New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Then the Lord said to me, Take a large tablet and write on it in common characters, "Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz,"
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And the Lord said to me, Take a great writing-board, and on it put down in common letters, Maher-shalal-hash-baz;
2 and have it attested for me by reliable witnesses, the priest Uriah and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah.
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And take true witnesses to the writing, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah, the son of Jeberechiah.
3 And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz;
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And I went in to my wife, and she became with child, and gave birth to a son. Then the Lord said to me, Give him the name Maher-shalal-hash-baz,
4 for before the child knows how to call "My father" or "My mother," the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away by the king of Assyria.
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For before the child is able to say, Father, or, Mother, the wealth of Damascus and the goods of Samaria will be taken away by the king of Assyria.
5 The Lord spoke to me again:
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And the Lord said again to me,
6 Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and melt in fear before Rezin and the son of Remaliah;
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Because this people will have nothing to do with the softly-flowing waters of Shiloah, and have fear of Rezin and Remaliah's son;
7 therefore, the Lord is bringing up against it the mighty flood waters of the River, the king of Assyria and all his glory; it will rise above all its channels and overflow all its banks;
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For this cause the Lord is sending on them the waters of the River, deep and strong, even the king of Assyria and all his glory: and it will come up through all its streams, overflowing all its edges:
8 it will sweep on into Judah as a flood, and, pouring over, it will reach up to the neck; and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.
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And it will come on into Judah; rushing on and overflowing, till the waters are up to the neck; *** and his outstretched wings will be covering the land from side to side: for God is with us.
9 Band together, you peoples, and be dismayed; listen, all you far countries; gird yourselves and be dismayed; gird yourselves and be dismayed!
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Have knowledge, O peoples, and be in fear; give ear, all you far-off parts of the earth:
10 Take counsel together, but it shall be brought to naught; speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us.
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Let your designs be formed, and they will come to nothing; give your orders, and they will not be effected: for God is with us.
11 For the Lord spoke thus to me while his hand was strong upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying:
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For the Lord, controlling me with a strong hand, gave me orders not to go in the way of this people, saying,
12 Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what it fears, or be in dread.
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Do not say, It is holy, about everything of which this people says, It is holy; and do not be in fear of what they go in fear of.
13 But the Lord of hosts, him you shall regard as holy; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
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But let the Lord of armies be holy to you, and go in fear of him, giving honour to him.
14 He will become a sanctuary, a stone one strikes against; for both houses of Israel he will become a rock one stumbles over—a trap and a snare for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
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And he will be for a holy place: but for a stone of falling and a rock of trouble to the two houses of Israel, and to the men of Jerusalem, for a net in which they may be taken.
15 And many among them shall stumble; they shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.
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And numbers of them, falling on the stone, will be broken, and will be taken in the net.
16 Bind up the testimony, seal the teaching among my disciples.
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Let my teaching be kept secret: and my words be given to my disciples only.
17 I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.
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And I will be waiting for the Lord, whose face is veiled from the house of Jacob, and I will be looking for him.
18 See, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.
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See, I and the children whom the Lord has given me, are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of armies, whose resting-place is in Mount Zion.
19 Now if people say to you, "Consult the ghosts and the familiar spirits that chirp and mutter; should not a people consult their gods, the dead on behalf of the living,
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And when they say to you, Make request for us to those who have control of spirits, and to those wise in secret arts, who make hollow bird-like sounds; is it not right for a people to make request to their gods, to make request for the living to the dead?
20 for teaching and for instruction?" surely, those who speak like this will have no dawn!
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Then say to them, Put your faith in the teaching and the witness. ... If they do not say such things. ... For him there is no dawn. ...
21 They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry; when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will curse their king and their gods. They will turn their faces upward,
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And he will go through the land in bitter trouble and in need of food; and when he is unable to get food, he will become angry, cursing his king and his God, and his eyes will be turned to heaven on high;
22 or they will look to the earth, but will see only distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be thrust into thick darkness.
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And he will be looking down on the earth, and there will be trouble and dark clouds, black night where there is no seeing.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.