וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֵלַי קַח לְךָ גִּלָּיוֹן גָּדוֹל וּכְתֹב עָלָיו בְּחֶרֶט אֱנוֹשׁ לְמַהֵר שָׁלָל חָשׁ בַּז

The Lord said to me: Take for yourself a large scroll, and write a cryptic inscription on it with a common stylus used to engrave stone or metals or, a scribe’s pen. Alternatively, the prophet was told to write very clearly on a broad surface: To hasten spoils; quicken loot. Spoils will be taken hastily, and loot will be taken quickly and with ease.

וְאָעִידָה לִּי עֵדִים נֶאֱמָנִים אֵת אוּרִיָּה הַכֹּהֵן וְאֶת זְכַרְיָהוּ בֶּן יְבֶרֶכְיָהוּ

I had trustworthy witnesses testify for me: Uriya the priest and Zekharyahu son of Yeverekhyahu. They were apparently the witnesses to Isaiah’s marriage. Alternatively, this is a continuation of God’s instruction, namely that He calls upon these men to sign on the writing of the previous verse. Although the midrashim identify these witnesses with men who lived in later generations, Uriya the priest being Uriya the prophet mentioned in the book of Jeremiah, and Zekharyahu being Zechariah the prophet of the early Second Temple period, according to the plain meaning of the text, this seems unlikely.

וָאֶקְרַב אֶל הַנְּבִיאָה וַתַּהַר וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֵלַי קְרָא שְׁמוֹ מַהֵר שָׁלָל חָשׁ בַּז

I intimately approached the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. The Lord said to me: Call his name Maher Shalal Hash Baz, which means “hasten spoils, quicken loot.” Like his brother Imanuel (7:14), this child was named in anticipation of a future event. According to Rashi, however, this is the same child, and the mother was to name him Imanuel, while Isaiah was to give him this name.

כִּי בְּטֶרֶם יֵדַע הַנַּעַר קְרֹא אָבִי וְאִמִּי יִשָּׂא אֶת חֵיל דַּמֶּשֶׂק וְאֵת שְׁלַל שֹׁמְרוֹן לִפְנֵי מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר

For before the child knows to call: My father and my mother, which are usually among a child’s first words, he, the looter, will carry away and present the wealth of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria before the king of Assyria, fulfilling the prophecy encoded in the child’s name.

וַיֹּסֶף ה' דַּבֵּר אֵלַי עוֹד לֵאמֹר

Isaiah returns to address the threat posed by the alliance between Aram and the Kingdom of Israel: The Lord continued speaking to me again concerning political matters, saying:

יַעַן כִּי מָאַס הָעָם הַזֶּה אֵת מֵי הַשִּׁלֹחַ הַהֹלְכִים לְאַט וּמְשׂוֹשׂ אֶת רְצִין וּבֶן רְמַלְיָהוּ

Because this people spurned the waters of the Shilo’ah that flow slowly, symbolizing the calm and patience that were characteristic of the kings of Judah, and they rejoice with Retzin and with the son of Remalyahu, desiring their reign,

וְלָכֵן הִנֵּה אֲדֹנָי מַעֲלֶה עֲלֵיהֶם אֶת מֵי הַנָּהָר הָעֲצוּמִים וְהָרַבִּים אֶת מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר וְאֶת כָּל כְּבוֹדוֹ וְעָלָה עַל כָּל אֲפִיקָיו וְהָלַךְ עַל כָּל גְּדוֹתָיו

therefore, behold, instead of allowing them to be flooded by the small rivers of Amana and Parpar that flow near Damascus, symbolizing the rule of Retzin, the Lord is raising the mighty and abundant waters of the Tigris River upon them, symbolizing the king of Assyria and all his glory, and it will rise over all its figurative channels and flow over all its banks.

