1 And the Lord said to me, Take to yourself a volume of a great new * book, and write in it with a man's pen concerning the making a rapid plunder of spoils; for it is near at hand. 2 And make me witnesses of faithful men, Urias, and Zacharias the son of Barachias. 3 And I went in to the prophetess; and she conceived, and bore a son. And the Lord said to me, Call his name, Spoil quickly, plunder speedily. 4 For before the child shall know how to call his father or his mother, one shall take the power of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria before the king of the Assyrians. 5 And the Lord spoke to me yet again, saying, 6 Because this people chooses not the water of Siloam that goes softly, but wills to have Rassin, and the son of Romelias to be king over you; 7 therefore, behold, the Lord brings up upon you the water of the river, strong and abundant, even the king of the Assyrians, and his glory: and he shall come up over every valley of yours, and shall walk over every wall of yours: 8 and he shall take away from Juda every man who shall be able to lift up his head, and every one able to accomplish anything; and his camp shall fill the breadth of your land, O † God with us. 9 Know, you⌃ Gentiles, and be conquered; listen you⌃, even to the extremity of the earth: be conquered, after you⌃ strengthened yourselves; for even if you⌃ should again strengthen yourselves, you⌃ shall again be conquered. 10 And whatever counsel you⌃ shall take, the Lord shall bring it to nothing; and whatever word you⌃ shall speak, it shall not stand among you: for God is with us. 11 Thus says the Lord, With a strong hand they ‡ revolt from the course of the way of this people, saying, 12 Let them not say, It is hard, for whatever this people says, is hard: but fear not you⌃ their fear, neither be dismayed. 13 Sanctify you⌃ the Lord himself; and § he shall be your fear. 14 And if you shall trust in him, he shall be to you for a sanctuary; and you⌃ shall not come against him as against ✡ a stumbling-stone, neither as against the falling of a rock: but the houses of Jacob are in a snare, and the dwellers in Jerusalem in a pit. 15 Therefore many among them shall be weak, and fall, and be crushed; and they shall draw near, and men shall be taken securely. 16 Then shall those who seal themselves that they may ** not learn the law be made manifest. 17 And one shall say, I will wait for God, who has turned away his face from the house of Jacob, and I will trust in him. 18 ✡ Behold I and the children which God has given me: and they shall be for signs and wonders in the house of Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells in mount Sion. 19 And if they should say to you, Seek †† those who have in them a divining spirit, and them that speak out of the earth, them that speak vain words, who speak out of their belly: shall not a nation diligently seek to their God? why do they seek to the dead concerning the living? 20 For he has given the law for a help, that they should not speak according to this word, concerning which there are no ‡‡ gifts to give for it. 21 And famine shall come sorely upon you, and it shall come to pass, that when you⌃ shall be hungry, you⌃ shall be grieved, and you⌃ shall speak ill of the prince and your fathers' ordinances: and they shall look up to heaven above, 22 and they shall look on the earth below, and behold severe distress, and darkness, affliction, and §§ anguish, and darkness so that one can’t see; and he that is in anguish shall not be distressed only for a time.