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Assyria Will Rise to Judah’s Neck
8 Then Adonai said to me: “Take yourself a great tablet, and write on it with a man’s stylus: ‘Maher-shalal-hashbaz[a].’” 2 So I took for myself trustworthy witnesses—Uriah the kohen and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah.
3 Then I went to the prophetess; and she conceived and bore a son. Then Adonai said to me: “Call his name Maher-shalal-hashbaz. 4 For before the child will have knowledge to cry ‘my father!’ or ‘my mother!’ the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.” 5 Then Adonai spoke to me further, saying:
6 “Because these people have refused
the softly flowing waters of Shiloah,
and rejoice with Rezin and Remaliah’s son,
7 therefore behold, Adonai is bringing on them
the waters of the River—mighty and massive—
Assyria’s king with all his glory!
It will rise over all its channels
and spill over all its banks.
8 Then it will sweep through Judah,
overflow as it passes through,
reaching even to the neck!
So the spread of its wings will be
the full breadth of your land!
Immanuel!
9 Make an uproar, O peoples—
but you will be broken in pieces.
Give ear, all you of far countries.
Arm yourselves—yet be shattered!
Arm yourselves—yet be shattered!
10 Take counsel together,
but it will amount to nothing.
Speak a word, but it will not stand.
For God is with us!
11 For thus Adonai spoke to me, with a strong hand, warning me that I should not walk in the way of these people, saying: 12 “Do not say: ‘It’s a conspiracy!’ about everything that these people call a conspiracy. You must not fear or tremble at what they fear.
13 Adonai-Tzva’ot, Him will you sanctify,
and let Him be your fear, trembling at Him.
14 He will be a Sanctuary,
but a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence[b]
to both the houses of Israel,
a trap and a snare
to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 Many among them will stumble,
fall, and be broken,
snared and caught.
16 Bind up the testimony,
seal the instruction with My disciples.
17 I will wait for Adonai,
who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob,
and I will look eagerly for Him.
18 Here I am with the children that Adonai has given me as signs and wonders in Israel, from Adonai-Tzva’ot who dwells on Mount Zion. 19 When they say to you: “Consult the mediums and necromancers who chirp and mutter,” shouldn’t a people seek their God? Should a people consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To Torah and to the testimony!
If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no light. 21 They will pass this way that are hard-pressed and hungry, and it will turn out that when they are hungry, they will become enraged and curse their king and their God. Whether they turn their faces upward 22 or look to the earth, behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish, and they will be driven into darkness.
A Great Light in Galilee
23 But there is no gloom to her[c]
who was in anguish, as in time past.
He treated lightly the land of Zebulun
and the land of Naphtali,
but in the future He will bring glory—
by the way of the sea,
beyond the Jordan—
Galilee of the Gentiles.
9 The people walking in darkness
will see a great light.
Upon those dwelling in the land of the shadow of death,
light will shine.[d]
2 You will multiply the nation.
You will increase the joy.
They will rejoice before You
like the joy in the harvest,
as they revel when they divide spoil.
3 For You will break the burdensome yoke
and the rod on his shoulder—
the war-club of his oppressor—
as in the day of Midian.
4 For every stomping boot quaking
and cloak rolled in blood
will be for burning—
fuel for the fire.
Prince of Peace
5 For to us a child is born,
a son will be given to us,[e]
and the government will be upon His shoulder.[f]
His Name will be called
Wonderful Counselor,[g]
Mighty God
My Father of Eternity,
Prince of Peace.[h]
6 Of the increase of His government
and shalom there will be no end—
on the throne of David and over His kingdom—
to establish it and uphold it
through justice and righteousness
from now until forevermore.[i]
The zeal of Adonai-Tzva’ot
will accomplish this.
Warning About Defiance
7 Adonai sent a word to Jacob,
and it fell upon Israel.
8 All the people will know what Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria
say in pride and in arrogance of heart:
9 “The bricks are fallen,
but we will rebuild with cut stones.
The sycamores are cut down,
but we will replace them with cedars.”
10 Therefore Adonai raises up
Rezin’s adversaries against them,
and spurs on his enemies.
11 The Arameans from the east
and the Philistines from the west—
they will devour Israel with open mouth.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
yet His hand is still outstretched.