וְחָלַף בִּיהוּדָה שָׁטַף וְעָבַר עַד צַוָּאר יַגִּיעַ וְהָיָה מֻטּוֹת כְּנָפָיו מְלֹא רֹחַב אַרְצְךָ עִמָּנוּ אֵל

He, the Assyrian king, will traverse also through Judah, surge and pass through; he, his floodwaters will reach the people’s neck.Having likened the Assyrian king’s armies to the floodwaters of the Tigris, the prophet now likens them to a predatory bird: His wingspan will be the full breadth of your land, Imanuel. Isaiah turns to his young son, whose name symbolizes hope, saying: The Assyrian army will spread throughout the breadth of the land.

רֹעוּ עַמִּים וָחֹתּוּ וְהַאֲזִינוּ כֹּל מֶרְחַקֵּי אָרֶץ הִתְאַזְּרוּ וָחֹתּוּ הִתְאַזְּרוּ וָחֹתּוּ

Tremble and founder, peoples, like an unstable building, and be dismayed; listen, all distant lands. Gird yourselves with valor and be dismayed, gird yourselves and be dismayed. Even if you endeavor to be brave, you will break down in fear, as for the first time you will be confronted with a threat far greater than one posed by local raiders: The conquering forces of an empire. Your resistance will be futile.

עֻצוּ עֵצָה — וְתֻפָר דַּבְּרוּ דָבָר — וְלֹא יָקוּם כִּי עִמָּנוּ אֵל

Take counsel and it will be negated; speak a matter and it will not stand, as God is with us [ki imanu El]. The prophet alludes to a further implication of the first child’s name, Imanuel: By the time he grows up, the land will be free from its enemies and perhaps he will see better days.

כִּי כֹה אָמַר ה' אֵלַי כְּחֶזְקַת הַיָּד וְיִסְּרֵנִי מִלֶּכֶת בְּדֶרֶךְ הָעָם הַזֶּה לֵאמֹר

For so said the Lord to me with a strong hand, with harsh words, and unlike other divine messages received until then. According to a tradition of the Sages, Isaiah was of royal birth and was close to the royal court, and had political influence. The verse here therefore presents an exceptional prohibition: God spoke harshly, admonishing me to not walk in the path of this people and get involved in their politics, saying:

לֹא תֹאמְרוּן קֶשֶׁר לְכֹל אֲשֶׁר יֹאמַר הָעָם הַזֶּה קָשֶׁר וְאֶת מוֹרָאוֹ לֹא תִירְאוּ וְלֹא תַעֲרִיצוּ

Do not say: Conspiracy, about anything that this people say is a conspiracy. Do not endorse any organized attempt among the people to rebel against the king. It is possible that this prophecy refers to Reztin and Pekah’s attempts to topple the leadership of Judah and to set others on its throne. And do not fear what it is that they fear, and do not deem it powerful. Stay out of their petty politics.

אֶת ה' צְבָאוֹת אֹתוֹ תַקְדִּישׁוּ וְהוּא מוֹרַאֲכֶם וְהוּא מַעֲרִצְכֶם

Rather, the Lord of hosts, Him you shall sanctify and He you shall revere, and He provides you with power, causing you to be fearsome in the eyes of others.

וְהָיָה לְמִקְדָּשׁ וּלְאֶבֶן נֶגֶף וּלְצוּר מִכְשׁוֹל לִשְׁנֵי בָתֵּי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְפַח וּלְמוֹקֵשׁ לְיוֹשֵׁב יְרוּשָׁלִָם

He will be a Sanctuary and a refuge for you, and conversely, He will be a striking stone and a rocky obstruction for the two houses of Israel, the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, to trip over. He will be a trap and a snare for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The relationship with God can go both ways.

וְכָשְׁלוּ בָם רַבִּים וְנָפְלוּ וְנִשְׁבָּרוּ וְנוֹקְשׁוּ וְנִלְכָּדוּ

Many will stumble over them, over the snare and trap. They will fall and be broken, and they will be trapped and captured.

