1 T hen the Lord said to me, “Take a large piece of stone and write on it in easy-to-read letters: ‘They hurry to get what they can. They run to pick up what is left.’”

¶ Moreover the LORD said unto me, Take a great roll and write in it with a man’s pen concerning Mahershalal-hashbaz.

2 A nd I took men who could be trusted to watch the writing, Uriah the religious leader and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.

And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.

3 T hen I went to the woman who spoke for God, and she was able to have a child, and gave birth to a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Name him Maher-shalal-hashbaz.

And I went unto the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the LORD said to me, Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz.

4 F or before the boy knows how to cry out ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the riches of Damascus and everything of any worth in Samaria will be carried away by the king of Assyria.”

For 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 king of Assyria.

5 T he Lord spoke to me again, saying,

The LORD also spoke unto me again, saying,

6 “ These people have turned away from the gentle, flowing waters of Shiloah, and find joy in Rezin and the son of Remaliah.

Forasmuch as this people refused the waters of Shiloah that go softly and rejoiced in Rezin and Remaliah’s son,

7 S o now, see, the Lord is ready to bring on them the strong and powerful waters of the Euphrates, the king of Assyria and all his greatness. It will rise up high and cause a flood.

now therefore, behold, the Lord brings up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria and all his power, and he shall come up over all his channels and go over all his banks:

8 T hen it will flow into Judah. It will flood and pass through, and come up even to the neck. And the spread of its wings will cover the width of your land, O Immanuel.

And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.

9 “ Be broken, O people, and be afraid. Listen, all you far places of the earth. Get ready, yet be afraid. Get ready, yet be afraid.

¶ Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries, prepare yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces.

10 M ake a plan, but it will come to nothing. Give your plan, but it will not be done. For God is with us.” The People Are Told to Obey

Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand, for God is with us.

11 F or the Lord said this to me with great power, and told me not to walk in the way of these people. He said,

For the LORD spoke thus to me with a strong hand and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,

12 “ Do not call holy all that these people call holy. Do not fear what they fear, or be afraid of it.

Do not say, A confederacy, to all those to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear their fear, nor be afraid.

13 I t is the Lord of All Whom you should think of as holy. Let Him be the One you fear. He is the One to be afraid of.

Sanctify the LORD of the hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

14 T hen He will become a holy place. But He will be a stone of trouble and a rock to fall over for both houses of Israel. He will be a net and a trap for the people of Jerusalem.

Then he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock to cause a fall to both the houses of Israel, for a snare and for a net to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

15 M any will fall over them. They will fall and be broken. They will be trapped and caught.”

And many among them shall stumble and fall and be broken and be snared and be taken.

16 P ut together what I have said. Hold to my teachings among my followers.

¶ Bind up the testimony; seal the law among my disciples.

17 I will wait for the Lord Who is hiding His face from the family of Jacob. I trust Him and hope in Him.

And I will wait for the LORD, who hid his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.

18 S ee, I and the children the Lord has given me are something special to see and a wonder in Israel from the Lord of All, Who lives on Mount Zion.

Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of the hosts, who dwells in Mount Zion.

19 W hen they say to you, “Ask those who speak in secret with the spirits of the dead and who use their secret ways,” should not a people ask their God? Should they speak to the dead for the living?

And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto spiritists and unto wizards that peep and that mutter; shall the people not seek unto their God? Shall we appeal for the living unto the dead?

20 T ell them to put their faith in the teaching and the Law. If they do not speak what this word says, it is because they have no light in them.

To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

21 T hey will pass through the land troubled and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be angry and curse their king and their God as they look up.

Then they shall pass through this land, fatigued and hungry, and it shall come to pass that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves and curse their king and their God. And raising their face high,

22 T hen they will look to the earth and see trouble and darkness and suffering and will be driven out into darkness.

they shall look upon the earth and behold tribulation and gross darkness, darkness and anguish; and they shall be submerged in gross darkness.