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Isaiah 8 from Scroll 1Q Isaiaha

Yahweh said to me, “Take a large tablet, and write on it with a man’s pen, ‘For Maher Shalal Hash Baz’;and I will take for myself faithful witnesses to testify: Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.”

I went to the prophetess, and she conceived, and bore a son. Then Yahweh said to me, “Call his name ‘Maher Shalal Hash Baz.’For before the child knows how to say, ‘My father,’ and, ‘My mother,’ call his father and his mother, the riches of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried away by the king of Assyria.”

Yahweh spoke to me yet again, saying,“Because this people have refused the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah’s son;now therefore, behold, the Lord Yahweh brings upon them the mighty flood waters of the River: the king of Assyria and all his glory. It will come up over all its channels, and go over all its banks. 8 It will sweep onward into Judah. It will overflow and pass through; it will reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of its wings will fill the width of your land, Immanuel[1]. Make an uproar, you peoples, and be broken in pieces! Listen, all you from far countries: dress for battle, and be shattered! Dress for battle, and be shattered! 10 Take counsel together, and it will be brought to nothing; speak the word, and it will not stand: for God is with us Immanuel[2].” 11 For Yahweh spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, 12 Don’t say, ‘A conspiracy!’ concerning all about which this people say, ‘A conspiracy!’ neither fear their threats, nor be terrorized. 13 Yahweh of Armies is who you must respect as holy. He is the one you must fear. He is the one you must dread. 14 He will be a sanctuary, but for both houses of Israel, he will be a stumbling stone and a rock that makes them fall. For the people of Jerusalem, he will be a trap and a snare. 15 Many will stumble over it, fall, be broken, be snared, and be captured.”

16 Wrap up the covenant. and seal the law among my disciples. 17 I will wait for Yahweh, who hides his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. 18 Behold, I and the children whom Yahweh has given me are for signs a sign and for wonders a wonder in Israel from Yahweh of Armies, who dwells in Mount Zion.

19 When they tell you, “Consult with those who have familiar spirits and with the wizards, who chirp and who mutter:” shouldn’t a people consult with their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Turn to the law and to the covenant! If they don’t speak according to this word, surely there is no morning for them. 21 They will pass through it, very distressed and hungry; and it will happen that when they are hungry, they will worry, and curse by their king and by their God. They will turn their faces upward, 22 and look to the earth, and see distress, darkness, and the gloom of anguish. They will be driven into thick darkness.

 

Isaiah 8 from Scroll 1Q Isaiahb

1 Yahweh said to me, “Take a large tablet, and write on it with a man’s pen, ‘For Maher Shalal Hash Baz’;

 

Isaiah 8 from Scroll 4Q59 Isaiahe

and I will take for myself faithful witnesses to testify: Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.”

I went to the prophetess, and she conceived, and bore a son. Then Yahweh said to me, “Call his name ‘Maher Shalal Hash Baz.’ 4 For before the child knows how to say, ‘My father,’ and, ‘My mother,’ the riches of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried away by the king of Assyria.”

5 Yahweh spoke to me yet again, saying, 6 “Because this people have refused the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah’s son;now therefore, behold, the Lord brings upon them the mighty flood waters of the River: the king of Assyria and all his glory. It will come up over all its channels, and go over all its banks. 8 It will sweep onward into Judah. It will overflow and pass through; it will reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of its wings will fill the width of your land, Immanuel[3].Make an uproar, you peoples, and be broken in pieces! Listen, all you from far countries: dress for battle, and be shattered! Dress for battle, and be shattered! 10 Take counsel together, and it will be brought to nothing; speak the word, and it will not stand: for God is with us Immanuel[4].” 11 For Yahweh spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, 12 “Don’t say, ‘A conspiracy!’ concerning all about which this people say, ‘A conspiracy!’ neither fear their threats, nor be terrorized. 13 Yahweh of Armies is who you must respect as holy. He is the one you must fear. He is the one you must dread. 14 He will be a sanctuary, but for both houses of Israel, he will be a stumbling stone and a rock that makes them fall. For the people of Jerusalem, he will be a trap and a snare.

 

Isaiah 8 from Scroll 4Q60 Isaiahf

Yahweh said to me, “Take a large tablet, and write on it with a man’s pen, ‘For Maher Shalal Hash Baz’;

[..]

For before the child knows how to say, ‘My father,’ and, ‘My mother,’ the riches of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried away by the king of Assyria.”

Yahweh spoke to me yet again, saying, “Because this people have refused the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah’s son; now therefore, behold, the Lord brings upon them the mighty flood[5] waters of the River: the king of Assyria and all his glory. It will come up over all its channels, and go over all its banks. It will sweep onward into Judah. It will overflow and pass through; it will reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of its wings will fill the width of your land, Immanuel[6]. Make an uproar, you peoples, and be broken in pieces! Listen, all you from far countries: dress for battle, and be shattered! Dress for battle, and be shattered! 10 Take counsel together, and it will be brought to nothing; speak the word, and it will not stand: for God is with us.” 11 For Yahweh spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying,

 

Isaiah 8 from Scroll 4Q65 Isaiahl

For Yahweh spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, 12 Don’t say, ‘A conspiracy!’ concerning all about which this people say, ‘A conspiracy!’ neither fear their threats, nor be terrorized. 13 Yahweh of Armies is who you must respect as holy. He is the one you must fear. He is the one you must dread. 14 He will be a sanctuary, but for both houses of Israel, he will be a trap and a snare for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

 

 

 

 



[1] In 8:8 the scroll again spells “Immanuel” as one word, unlike the MT, which splits it into “Immanu” and “El.”

[2] In 8:10 the scroll again spells “Immanuel” as one word, unlike the MT, which splits it into “Immanu” and “El.” Immanuel means God with us.

[3] Immanuel is spelled as one word in this scroll, unlike the MT, which separates “Immanu” and “El.”

[4] Immanuel means God is with us. Here again, the scroll spells this as one word, unlike the MT, which separates “Immanu” and “El.”

[5] The scroll word order is different from the MT.

[6] Immanuel is spelled as one word in the scroll, rather than as two in the MT.

How to read these pages:

      The translation to the left is based on the World English Bible. Words in regular black font are words in the scrolls matching the traditional text for that passage.

      Words in italics cannot be seen in the scroll, since the scroll is fragmentary. These words are supplied for readability by the World English Bible translation.

      Words present in the scroll but with some letters unreadable or missing are in blue like this: blue. One Hebrew word often is translated into multiple English words, and when this occurs, all the English words are in blue.

      Words present in the scroll but with spelling differences that do not affect the meaning are in green like this: green. This is common in Hebrew.

      If the scroll is different from the traditional text, words in the traditional text that are missing from the text of the scroll are marked through in red like this: strike-through.

      If the scroll is different from the traditional text, words in the scroll that are not in the traditional text are underlined in red like this: new words.