Isaiah 8
8
The Coming Assyrian Invasion
1Then the Lord said to me, “Take a large tablet #ch. 30:8and write on it in common characters,#8:1 Hebrew with a man’s stylus ‘Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz.’#8:1 Maher-shalal-hash-baz means The spoil speeds, the prey hastens 2And #[ch. 43:10] I will get reliable witnesses, #2 Kgs. 16:10, 11, 15, 16Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah, to attest for me.”
3And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, #[Hos. 1:4]“Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz; 4#[ch. 7:16] for before the boy knows how to cry ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the #[ch. 7:16] wealth of #See ch. 7:8, 9Damascus and the spoil of #See ch. 7:8, 9Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.”
5The Lord spoke to me again: 6“Because this people has refused the waters of #[Neh. 3:15; John 9:7, 11] Shiloah that flow gently, and rejoice over #See ch. 7:1, 4Rezin and the son of Remaliah, 7therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up against them #[ch. 17:12, 13] the waters of #See ch. 7:20 the River,#8:7 That is, the Euphrates mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it #[Jer. 46:8]will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks, 8and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, #ch. 30:28 reaching even to the neck, and its #[ch. 36:1] outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, #ch. 7:14O Immanuel.”
9Be broken,#8:9 Or Be evil you peoples, and #[Dan. 2:34, 35]be shattered;#8:9 Or dismayed
give ear, all you far countries;
strap on your armor and be shattered;
strap on your armor and be shattered.
10Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing;
speak a word, #ch. 7:7 but it will not stand,
for God #[ver. 8; Rom. 8:31]is with us.#8:10 The Hebrew for God is with us is Immanuel
Fear God, Wait for the Lord
11For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and #[Ezek. 2:8]warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 12“Do not call #[ch. 7:2] conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and #Cited 1 Pet. 3:14, 15do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13But the Lord of hosts, #See Num. 20:12him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14And he will become a #Ezek. 11:16 sanctuary and #Cited Rom. 9:33; 1 Pet. 2:8; [ch. 28:16]a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15And many #[ch. 28:13; Matt. 21:44; Luke 20:18]shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”
16Bind up #ver. 1, 2 the testimony; #Dan. 12:4seal the teaching#8:16 Or law; also verse 20 among my disciples. 17I will #Ps. 27:14; 33:20; Hab. 2:3 wait for the Lord, who is #ch. 1:15; 54:8; Deut. 31:17hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. 18#Cited Heb. 2:13 Behold, I and #[ch. 7:3]the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion. 19And when they say to you, “Inquire of the #ch. 19:3; 2 Kgs. 21:6; 23:24; 2 Chr. 33:6; See Lev. 19:31 mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of #[Ps. 106:28]; See 1 Sam. 28:11-14the dead on behalf of the living? 20#[Luke 16:29] To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no #[ch. 60:1]dawn. 21They will pass through the land,#8:21 Hebrew it greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against#8:21 Or speak contemptuously by their king and their God, and turn their faces upward. 22#ch. 5:30 And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into #Nah. 1:8thick darkness.
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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Isaiah 8
8
A Warning and a Hope
1The Lord said, “Isaiah, get something to write on. Then write in big clear letters#8.1 in big clear letters: Or “in letters everyone can understand.” the name, MAHER-SHALAL-HASH-BAZ.#8.1 MAHER-SHALAL-HASH-BAZ: In Hebrew “Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz” means “suddenly attacked, quickly taken.” 2I will tell Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah to serve as witnesses to this.”
3Sometime later, my wife and I had a son, and the Lord said, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. 4Because before he can say ‘Mommy’ or ‘Daddy,’ the king of Assyria will attack and take everything of value from Damascus and Samaria.”
5The Lord spoke to me again and said:
6These people have refused the gentle waters of Shiloah#8.6 Shiloah: The canal that brought water from Gihon Spring to Jerusalem. and have gladly gone over to the side of King Rezin and King Pekah. 7Now I will send the king of Assyria against them with his powerful army, which will attack like the mighty Euphrates River overflowing its banks. 8Enemy soldiers will cover Judah like a flood reaching up to your neck.
But God is with us.#8.8 God is with us: Here and in verse 10 this translates the Hebrew word “Immanuel” (see 7.14).
He will spread his wings
and protect our land.#8.8 But … land: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
9All of you foreign nations,
go ahead and prepare for war,
but you will be crushed.
10Get together and make plans,
but you will fail
because God is with us.
11The Lord took hold of me with his powerful hand and said:
I'm warning you! Don't act like these people. 12#1 P 3.14,15. Don't call something a rebellious plot, just because they do, and don't be afraid of something, just because they are. 13I am the one you should fear and respect. I am the holy God, the Lord All-Powerful! 14-15#1 P 2.8. Run to me for protection. I am a rock that will make both Judah and Israel stumble and break their bones. I am a trap that will catch the people of Jerusalem—they will be captured and dragged away.
Isaiah and His Followers
16My message and my teachings are to be sealed and given to my followers. 17#He 2.13. Meanwhile, I patiently trust the Lord, even though he is no longer pleased with Israel. 18#He 2.13. My children and I are warning signs to Israel from the Lord All-Powerful, who lives on Mount Zion.
19Someone may say to you, “Go to the fortunetellers who make soft chirping sounds or ask the spirits of the dead. After all, a nation ought to be able to ask its own gods 20what it should do.”
None of those who talk like that will live to see the light of day! 21They will go around in great pain and will become so hungry that they will angrily curse their king and their gods. And when they try to find help in heaven 22and on earth, they will find only trouble and darkness, terrible trouble and deepest darkness.
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