Isaiah 8:9-22

American Standard Version

^9 [a]Make an uproar, O ye peoples, and be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and be broken in pieces. ¹⁰ Take counsel together, and it shall be brought to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for ^[b]God is with us. ¹¹ For Jehovah spake thus to me ^[c]with a strong hand, and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, ¹² Say ye not, A conspiracy, concerning all whereof this people shall say, A conspiracy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be in dread thereof. ¹³ Jehovah of hosts, him shall ye sanctify; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. ¹⁴ And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁵ And ^[d]many shall stumble thereon, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.

¹⁶ Bind thou up the testimony, seal the ^[e]law among my disciples. ¹⁷ And I will wait for Jehovah, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. ¹⁸ Behold, I and the children whom Jehovah hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from Jehovah of hosts, who dwelleth in mount Zion.

¹⁹ And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits and unto the wizards, that chirp and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? on behalf of the living should they seek unto the dead? ²⁰ To the ^[f]law and to the testimony! ^[g]if they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them. ²¹ And they shall pass through it, sore distressed and hungry; and it shall come to pass that, when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and ^[h]curse by their king and by their God, and turn their faces upward: ²² and they shall look unto the earth, and, behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; ^[i]and ^[j]into thick darkness they shall be driven away.