צוֹר תְּעוּדָה חֲתוֹם תּוֹרָה בְּלִמֻּדָי

A prophet is not meant to concern himself with insignificant politics but with God’s Temple. He is therefore commanded: Bind up the testimony and protect it; seal the words of the Torah and your prophecies in the hearts of My disciples.

וְחִכִּיתִי לַה' הַמַּסְתִּיר פָּנָיו מִבֵּית יַעֲקֹב וְקִוֵּיתִי לוֹ

The prophet responds to the command to guard the Torah: I will wait for the Lord, who currently conceals His face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope for Him.

הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי והַיְלָדִים אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לִי ה' לְאֹתוֹת וּלְמוֹפְתִים בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל מֵעִם ה' צְבָאוֹת הַשֹּׁכֵן בְּהַר צִיּוֹן

Behold, I and the children with symbolic names whom the Lord gave me, Imanuel, She’ar Yashuv, and Maher Shalal Hash Baz, are to become signs and wonders in Israel, from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion and who brings the prophecy to fulfillment. As each child comes of age, another prophetic milestone will be reached.

וְכִי יֹאמְרוּ אֲלֵיכֶם דִּרְשׁוּ אֶל הָאֹבוֹת וְאֶל הַיִּדְּעֹנִים הַמְצַפְצְפִים וְהַמַּהְגִּים

And when they will say to you: If you wish to know the future, seek the mediums and the oracles who claim to be able to speak to the dead, and who chirp and coo, speaking in unnatural ways to convey the impression that they are in contact with another plane, then shouldn’t a chosen people seek their true and living God? Instead, you set out, on behalf of the living, to seek the dead! The inhabitants of Judah heard their enemies’ threats, but did not seek comfort and solace from the prophets, because they did not trust them, and instead turned to sorcerers, which exacerbated their distress.

הֲלוֹא עַם אֶל אֱלֹהָיו יִדְרֹשׁ בְּעַד הַחַיִּים אֶל הַמֵּתִים לְתוֹרָה וְלִתְעוּדָה אִם לֹא יֹאמְרוּ כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר אֵין לוֹ שָׁחַר

The prophet takes an oath: By the Torah and by the testimony! Surely, they will talk of this matter of heeding the counsel of the mediums, a meaningless notion that has no dawning and arises only from a vague and unclear perception of reality.

וְעָבַר בָּהּ נִקְשֶׁה וְרָעֵב וְהָיָה כִי יִרְעַב — וְהִתְקַצַּף וְקִלֵּל בְּמַלְכּוֹ וּבֵאלֹהָיו וּפָנָה לְמָעְלָה

The prophet continues to describe the future events in the land of Judah: The troubled and the hungry will pass through it, and it shall be, when he is hungry, he will become angry, and he will curse his king and his false gods for not fulfilling his requests. Faith in false gods depends on results. When a person turns to them and they naturally are no help, he will then turn to Above.

וְאֶל אֶרֶץ יַבִּיט — וְהִנֵּה צָרָה וַחֲשֵׁכָה מְעוּף צוּקָה וַאֲפֵלָה מְנֻדָּח

If instead of looking heavenward he will look to the land, and behold, trouble and darkness, the weariness of distress, and he will be driven into blackness. He will find that the land is entirely a place of suffering, distress, and darkness.

כִּי לֹא מוּעָף לַאֲשֶׁר מוּצָק לָהּ כָּעֵת הָרִאשׁוֹן הֵקַל אַרְצָה זְבֻלוּן וְאַרְצָה נַפְתָּלִי וְהָאַחֲרוֹן הִכְבִּיד דֶּרֶךְ הַיָּם עֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן גְּלִיל הַגּוֹיִם

For there is no weariness for he, the enemy, who distresses it, the land. The first time the Assyrian conqueror invaded, he was lenient to the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the territories he managed to subdue, but in the latter invasion he dealt severely to the way of the sea, the coastal route from the north of Syria to Egypt known as the Via Maris, to the land beyond the Jordan, and to the district of the nations.