Isaiah 7

The Sign of Immanuel

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

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

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

“ ‘It will not take place,

it will not happen,^t

for the head of Aram is Damascus,^u

and the head of Damascus is only Rezin.^v

Within sixty-five years

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

The head of Ephraim is Samaria,^x

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

If you do not stand^y firm in your faith,^z

you will not stand at all.’ ”^a

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

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

Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David!^e Is it not enough^f to try the patience of human beings? Will you try the patience^g of my God^h also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:ⁱ The virgin^j will conceive and give birth to a son,^k and will call him Immanuel.^l He will be eating curds^m and honeyⁿ when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, for before the boy knows^o enough to reject the wrong and choose the right,^p the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.^q 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^r from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.^s”

Assyria, the Lord’s Instrument

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