1 A nd Jehovah saith unto me, `Take to thee a great tablet, and write upon it with a graving tool of man, To haste spoil, enjoy prey.'

Then the Lord said to me, Take a large tablet and write upon it with a graving tool and in ordinary characters: Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz.

2 A nd I cause faithful witnesses to testify to me, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah.

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

3 A nd I draw near unto the prophetess, and she conceiveth, and beareth a son; and Jehovah saith unto me, `Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz,

And I approached the prophetess, and when she had conceived and borne a son, the Lord said to me, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz,

4 f or before the youth doth know to cry, My father, and My mother, one taketh away the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria, before the king of Asshur.'

For before the child knows how to say, My father or my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be carried away before the king of Assyria.

5 A nd Jehovah addeth to speak unto me again, saying:

The Lord spoke to me yet again and said,

6 ` Because that this people hath refused The waters of Shiloah that go softly, And is rejoicing with Rezin and the son of Remaliah,

Because this people have refused and despised the waters of Shiloah that go gently, and rejoice in and with Rezin and Remaliah’s son,

7 T herefore, lo, the Lord is bringing up on them, The waters of the river, the mighty and the great, (The king of Asshur, and all his glory,) And it hath gone up over all its streams, And hath gone on over all its banks.

Now therefore, behold, the Lord brings upon them the waters of the River, strong and many—even the king of Assyria and all the glory; and it will rise over all its channels, brooks, valleys, and canals and extend far beyond its banks;

8 A nd it hath passed on into Judah, It hath overflown and passed over, Unto the neck it cometh, And the stretching out of its wings Hath been the fulness of the breadth of thy land, O Emmanu-El!

And it will sweep on into Judah; it will overflow and go over, reaching even to the neck, and the outstretched wings shall fill the breadth of Your land, O Immanuel!

9 B e friends, O nations, and be broken, And give ear, all ye far off ones of earth, Gird yourselves, and be broken, Gird yourselves, and be broken.

Make an uproar and be broken in pieces, O you peoples! Give ear, all you of far countries. Gird yourselves, and be thrown into consternation! Gird yourselves, and be dismayed!

10 T ake counsel, and it is broken, Speak a word, and it doth not stand, Because of Emmanu-El!'

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

11 F or thus hath Jehovah spoken unto me with strength of hand, and instructeth me against walking in the way of this people, saying,

For the Lord spoke thus to me with His strong hand, and warned and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying,

12 ` Ye do not say, A confederacy, To all to whom this people saith, A confederacy, And its fear ye do not fear, Nor declare fearful.

Do not call conspiracy all that this people will call conspiracy; neither be in fear of what they fear, nor in dread.

13 J ehovah of Hosts -- Him ye do sanctify, And He your Fear, and He your Dread,

The Lord of hosts—regard Him as holy and honor His holy name, and let Him be your fear and let Him be your dread.

14 A nd He hath been for a sanctuary, And for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of falling, To the two houses of Israel, For a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

And He shall be a sanctuary; but He shall be a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

15 A nd many among them have stumbled and fallen, And been broken, and snared, and captured.

And many among them shall stumble thereon; and they shall fall and be broken, and be snared and taken.

16 B ind up the testimony, Seal the law among My disciples.

Bind up the testimony, seal the law and the teaching among my disciples.

17 A nd I have waited for Jehovah, Who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob, And I have looked for Him.

And I will wait for the Lord, Who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; and I will look for and hope in Him.

18 L o, I, and the children whom Jehovah hath given to me, for signs and for wonders in Israel, From Jehovah of Hosts, who is dwelling in Mount Zion.

Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, Who dwells on Mount Zion.

19 A nd when they say unto you, `Seek unto those having familiar spirits, And unto wizards, who chatter and mutter, Doth not a people seek unto its God? -- For the living unto the dead!

And when the people shall say to you, Consult for direction mediums and wizards who chirp and mutter, should not a people seek and consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?

20 T o the law and to the testimony! If not, let them say after this manner, `That there is no dawn to it.'

to the teaching and to the testimony! If their teachings are not in accord with this word, it is surely because there is no dawn and no morning for them.

21 - - And it hath passed over into it, hardened and hungry, And it hath come to pass, That it is hungry, and hath been wroth, And made light of its king, and of its God, And hath looked upwards.

And they shall pass through sorely distressed and hungry; and when they are hungry, they will fret, and will curse by their king and their God; and whether they look upward

22 A nd unto the land it looketh attentively, And lo, adversity and darkness! -- Dimness, distress, and thick darkness is driven away, But not the dimness for which she is in distress!

Or look to the earth, they will behold only distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish, and into thick darkness and widespread, obscure night they shall be driven away.