Isaiah 8

The Coming Assyrian Invasion

1 Then the Lord said to me, “Get yourself a big tablet and write this down clear for everyone to see: Maher-shalal-hash-baz, which means ‘Speed to the spoil, hurry to the loot.’”

2 “I will make sure it is official,” He said. “Call in reliable witnesses, Uriah the priest and Zechariah, son of Jeberechiah.”

3 So I went to the prophetess, and she got pregnant and had a son. Then the Lord said, “Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz.”

4 “Before that baby can even say ‘mama’ or ‘dada,’ the wealth of Damascus and the loot of Samaria will be taken away by the king of Assyria.”

The Flood of Judgment

5 The Lord spoke to me again, saying,

6 “These people refused the calm waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and they happy to side with Rezin and Remaliah’s son.”

7 “So now, I am bringing against them the strong floodwaters of the Euphrates, the king of Assyria and all his power. It is going to rise over every channel and flood every bank.”

8 “It will sweep through Judah like a flood, filling the land from end to end. It will rise up to the neck, the outstretched wings of the flood covering your land, O Immanuel.”

The Nations Will Fail Against God

9 Go ahead, make your plans, nations, you will be broken. Listen up, all you distant lands, get ready for war, but you will lose.

10 Come up with your plans, but they will fall apart. Speak your threats, but they will fade, because God is with us.

The Lord Is Isaiah’s Strength

11 The Lord grabbed hold of me with a strong hand and warned me not to live like these people.

12 He said, “Do not call everything a conspiracy like they do, and do not live scared of what they fear.”

13 “Make the Lord of Armies the One you fear, the One you respect, He is the One who should have your reverence.”

14 “He will be your sanctuary, but for both Israel and Judah, He will also be a stone people trip over and a rock they stumble on. Many will fall, get caught, and be broken.”

The Word Sealed Among the Faithful

15 Many will stumble; they will fall, be shattered, trapped, and captured.

16 Bind up this testimony; seal up the teaching among My followers.

17 I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding His face from Jacob’s family, I will still put my trust in Him.

18 Look, I and the children the Lord gave me, we are living signs and reminders from the Lord of Armies who lives on Mount Zion.

No Light for the Wicked

19 When people tell you, “Go ask the mediums and spirit talkers,” who whisper and mutter, do not listen. Should not people seek their God, Why go to the dead to learn about the living,

20 Go to the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this Word, they have got no light in them.

21 They will wander through the land, hungry and distressed. When they are starving, they will rage against their king and curse their God.

22 Then they will look up, and all they will see is darkness and despair, total gloom. They will be thrown into the thick of it with no escape.