Isaiah 7

1 It was during the reign of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin, king of Aram, marched to attack Jerusalem. Pekah, son of Remaliah, king of Israel, joined in the attack, but they couldn't conquer the city.

And it happened in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, the king of Judah, that Rezin, the king of Syria, and Pekah, the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, ascended to Jerusalem to battle against it. But they were not able to defeat it.

2 When the royal family of Judah was told, “Aram and Ephraim have an alliance,” Ahaz and his people were terrified and they shook like trees in the forest tossed about by the wind.

And they reported to the house of David, saying: “Syria has withdrawn to Ephraim.” And his heart was shaken, with the heart of his people, just as the trees of the forest are moved by the face of the wind.

3 Then the Lord told Isaiah, “Take your son Shear-jashub with you and go and meet Ahaz. He'll be at the end of the aqueduct of the upper pool, by the road to the laundry field.

And the Lord said to Isaiah: Go out to meet Ahaz, you and your son, Jashub, who was left behind, to the end of the aqueduct, at the upper pool, on the road to the fuller’s field.

4 Tell him, ‘Calm down and keep quiet. Don't be afraid or scared over a couple of smoldering bits of firewood, over the burning anger of Rezin and Aram, and of Remaliah's son.

And you shall say to him: “See to it that you are silent. Do not be afraid. And have no dread in your heart over the two tails of these firebrands, nearly extinguished, which are the wrath of the fury of Rezin, king of Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.”

5 Aram has plotted to destroy you together with Ephraim and Remaliah's son saying,

For Syria has undertaken a plan against you, with the evil of Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, saying:

6 Let's go and attack Judah! We'll terrorize it and conquer it for ourselves, and make Tabeel's son its king.”

“Let us ascend to Judah, and stir it up, and tear it away for ourselves, and appoint the son of Tabeel as a king in its midst.”

7 But this is what the Lord God says, “This plan won't materialize—it just won't happen!

Thus says the Lord God: This shall not stand, and this shall not be.

8 For the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. In addition, within sixty-five years Israel as a nation will be destroyed.

For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within sixty-five years from now, Ephraim will cease to be a people.

9 The head of Israel is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If you don't trust in me, then you won't survive.”

For the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you will not believe, you will not continue.

10 Later the Lord sent another message to Ahaz,

And the Lord spoke further to Ahaz, saying:

11 “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether as deep as where people are buried or as high as heaven.” (Sheol h7585)

Ask for a sign for yourself from the Lord your God, from the depths below, even to the heights above. (Sheol h7585)

12 “No, I'm not going to ask,” Ahaz replied. “I refuse to put the Lord to the test.”

And Ahaz said, “I will not ask, for I will not tempt the Lord.”

13 Then Isaiah said, “Listen, royal family of Judah! Isn't it enough for you to wear people out? Do you have to wear my God out too?

And he said: “Then listen, O house of David. Is it such a small thing for you to trouble men, that you must also trouble my God?

14 This is why the Lord himself is going to give you a sign. Look! The virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and she will call him Immanuel.

For this reason, the Lord himself will grant to you a sign. Behold, a virgin will conceive, and she will give birth to a son, and his name will be called Immanuel.

15 He will eat curds and honey until the time he knows to refuse evil and choose the good.

He will eat butter and honey, so that he may know to reject evil and to choose good.

16 For before the boy knows to refuse evil and choose the good, the land of the two kings you're afraid of will be deserted.

But even before the boy knows to refuse evil and to choose good, the land that you detest will be abandoned by the face of her two kings.

17 The Lord will make you, your people, and the royal family experience a time unlike anything since the day Ephraim split from Judah. He will bring the king of Assyria to attack you!”

The Lord will lead over you, and over your people, and over the house of your father, such days as have not occurred since the days of the separation of Ephraim from Judah by the king of the Assyrians.

18 At that time the Lord will whistle to call flies from the distant rivers of Egypt and bees from the country of Assyria.

And this shall be in that day: the Lord will call for the fly, which is in the most distant parts of the rivers of Egypt, and for the swarm, which is in the land of Assur.

19 They will all come and descend on the steep valleys and rock crevices, on all the thorn bushes and waterholes.

And they will arrive, and they all will rest in the torrents of the valleys, and in the caverns of the rocks, and in every thicket, and in every opening.

20 At that time the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River, the king of Assyria, to shave you from head to toe, including your beards.

In that day, the Lord will shave with a razor the ones hired by those who are across the river, by the king of the Assyrians, from the head to the hairs of the feet, with the entire beard.

21 At that time a someone who manages to keep a young cow and two sheep alive

And this shall be in that day: a man will raise a cow among oxen, and two sheep,

22 will eat curds, because they produce so much milk—for everyone who survives in the land will eat curds and honey.

and, instead of an abundance of milk, he will eat butter. For all who are left behind in the midst of the land will eat butter and honey.

23 At that time everywhere that once had a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels will only have brambles and thorns.

And this shall be in that day: every place, where there were a thousand grapevines worth a thousand pieces of silver, will become thorns and briers.

24 People will go hunting there with bows and arrows because the land will be covered with brambles and thorns.

They will enter such places with arrows and bows. For briers and thorns will be throughout the entire land.

25 In fact, all the hills that were once tilled by the hoe you won't want to go to because you'll worry about the brambles and thorns there. They'll just be where cattle are let loose and where sheep roam.

But as for all the mountains, which will be dug with a hoe, the terror of thorns and briers will not approach those places. And there will be pasture land for oxen, and a range for cattle.”