Isaiah 8

The Coming Invasion Isaiah 8:5–10

⁵Verse 5. Yahweh spoke to me yet again, saying, ⁶Verse 6. “Because this people have refused the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah’s son; ⁷Verse 7. now therefore, behold, the Lord brings upon them the mighty flood waters of the River: the king of Assyria and all his glory. It will come up over all its channels, and go over all its banks. ⁸Verse 8. It will sweep onward into Judah. It will overflow and pass through; it will reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of its wings will fill the width of your land, Immanuel. ⁹Verse 9. Make an uproar, you peoples, and be broken in pieces! Listen, all you from far countries: dress for battle, and be shattered! Dress for battle, and be shattered!

¹⁰Verse 10. Take counsel together, and it will be brought to nothing; speak the word, and it will not stand: for God is with us.”

Fear and Respect Isaiah 8:11–15

¹¹Verse 11. For Yahweh spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, ¹²Verse 12. “Don’t say, ‘A conspiracy!’ concerning all about which this people say, ‘A conspiracy!’ neither fear their threats, nor be terrorized. ¹³Verse 13. Yahweh of Armies is who you must respect as holy. He is the one you must fear. He is the one you must dread. ¹⁴Verse 14. He will be a sanctuary, but for both houses of Israel, he will be a trap and a snare for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁵Verse 15. Many will stumble over it, fall, be broken, be snared, and be captured.”

Sealing the Testimony Isaiah 8:16–18

¹⁶Verse 16. Wrap up the testimony. Seal the law among my disciples. ¹⁷Verse 17. I will wait for Yahweh, who hides his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. ¹⁸Verse 18. Behold, I and the children whom Yahweh has given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from Yahweh of Armies, who dwells in Mount Zion.

Consulting the Dead Isaiah 8:19–22

¹⁹Verse 19. When they tell you, “Consult with those who have familiar spirits and with the wizards, who chirp and who mutter:” shouldn’t a people consult with their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? ²⁰Verse 20. Turn to the law and to the testimony! If they don’t speak according to this word, surely there is no morning for them. ²¹Verse 21. They will pass through it, very distressed and hungry; and it will happen that when they are hungry, they will worry, and curse by their king and by their God. They will turn their faces upward, ²²Verse 22. and look to the earth, and see distress, darkness, and the gloom of anguish. They will be driven into thick darkness.