Isaiah 7

1 In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.

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 David’s house was told, “Syria is allied with Ephraim.” His heart trembled, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest tremble with 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And they reported to the house of David, saying: “Syria has withdrawn to Ephraim.”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 said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you, and Shearjashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway of the fuller’s 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, ‘Be careful, and keep calm. Don’t be afraid, neither let your heart be faint because of these two tails of smoking torches, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.

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 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have plotted evil against you, saying,

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

6 “Let’s go up against Judah, and tear it apart, and let’s divide it amongst ourselves, and set up a king within it, even the son of Tabeel.”

“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 This is what the Lord GOD says: “It shall not stand, neither shall it happen.”

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

8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim shall be broken in pieces, so that it shall not be a people.

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 Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.’”

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 The LORD spoke again to Ahaz, saying,

And the Lord spoke further to Ahaz, saying:

11 “Ask a sign of the LORD your God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.” (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 But Ahaz said, “I won’t ask. I won’t tempt the LORD.”

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

13 He said, “Listen now, house of David. Is it not enough for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God also?

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 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name 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 shall eat butter and honey when he knows to refuse the 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 child knows to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you abhor shall be forsaken.

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 bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah, even the king of Assyria.

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 It will happen in that day that the LORD will whistle for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land 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 shall come, and shall all rest in the desolate valleys, in the clefts of the rocks, on all thorn hedges, and on all pastures.

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 In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired in the parts beyond the River, even with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the feet; and it shall also consume the beard.

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 It shall happen in that day that a man shall keep alive a young cow, and two sheep.

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

22 It shall happen, that because of the abundance of milk which they shall give he shall eat butter, for everyone will eat butter and honey that is left within the land.

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 It will happen in that day that every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels, will be for briers 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 there with arrows and with bow, because all the land will be briers and thorns.

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

25 All the hills that were cultivated with the hoe, you shall not come there for fear of briers and thorns; but it shall be for the sending out of oxen, and for sheep to tread on.”

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.”