Isaiah 7

The Sign of Immanuel

7When Ahaz^y son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin^z of Aram^a and Pekah^b son of Remaliah^c king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.

²Now the house of David^d was told, “Aram has allied itself with^a Ephraim^e”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken,^f as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.

³Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub,^bg to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.^{h 4}Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calmⁱ and don’t be afraid.^j Do not lose heart^k because of these two smoldering stubs^l of firewood—because of the fierce anger^m of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah.^{n 5}Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s^o son have plotted^p your ruin, saying, ⁶“Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.” ⁷Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says:^q

“ ‘It will not take place,

it will not happen,^r

⁸for the head of Aram is Damascus,^s

and the head of Damascus is only Rezin.^t

Within sixty-five years

Ephraim will be too shattered^u to be a people.

⁹The head of Ephraim is Samaria,^v

and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son.

If you do not stand^w firm in your faith,^x

you will not stand at all.’ ”^y

¹⁰Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, ¹¹“Ask the Lord your God for a sign,^z whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.^a”

¹²But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.^b”

¹³Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David!^c Is it not enough^d to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience^e of my God^f also? ¹⁴Therefore the Lord himself will give you^c a sign:^g The virgin^dh will conceive and give birth to a son,ⁱ and^e will call him Immanuel.^{fj 15}He will be eating curds^k and honey^l when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, ¹⁶for before the boy knows^m enough to reject the wrong and choose the right,ⁿ the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.^{o 17}The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away^p from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.^q”

Assyria, the Lord’s Instrument

¹⁸In that day^r the Lord will whistle^s for flies from the Nile delta in Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria.^{t 19}They will all come and settle in the steep ravines and in the crevices^u in the rocks, on all the thornbushes^v and at all the water holes. ²⁰In that day^w the Lord will use^x a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River^y—the king of Assyria^z—to shave your head and private parts, and to cut off your beard^a also.^{b 21}In that day,^c a person will keep alive a young cow and two goats.^{d 22}And because of the abundance of the milk they give, there will be curds to eat. All who remain in the land will eat curds^e and honey.^{f 23}In that day,^g in every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels,^gh there will be only briers and thorns.^{i 24}Hunters will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers^j and thorns. ²⁵As for all the hills^k once cultivated by the hoe, you will no longer go there for fear of the briers and thorns;^l they will become places where cattle are turned loose and where sheep run.^m