8
1 Moreover Hashem said unto me, Take thee a gillayon gadol (great slab), and write on it with cheret enosh concerning Maher Shalal Chash Baz (The Spoil Speeds, the Booty Hastens [i.e., the coming Assyrian defeat of Syria and Israel is imminent and the life of this son of Isaiah is a prophetic time line. See verse 4 below]). 2 And I took unto me edim ne'emanim (faithful witnesses) to record, Uriyah the kohen, and Zecharyah ben Yeverekhyahu.
3 And I went unto the neviah; and she conceived, and bore ben. Then said Hashem to me, Call shmo Maher Shalal Chash Baz. 4 For before the na'ar shall have da'as to cry, Avi, or Immi, the chayil Damascus and the spoil of Shomron shall be carried off before Melech Ashur.
5 Hashem spoke also unto me again, saying,
6 Forasmuch as HaAm HaZeh refuseth
the waters of Shiloach that flow softly,
and delight in* Retzin and Ben Remalyahu;
7 Now therefore, hinei, Adonoi bringeth up upon them
the waters of the river, strong and many,
even Melech Ashur, and all his kavod;
and he shall come up over all his channels,
and go over all his banks;
8 And he shall swirl into Yehudah;
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 eretz, O Immanu El.
9 Exasperate yourselves, O ye Amim (Nations), and ye shall be broken in pieces;
and give ear, all ye of far countries;
gird yourselves for battle, and ye shall be broken in pieces;
gird yourselves for battle, and ye shall be broken in pieces.
10 Consult etzah (counsel, plan), and it shall come to naught;
speak the davar, and it shall not stand;
for Immanu El (G-d is with us).
11 For Hashem hath spoken thus to me with chezkat haYad, and instructed me that I should not walk in the Derech HaAm HaZeh, saying, 12 Call ye not Kesher (Conspiracy) all that this people calls kesher; neither fear ye their fear, nor be in dread. 13 Regard Hashem Tzva'os as kodesh; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. 14 And He shall be for a Mikdash; but for an Even Negef (Stone of Stumbling) and for a Tzur Michshol to both the Batei Yisroel, for a pach (snare) and for a mokesh (trap) to the inhabitants of Yerushalayim. 15 And rabbim (many) among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.
16 Bind up† the te'udah (testimony), chatom (seal up) the torah (teaching) among my disciples. 17 And I will wait for Hashem, that hideth His face from the Bais Ya'akov, and I will look‡ for Him. 18 Hinei, I and the yeladim whom Hashem hath given me are for otot and for mofetim§ in Yisroel from Hashem Tzva'os, which dwelleth in Mount Tziyon.
19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto mediums that have familiar spirits, and unto spiritists that whisper, and that mutter: should not Am seek unto Elohav? Should they consult the mesim (dead ones) for the benefit of the chayyim (living)? 20 To the torah (teaching of G-d) and to the te'udah*(recorded testimony); if they speak not according to Davar HaZeh, it is because there is no shachar (dawn, light) in them. 21 And they† shall roam about therein, hard-pressed and hungry; and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse by their melech and Elohav, and look upward. 22 And they shall look unto eretz; and, hinei, tzarah and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.
23 Nevertheless there will be no gloom in her in anguish. In Et HaRishon (the former time) He brought into contempt Artzah Zevulun and Artzah Naphtali, but acharon (afterward, in the future) did bring to honor Derech HaYam (Way to the Sea, land between Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean), beyond Yarden, in the Galil HaGoyim.
* 8:6 alliance with † 8:16 to preserve for the future ‡ 8:17 in hope § 8:18 See Zech 3:8 * 8:20 te'udah i.e. prophetic record such as chapter 6 (see also in verse 16) † 8:21 i.e., the unbelievers, contrasted with those in v.13