The two halves of this verse are parallel. The second half is strengthened by the addition of the clause nor be in dread, which is synonymous with do not fear. The verbs fear and be in dread mean “be afraid of.”
Do not call conspiracy all that this people call conspiracy: The Hebrew word rendered conspiracy refers to acts of conspiring or plotting against those in authority. Revised English Bible and New American Bible say “alliance,” but this word fails to express the idea of conspiring against someone. The phrase this people seems to imply an accusation of plotting. But unless we know who does the plotting and against whom, it is difficult to be precise in our interpretation. In the introductory comments on this section [8.11-15] we noted that God speaks to Isaiah and his supporters here since the imperatives in this verse are plural. Some say he is referring to a conspiracy by Judah’s enemies (as in 7.2). Others believe King Ahaz himself is responsible for the scheming. Such a charge against Ahaz could have been brought by those in Judah who opposed the king’s refusal to join the Syrians and Israelites against Assyria. Most likely the conspiracy here refers to the opposition of Isaiah and his supporters to Ahaz’s plan for Assyrian help. Their critics accuse them of scheming against the state. This fits with the parallel call not to be afraid of these people. However, we cannot be sure about the situation here. Since this is true, it is probably best to render this clause in a general way. Good News Translation offers a good model. Bible en français courant is also helpful with “Do not imitate [plural] these people when they speak of threats against the established order.”
And do not fear what they fear: Here God tells Isaiah and his followers not to be afraid of whatever the people fear. We cannot tell from the text itself whether they are afraid of a person, a group, or some other thing. It could refer to Ahaz’s fear of the enemy alliance. That seems a logical object here, but again we have to admit the situation cannot be determined beyond doubt. A general rendering is best, and in this case a fairly literal rendering will serve.
Nor be in dread is synonymous with to do not fear, so it emphasizes the call to trust and not be afraid. In languages where a synonymous expression is not available, the last two clauses in this verse may be combined, as Contemporary English Version has done with “don’t be afraid of something, just because they are.”
Translation examples for this verse are:
• “You [plural] must not regard as conspiracy what these people consider conspiracy; you need not fear what they fear nor dread it.
• “What these people consider to be a conspiracy is something you [plural] should not so consider; you do not need to be afraid of what scares them; do not be in dread.
Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .