Assyrian Invasion Prophesied

1Moreouer, the Lord sayd vnto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a mans penne, Make speede to the spoyle: haste to the praye. 2Then I tooke vnto me faithfull witnesses to recorde, Vriah the Priest, and Zechariah the sonne of Ieberechiah. 3After, I came vnto the Prophetesse, which conceiued, and bare a sonne. Then sayd the Lord to me, Call his name, Mahershalalhash-baz. 4For before the childe shall haue knowledge to crye, My father, & my mother, he shall take away the riches of Damascus and the spoyle of Samaria, before the King of Asshur.

5And the Lord spake yet againe vnto me, saying,

6Because this people hath refused the waters of Shiloah that runne softly, and reioyce with Rezin, and the sonne of Remaliah,

7Nowe therefore, beholde, the Lorde bringeth vp vpon them the waters of the Riuer mightie and great, euen the King of Asshur with all his glory, and he shall come vp vpon all their riuers, and goe ouer all their banks,

8And shall breake into Iudah, and shal ouerflowe and passe through, and shall come vp to the necke, and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanu-el.

9Gather together on heapes, O ye people, and ye shalbe broken in pieces, and hearken all ye of farre countreys: gird your selues, and you shalbe broken in pieces: gird your selues, and you shalbe broken in pieces.

10Take counsell together, yet it shall be brought to nought: pronounce a decree, yet shall it not stand: for God is with vs.

A Call to Fear God
(Ecclesiastes 8:10–13)

11For the Lorde spake thus to me in taking of mine hand, and taught me, that I should not walke in the way of this people, saying,

12Say ye not, A confederacie to all them, to whome this people sayth a confederacie, neither feare you their feare, nor be afrayd of them.

13Sanctifie the Lord of hostes, and let him be your feare, and let him be your dread,

14And he shalbe as a Sanctuarie: but as a stumbling stone, and as a rocke to fall vpon, to both the houses of Israel, and as a snare and as a net to the inhabitants of Ierusalem.

15And many among them shall stumble, and shal fall and shalbe broken and shalbe snared and shalbe taken.

16Binde vp the testimonie: seale vp the Law among my disciples. 17Therefore I will waite vpon the Lord that hath hid his face from the house of Iaakob, and I wil looke for him. 18Beholde, I and the children whome the Lorde hath giuen me, are as signes and as wonders in Israel, by the Lord of hostes, which dwelleth in mount Zion.

Darkness and Light

19And when they shal say vnto you, Enquire at them that haue a spirit of diuination, and at the soothsayers, which whisper and murmure, Should not a people enquire at their God? from the liuing to the dead? 20To the Law, and to the testimonie, if they speake not according to this worde: it is because there is no light in them. 21Then he that is afflicted and famished, shal go to and fro in it: and when he shalbe hungry, he shall euen freat himselfe, and curse his King and his gods, and shall looke vpward. 22And when he shall looke to the earth, beholde trouble, and darkenes, vexation and anguish, and he is driuen to darkenes.