Isaiah 8:11-22

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. People will wander through the land troubled and hungry. When they become hungry, they will become angry and will look up and curse their king and their God. They will look around them at their land and see only trouble, darkness, and awful gloom. And they will be forced into the darkness.