Dual Panel1THEN THE Lord said to me, Take a large tablet [of wood, metal, or stone] and write upon it with a graving tool {and} in ordinary characters [which the humblest man can read]: Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz [they (the Assyrians) hasten to the spoil (of Syria and Israel), they speed to the prey].
2And I took faithful witnesses to record {and} attest [this prophecy] for me, Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah.
3And I approached [my wife] the prophetess, and when she had conceived and borne a son, the Lord said to me, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz [as a continual reminder to the people of the prophecy],
4For before the child knows how to say, My father or my mother, the riches of Damascus [Syria's capital] and the spoil of Samaria [Israel's capital] shall be carried away before the king of Assyria.
5The Lord spoke to me yet again and said,
6Because this people [Israel and Judah] have refused {and} despised the waters of Shiloah [Siloam, the only perennial fountain of Jerusalem, and symbolic of God's protection and sustaining power] that go gently, and rejoice in {and} with Rezin [the king of Syria] and Remaliah's son [Pekah the king of Israel],
7Now therefore, behold, the Lord brings upon them the waters of the River [Euphrates], strong and many--even the king of Assyria and all the glory [of his gorgeous retinue]; and it will rise over all its channels, brooks, valleys, {and} canals and extend far beyond its banks;
8And it will sweep on into Judah; it will overflow {and} go over [the hills], reaching even [but only] to the neck [of which Jerusalem is the head], and the outstretched wings [of the armies of Assyria] shall fill the breadth of Your land, O Immanuel [Messiah, God is with us]!
9Make an uproar {and} be broken in pieces, O you peoples [rage, raise the war cry, do your worst, and be utterly dismayed]! Give ear, all you [our enemies] {of} far countries. Gird yourselves [for war], and be thrown into consternation! Gird yourselves, and be [utterly] dismayed!
10Take counsel together [against Judah], but it shall come to nought; speak the word, but it will not stand, for God is with us [Immanuel]!
11For the Lord spoke thus to me with His strong hand [upon me], and warned {and} instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying,
12Do not call conspiracy [or hard, or holy] all that this people will call conspiracy [or hard, or holy]; neither be in fear of what they fear, nor [make others afraid and] in dread.
13The Lord of hosts--regard Him as holy {and} honor His holy name [by regarding Him as your only hope of safety], and let Him be your fear and let Him be your dread [lest you offend Him by your fear of man and distrust of Him].
14And He shall be a sanctuary [a sacred and indestructible asylum to those who reverently fear and trust in Him]; 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.
15And many among them shall stumble thereon; and they shall fall and be broken, and be snared and taken.
16Bind up the testimony, seal the law {and} the teaching among my [Isaiah's] disciples.
17And 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.
18Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and wonders [that are to take place] in Israel from the Lord of hosts, Who dwells on Mount Zion.
19And when the people [instead of putting their trust in God] 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[Direct such people] 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.
21And they [who consult mediums and wizards] shall pass through [the land] 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
22Or 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.