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 captured goods; for it is near at hand. 2 And make me witnesses of faithful men, Uriah, and Zechariah the son of Berechiah. 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 captured goods of Samaria before the king of the Assyrians.⁠a 5 And the Lord spoke to me yet again, saying, 6 Because this people does not choose the water of Siloam that goes softly, but wishes to have Rezin, and the son of Remaliah to be king over you; 7 therefore, look, 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 Judah 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, God with us.⁠b 9 Know, you Gentiles, and be conquered; listen, 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 the Lord 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 Do not say, It is hard, for whatever this people says, is hard: but do not fear their fear, neither be dismayed.⁠c 13 Sanctify 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 not⁠d come against him as against a stumbling-stone, neither as against the falling of a rock: but the house of Jacob is 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 up the law that they may not learn be made manifest.⁠e 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 Look at 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 Zion. 19 And if they should say to you, Seek those that speak out of the earth, and those who have in them a divining spirit, those who 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 severely upon you, and it will happen, 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 see severe distress, and darkness, affliction, and anguish, and darkness so that one cannot see. 23 And he that is in anguish shall not be distressed only for a time. Do this first. Act quickly, land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, and the rest inhabiting the sea-coast, and the land beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles,⁠f the parts of Judea.