14 He will defend you which are his elect, and reject all the rest, which is meant of Christ, against whom the Jews should stumble and fall, Luke 2:34; Rom. 9:33; 1 Pet. 2:7, 8.
- Isaiah 8:16 Though all forsake me, yet ye that are mine, keep my word sure sealed in your hearts.
- Isaiah 8:18 Meaning, them that were willing to hear and obey the word of God, whom the world hated, as though they were monsters and not worthy to live.
- Isaiah 8:18 This was a consolation in their troubles, knowing that nothing could come unto them, but by the will of the Lord.
- Isaiah 8:19 Answer the wicked thus, Should not God’s people seek succor only at him?
- Isaiah 8:19 This is, will they refuse to be taught of the Prophet, who is the mouth of God, and seek help at the dead, which is the illusion of Satan?
- Isaiah 8:20 Seek remedy in the word of God, where his will is declared.
- Isaiah 8:20 They have no knowledge, but are blind leaders of the blind.
- Isaiah 8:21 That is, in Judah, where they should have had rest, if they had not thus grievously offended God.
- Isaiah 8:21 In whom afore they put their trust.
- Isaiah 8:22 They shall think that heaven and earth and all creatures are bent against them to trouble them.
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
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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