^8:18Look, I and the sons whom the Lord has given me³³ are reminders and object lessons³⁴ in Israel, sent from the Lord who commands armies, who lives on Mount Zion.

Read in Logos

Footnotes

30 Heb “tie up [the] testimony.” The “testimony” probably refers to the prophetic messages God has given him. When the prophecies are fulfilled, he will be able to produce this official, written record to confirm the authenticity of his ministry and to prove to the people that God is sovereign over events.
31 Heb “seal [the] instruction among my followers.” The “instruction” probably refers to the prophet’s exhortations and warnings. When the people are judged for the sins, the prophet can produce these earlier messages and essentially say, “I told you so.” In this way he can authenticate his ministry and impress upon the people the reality of God’s authority over them.
32 Heb “who hides his face from the house of Jacob.”
33 This refers to Shear-jashub (7:3) and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (8:1, 3).
34 Or “signs and portents” (, ). The names of all three individuals has symbolic value. Isaiah’s name (which meant “the Lord delivers”) was a reminder that the Lord was the nation’s only source of protection; Shear-jashub’s name was meant, at least originally, to encourage Ahaz (see the note at ), and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz’s name was a guarantee that God would defeat Israel and Syria (see the note at ). The word מוֹפֶת (mofet, “portent”) can often refer to some miraculous event, but in 20:3 it is used, along with its synonym אוֹת (’ot, “sign”) of Isaiah’s walking around half-naked as an object lesson of what would soon happen to the Egyptians.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching among my disciples. I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Bind up this testimony of warning

and seal up God’s instruction among my disciples.

I will wait for the Lord,

who is hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob.

I will put my trust in him.

Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Bind up the testimony.

Seal up the instruction among my disciples.

I will wait for the Lord,

who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob.

I will wait for him.

Here I am with the children the Lord has given me to be signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of Armies who dwells on Mount Zion.

NLTNew Living Translation

Preserve the teaching of God;

entrust his instructions to those who follow me.

I will wait for the Lord,

who has turned away from the descendants of Jacob.

I will put my hope in him.

I and the children the Lord has given me serve as signs and warnings to Israel from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies who dwells in his Temple on Mount Zion.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Bind up the testimony;

seal the teaching among my disciples.

And I will wait for Yahweh,

who hides his face from the house of Jacob,

and I will await him.

Look! I and the children whom Yahweh has given to me are like signs and portents in Israel from Yahweh of hosts, the one who dwells on the mountain of Zion.

KJV 1900King James Version

Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

And I will wait upon the Lord,

That hideth his face from the house of Jacob,

And I will look for him.

Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me

Are for signs and for wonders in Israel

From the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.

Public Domain