Isaiah 7–8

7TH CHAPTER

The Virgin Will Have a Child

¹When Ahaz, son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah, was king of Judah, Aram’s King Rezin and Israel’s King Pekah, son of Remaliah, went to Jerusalem to attack it, but they couldn’t defeat it. ²When word reached David’s family that the Arameans had made an alliance with Ephraim, the hearts of the king and his people were shaken as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind. 

³Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear Jashub to meet Ahaz at the end of the ditch of the Upper Pool on the road to the Laundryman’s Field. ⁴Say to him, ‘Be careful, stay calm, and don’t be afraid. Don’t lose heart because of the fierce anger of Rezin from Aram and Remaliah’s son. These two are smoldering logs.’ ⁵Aram, Ephraim, and Remaliah’s son have planned evil against you, saying, ⁶‘Let’s march against Judah, tear it apart, divide it among ourselves, and set up Tabeel’s son as its king.’ ⁷This is what the Almighty Lord says: 

“It won’t take place; it won’t happen. 

⁸The capital of Aram is Damascus, 

and the leader of Damascus is Rezin. 

Ephraim will be shattered within 65 years 

so that it will no longer be a nation. 

⁹The capital of Ephraim is Samaria, 

and the leader of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. 

If you don’t remain faithful, 

you won’t remain standing.” 

¹⁰Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, ¹¹“Ask the Lord your God for a sign. It can be anything you want.” 

¹²But Ahaz answered, “I won’t ask; I wouldn’t think of testing the Lord.” 

¹³“Listen now, descendants of David,” Isaiah said. “Isn’t it enough that you try the patience of mortals? Must you also try the patience of my God? ¹⁴So the Lord himself will give you this sign: A virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and she will name him Immanuel ^[God Is With Us^[. ¹⁵He will eat cheese and honey until he knows how to reject evil and choose good. ¹⁶Indeed, before the boy knows how to reject evil and choose good, the land of the two kings who terrify you will be deserted. 

¹⁷“The Lord will bring on you, your people, and your ancestor’s family a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah. ⸤He will bring⸥ the king of Assyria. ¹⁸On that day the Lord will whistle for the flies that are at the distant branches of the Nile River in Egypt and for the bees that are in Assyria. ¹⁹All of them will come and settle in the deep valleys, in the cracks in the cliffs, on all the thornbushes, and at all the water holes. 

²⁰“On that day the Lord will hire the king of Assyria from beyond the Euphrates River to be a razor to shave the hair on your head, the hair on your legs, and even your beard. ²¹On that day a person will keep alive a young cow and two sheep. ²²That person will eat cheese, because they will produce so much milk. Everyone who is left in the land will eat cheese and honey. ²³On that day, in every place where there were 1,000 vines (worth 1,000 pieces of silver), there will be briars and thorns. ²⁴People will come there with bows and arrows ⸤to hunt⸥ because the whole land will be filled with briars and thorns. ²⁵And you will no longer be able to go to all the hills which used to be cultivated because they will be filled with briars and thorns. It will be a place for turning oxen loose and letting sheep run.” 

8TH CHAPTER

Isaiah’s Child Is a Sign of the Lord’s Protection of Judah

¹The Lord said to me, “Take a large writing tablet, and write on it with a pen: ‘Maher Shalal Hash Baz’ ^[The Looting Will Come Quickly; the Prey Will Be Easy^[. ²I will have these dependable witnesses testify: the priest Uriah and Zechariah (son of Jeberechiah).” 

³I slept with the prophet. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. The Lord told me, “Name him Maher Shalal Hash Baz. ⁴Before the boy knows how to say ‘Daddy’ or ‘Mommy,’ the wealth of Damascus and the loot from Samaria will be carried away to the king of Assyria.” 

Assyria Will Invade, but It Will Not Conquer Judah

⁵The Lord spoke to me again. He said, 

⁶“These people have rejected the gently flowing water of Shiloah 

and find joy in Rezin and Remaliah’s son.” 

⁷That is why the Lord is going to bring against them 

the raging and powerful floodwaters of the Euphrates River— 

the king of Assyria with all his power. 

It will overflow all its channels and go over all its banks. 

⁸It will sweep through Judah. 

It will overflow and pass through; it will be neck-high. 

Its outspread wings will extend over your whole country, O Immanuel. 

⁹Be broken, you people. Be terrified. 

Listen, all you distant parts of the earth. 

Prepare for battle, but be terrified. 

Prepare for battle, but be terrified. 

¹⁰Make plans for battle, but they will never succeed. 

Give orders, but they won’t be carried out, 

because God is with us! 

Some in Jerusalem Will Stumble Because They Do Not Trust the Lord

¹¹This is what the Lord said with his powerful hand on me. 

He warned me not to follow the ways of these people: 

¹²“Don’t say that everything these people call a conspiracy 

is a conspiracy. 

Don’t fear what they fear. 

Don’t let it terrify you.” 

¹³Remember that the Lord of Armies is holy. 

He is the one you should fear 

and the one you should be terrified of. 

¹⁴He will be a place of safety for you. 

But he will be a rock that makes people trip 

and a stumbling block for both kingdoms of Israel. 

He will be a trap and a snare for those who live in Jerusalem. 

¹⁵Many will stumble. 

They will fall and be broken. 

They will be trapped and caught. 

¹⁶Tie up the written instructions. 

Seal the teachings among my disciples. 

¹⁷I will wait for the Lord, 

who hides his face from the descendants of Jacob. 

I will hope in him. 

¹⁸I am here with the children that the Lord has given me. 

We are signs and symbols in Israel 

from the Lord of Armies, who lives on Mount Zion. 

¹⁹People will say to you, “Ask for help from the mediums 

and the fortunetellers, who whisper and mutter.” 

Shouldn’t people ask their God for help instead? 

Why should they ask the dead to help the living? 

²⁰They should go to the teachings and to the written instructions. 

If people don’t speak these words, 

it is because it doesn’t dawn on them. 

²¹They will pass through the land when they are hard-pressed and hungry. 

When they are hungry, they will be furious. 

Then they will look up, cursing their king and God. 

²²They will look at the earth and see only distress and gloom. 

They will go in anguish and be forced into darkness.