“Do not call conspiracy everything these people regard as conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear; do not live in dread.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Don’t say, ‘A conspiracy!’ concerning all about which this people say, ‘A conspiracy!’ neither fear their threats, nor be terrorized.
- KJV Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.
- NKJV “Do not say, ‘A conspiracy,’ Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.
- NASB “You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’ Regarding everything that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it.
- NLT “Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God tells his people not to share the world's fears and conspiracy theories, but to trust him.
Overview
Where the people cried "conspiracy" and lived in dread of alliances, God commands his servants not to fear what they fear. The warning is against being governed by the anxieties of an unbelieving society. Faith frees God's people from the panic that grips those who do not know him; Peter cites this passage to encourage believers under pressure (1 Peter 3:14-15).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 1 Pet 3:14–15But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be shaken.”
- Luke 21:9When you hear of wars and rebellions, do not be alarmed. These things must happen first, but the end is not imminent.”
- Isa 51:12–13“I, even I, am He who comforts you. Why should you be afraid of mortal man, of a son of man who withers like grass?
- Ps 53:5There they are, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to fear. For God has scattered the bones of those who besieged you. You put them to shame, for God has despised them.
- Isa 30:1“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the LORD, “to those who carry out a plan that is not Mine, who form an alliance, but against My will, heaping up sin upon sin.
- Luke 12:4–5I tell you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.
- 2 Kgs 16:5–7Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to wage war against Jerusalem. They besieged Ahaz but could not overcome him.
- Isa 57:9–11You went to Molech with oil and multiplied your perfumes. You have sent your envoys a great distance; you have descended even to Sheol itself.
- Matt 28:2–5Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it.
- Isa 7:2–6When it was reported to the house of David that Aram was in league with Ephraim, the hearts of Ahaz and his people trembled like trees in the forest shaken by the wind.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 8:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.