2 Nephi 18

THE SECOND BOOK OF NEPHI

CHAPTER 18

Christ shall be as a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense—Seek the Lord, not peeping wizards—Turn to the law and to the testimony for guidance—Compare Isaiah 8. Between 559 and 545 B.C.

1 Moreover, the word of the Lord said unto me: Take thee a great aroll, and write in it with a man’s pen, concerning bMaher-shalal-hash-baz.

2 And I took unto me faithful awitnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.

3 And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived and bare a son. Then said the Lord to me: aCall his name, Maher-shalal-hash-baz.

4 For behold, athe child shall bnot have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, before the riches of Damascus and the cspoil of dSamaria shall be taken away before the king of eAssyria.

5 The Lord spake also unto me again, saying:

6 Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of aShiloah that go softly, and rejoice in bRezin and Remaliah’s son;

7 Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of aAssyria and all his glory; and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks.

8 And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall areach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.

9 aAssociate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear all ye of far countries; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces.

10 Take counsel together, and it shall come to naught; speak the word, and it shall not stand; for God is with us.

11 For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying:

12 Say ye not, A confederacy, to all to whom this people shall say, A aconfederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.

13 Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a astone of bstumbling, and for a crock of doffense to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and a esnare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

15 And many among them shall astumble and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.

16 aBind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

17 And I will wait upon the Lord, that ahideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.

18 Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for asigns and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of Hosts, which dwelleth in Mount Zion.

19 And when they shall say unto you: Seek unto them that have afamiliar spirits, and unto bwizards that peep and mutter—cshould not a people seek unto their God for the living to hear from the dead?

20 To the alaw and to the testimony; and if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

21 And they shall pass through it hardly bestead and hungry; and it shall come to pass that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.

22 And they shall look unto the earth and behold trouble, and adarkness, dimness of anguish, and shall be driven to darkness