Isaiah 8:1-20

The LORD told me, “Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen: ‘Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.’ I will gather some men to be reliable witnesses: Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah.” Then I went to the prophetess, and she became pregnant and had a son. The LORD told me, “Name the boy Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, because the king of Assyria will take away all the wealth and possessions of Damascus and Samaria before the boy learns to say ‘my father’ or ‘my mother.’ ” Again the LORD spoke to me, saying, “These people refuse to accept the slow-moving waters of the pool of Shiloah and are terrified of Rezin and Pekah son of Remaliah. So I, the Lord, will bring the king of Assyria and all his power against them, like a powerful flood of water from the Euphrates River. The Assyrians will be like water rising over the banks of the river, flowing over the land. That water will flow into Judah and pass through it, rising to Judah’s throat. Immanuel, this army will spread its wings like a bird until it covers your whole country.” Be broken, all you nations, and be smashed to pieces. Listen, all you faraway countries. Prepare for battle and be smashed to pieces! Prepare for battle and be smashed to pieces! Make your plans for the fight, but they will be defeated. Give orders to your armies, but they will be useless, because God is with us. The LORD spoke to me with his great power and warned me not to follow the lead of the rest of the people. He said, “People are saying that others make plans against them, but you should not believe them. Don’t be afraid of what they fear; do not dread those things. But remember that the LORD All-Powerful is holy. He is the one you should fear; he is the one you should dread. Then he will be a place of safety for you. But for the two families of Israel, he will be like a stone that causes people to stumble, like a rock that makes them fall. He will be like a trap for the people of Jerusalem, and he will catch them in his trap. Many people will fall over this rock. They will fall and be broken; they will be trapped and caught.” Make an agreement. Seal up the teaching while my followers are watching. I will wait for the LORD to help us, the LORD who is ashamed of the family of Israel. I will wait for him. I am here, and with me are the children the LORD has given me. We are signs and proofs for the people of Israel from the LORD All-Powerful, who lives on Mount Zion. Some people say, “Ask the mediums and fortune-tellers, who whisper and mutter, what to do.” But I tell you that people should ask their God for help. Why should people who are still alive ask something from the dead? You should follow the teachings and the agreement with the LORD. The mediums and fortune-tellers do not speak the word of the LORD, so their words are worth nothing.