Isaiah 8:1-22 NCV

[1] The LORD told me, "Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen: 'Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.' [2] I will gather some men to be reliable witnesses: Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah." [3] Then I went to the prophetess, and she became pregnant and had a son. The LORD told me, "Name the boy Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, [4] because the king of Assyria will take away all the wealth and possessions of Damascus and Samaria before the boy learns to say 'my father' or 'my mother.'" [5] Again the LORD spoke to me, saying, [6] "These people refuse to accept the slow-moving waters of the pool of Shiloah and are terrified of Rezin and Pekah son of Remaliah. [7] So I, the Lord, will bring the king of Assyria and all his power against them, like a powerful flood of water from the Euphrates River. The Assyrians will be like water rising over the banks of the river, flowing over the land. [8] That water will flow into Judah and pass through it, rising to Judah's throat. Immanuel, this army will spread its wings like a bird until it covers your whole country." [9] Be broken, all you nations, and be smashed to pieces. Listen, all you faraway countries. Prepare for battle and be smashed to pieces! Prepare for battle and be smashed to pieces! [10] Make your plans for the fight, but they will be defeated. Give orders to your armies, but they will be useless, because God is with us. [11] The LORD spoke to me with his great power and warned me not to follow the lead of the rest of the people. He said, [12] "People are saying that others make plans against them, but you should not believe them. Don't be afraid of what they fear; do not dread those things. [13] But remember that the LORD All-Powerful is holy. He is the one you should fear; he is the one you should dread. [14] Then he will be a place of safety for you. But for the two families of Israel, he will be like a stone that causes people to stumble, like a rock that makes them fall. He will be like a trap for the people of Jerusalem, and he will catch them in his trap. [15] Many people will fall over this rock. They will fall and be broken; they will be trapped and caught." [16] Make an agreement. Seal up the teaching while my followers are watching. [17] I will wait for the LORD to help us, the LORD who is ashamed of the family of Israel. I will wait for him. [18] I am here, and with me are the children the LORD has given me. We are signs and proofs for the people of Israel from the LORD All-Powerful, who lives on Mount Zion. [19] Some people say, "Ask the mediums and fortune-tellers, who whisper and mutter, what to do." But I tell you that people should ask their God for help. Why should people who are still alive ask something from the dead? [20] You should follow the teachings and the agreement with the LORD. The mediums and fortune-tellers do not speak the word of the LORD, so their words are worth nothing. [21] People will wander through the land troubled and hungry. When they become hungry, they will become angry and will look up and curse their king and their God. [22] They will look around them at their land and see only trouble, darkness, and awful gloom. And they will be forced into the darkness.