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Isaiah 8
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Isaiah 8
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Coming Assyrian Invasion
8 Then the Lord said to me, “Take a large piece of parchment[a] and write on it with an ordinary pen:[b](A) Maher-shalal-hash-baz.[c] 2 I have appointed[d] trustworthy witnesses—Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah.”(B)
3 I was then intimate with the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. The Lord said to me, “Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz, 4 for before the boy knows how to call out father or mother,(C) the wealth of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria will be carried off to the king of Assyria.”(D)
5 The Lord spoke to me again:
6 Because these people rejected
the slowly flowing waters of Shiloah
and rejoiced with[e] Rezin
and the son of Remaliah,(E)
7 the Lord will certainly bring against them
the mighty rushing waters of the Euphrates River—
the king of Assyria and all his glory.
It will overflow its channels
and spill over all its banks.
8 It will pour into Judah,
flood over it, and sweep through,
reaching up to the neck;(F)
and its spreading streams[f]
will fill your entire land, Immanuel!(G)
9 Band together, peoples, and be broken;
pay attention, all you distant lands;
prepare for war, and be broken;
prepare for war, and be broken.
10 Devise a plan; it will fail.(H)
Make a prediction; it will not happen.
For God is with us.[g](I)
The Lord of Hosts, the Only Refuge
11 For this is what the Lord said to me with great power, to keep[h] me from going the way of this people:(J)
12 Do not call everything an alliance
these people say is an alliance.(K)
Do not fear what they fear;(L)
do not be terrified.
13 You are to regard only the Lord of Hosts as holy.(M)
Only He should be feared;(N)
only He should be held in awe.
14 He will be a sanctuary;(O)
but for the two houses of Israel,
He will be a stone(P) to stumble over
and a rock to trip over,(Q)
and a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 Many will stumble over these;(R)
they will fall and be broken;
they will be snared and captured.
16 Bind up the testimony.(S)
Seal up the instruction(T) among my disciples.
17 I will wait for the Lord,(U)
who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob.(V)
I will wait for Him.
18 Here I am with the children the Lord has given me(W) to be signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of Hosts who dwells on Mount Zion. 19 When they say to you, “Consult the spirits of the dead and the spiritists who chirp and mutter,”(X) shouldn’t a people consult their God?[i] Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?(Y) 20 To the law and to the testimony!(Z) If they do not speak according to this word, there will be no dawn for them.
21 They will wander through the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged, and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. 22 They will look toward the earth(AA) and see only distress, darkness, and the gloom of affliction, and they will be driven into thick darkness.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 8:1 Hb obscure
- Isaiah 8:1 Lit with the pen of a man
- Isaiah 8:1 = Speeding to the Plunder, Hurrying to the Spoil
- Isaiah 8:2 Vg; MT, one DSS ms read I will appoint; one DSS ms, LXX, Syr, Tg read Appoint
- Isaiah 8:6 Or and rejoiced over
- Isaiah 8:8 Or wings
- Isaiah 8:10 Or For Immanuel
- Isaiah 8:11 DSS; MT reads instruct
- Isaiah 8:19 Or gods
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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