12 Yet the people will not turn back
to the One who strikes them,
nor will they seek Adonai-Tzva’ot.
13 So Adonai will cut off from Israel head and tail,
palm branch and bulrush in a single day.
14 The elder and the man of rank—
he is the head.
The prophet who teaches falsehood—
he is the tail.
15 The leaders of this people lead them astray.
Those they mislead are swallowed up.
16 Therefore Adonai will have no joy in their young men,
nor will He have compassion on their orphans and widows,
for everyone is ungodly and an evildoer,
and every mouth speaks foolishness.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
yet His hand is still outstretched.
17 For wickedness burns like a fire
and consumes the briers and thorns
It kindles the thickets of the forest,
so they roll up in a column of smoke.
18 By the wrath of Adonai-Tzva’ot
is the land burnt up;
The people are as fuel for the fire.
No one spares his brother.
19 One grabs with the right hand
but is hungry,
and eats with the left hand
but is not satisfied.
Everyone will eat the flesh of his own arm—
20 Manasseh will devour Ephraim,
and Ephraim, Manasseh,
both are against Judah.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
yet His hand is outstretched.
Boasting in Visions and Weakness
12 I must go on boasting—though it does no good, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Messiah (whether in the body I don’t know, or whether out of the body I don’t know—God knows)—fourteen years ago, he was caught up to the third heaven. [a] 3 I know such a man (whether in the body or outside of the body I don’t know—God knows)— 4 he was caught up into Paradise and heard words too sacred to tell, which a human is not permitted to utter. 5 On behalf of such a man I will boast—but about myself I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses. 6 For if I should want to boast, I would not be foolish—for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, so that no one may think more of me than what he sees in me or hears from me— 7 even in the extraordinary quality of the revelations. So that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me—a a messenger of satan to torment me,[b] so I would not exalt myself. 8 I pleaded with the Lord three times about this, that it might leave me. 9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Messiah may dwell in me. 10 For Messiah’s sake, then, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in distresses, in persecutions, in calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Betrayal by a Friend
Psalm 55
1 For the music director, on stringed instruments, a contemplative song of David.
2 Give ear, O God, to my prayer
and do not ignore my plea for help.
3 Listen to me and answer me.
I am restless in my complaint and moan—
4 because of the voice of the enemy,
because of the pressure of the wicked.
For they thrust trouble on me,
and in anger bear a grudge against me.
5 My heart shudders within me
and the terrors of death sweep over me.
6 Fear and trembling come upon me
and horror has overwhelmed me.
7 So I said, “Oh that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and find rest.
8 Surely I would flee far away.
I would stay in the wilderness. Selah
9 I would hurry to my shelter
from the rushing wind of the storm.”
10 Lord, confuse and confound their speech,
for I see violence and strife in the city.
11 Day and night they make the rounds on her walls.
Iniquity and mischief are within her.
12 Ruins are in her midst.
Oppression and deceit never leave her square.
13 For if it were an enemy taunting me,
I could endure it.
If my foe was exalting himself over me,
I could hide from him.
14 But it is you, a man like me—
my companion and my close friend!
15 Together we enjoyed great fellowship.
We used to walk with the throng in the House of God.
16 Let desolation come upon them,
let them go down alive into Sheol—
for evil is in their dwelling, among them.
17 As for me, I will call on God,
and Adonai will save me.
18 Evening, morning and noon, I complain and moan,
then He hears my voice.
19 He will redeem my soul in shalom from the battle against me.
For many are striving with me.
20 God will hear and humble them
—yes, the One enthroned of old. Selah
Nothing changes—they do not fear God.
21 My companion put forth his hands against those at peace with him,
as he violates his covenant.
22 Smoother than butter was his speech,
yet war was in his heart.
His words were softer than oil,
yet they were drawn swords.
23 Cast your burden on Adonai, and He will sustain you.[a]
He will never let the righteous be shaken.
24 But You, O God, will bring them down to the Pit of destruction.
Bloodthirsty, deceitful men will not live out half their days.
But I—I will trust in You.
4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich.
Be wise enough to restrain yourself.
5 When you cast your eyes on riches, it is gone;
for it surely sprouts wings and flies off into the sky like an eagle.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.