Isaiah 8
8
VIII
1And Jehovah said unto me: Take unto thee a large roll; and write upon it, in the style of man, Hasten the spoil, take quickly the prey. 2And I took unto me faithful witnesses; Uriah the priest, and Zachariah the son of Jerebechiah. 3And I approached unto the prophetess; and she conceived and bare a son. And Jehovah said unto me: Call his name Maher-Shalal Hash-Baz. 4For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father and My mother, the riches of Damascus, and the spoil of Samaria, shall be taken away before the face of the king of Assyria.
5Yet again Jehovah spoke unto me, saying:
6Because this people hath rejected
The waters of Shiloah, which flow gently;
And rejoiceth in Rezin, and the son of Remaliah:
7Now, therefore, behold the Lord bringeth up upon them
The waters of the river, strong and mighty;
Even the king of Assyria, and all his glory:
And he shall rise above all their channels,
And go over all their banks.
8And he shall pass through Judah, he shall overflow and go over;
Even to the neck shall he reach:
And the spreading of his wings shall be
Over the full breadth of thy land, O Immanuel!
9Link yourselves together, O ye people, yet shall you be broken in pieces;
And give ear, all ye distant lands:
Gird ye yourselves, yet shall you be broken in pieces;
Gird ye yourselves, yet shall you be broken in pieces.
10Take counsel together, yet it shall be brought to nought;
Speak the word, but it shall not stand;
For God is with us.
11For thus said Jehovah unto me, with a strong hand,
When he warned me against walking in the way of this people, saying:
12Call ye not that a confederacy,
Whatsoever this people shall call a confederacy:
And be ye not afraid of their fear, neither be ye terrified.
13 Jehovah of hosts, Him sanctify;
And let him be your fear, and let him be your terror.
14And he shall be unto you for a sanctuary:
But for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of offence.
To both the houses of Israel;
For a trap, and for a snare, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15And, against which, many shall stumble,
And shall fall, and be broken; and shall be ensnared, and caught.
16Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
17And I will wait for Jehovah, who hideth his face
From the house of Jacob; and I will look for him.
18Behold, I and the children whom Jehovah hath given me
Are for signs and for wonders in Israel;
From Jehovah of hosts,
Who dwelleth upon mount Zion.
19And when they shall say unto you:
Inquire of the necromancers and the wizards,
Who chirp, and mutter:
Say ye, Should not a people inquire of their God?
Should they inquire of the dead concerning the living?
20To the law and to the testimony:
If they will not speak according to this word,
It is because there is no dawn of day for them.
21And they shall pass through the land sorely beset and hungry:
And it shall come to pass when they shall hunger and fret themselves,
They will curse their king, and their God,
22Whether they shall cast their eyes upward,
Or shall look unto the earth; for, behold trouble and obscurity, palpable darkness;
And a thick night whereinto they shall be driven.
Translated by Rev John Jones (Ioan Tegid).Published at Oxford in 1830, second edition 1842.