The Message to Ahaz

7 This took place during the reign of Ahaz, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah king of Judah: n Rezin king of Aram, along with Pekah, son of Remaliah, king of Israel, waged war against Jerusalem, o but he could not succeed. 2 When it became known to the house of David p that Aram had occupied Ephraim, q the heart of Ahaz r and the hearts of his people trembled like trees of a forest shaking in the wind.

3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-jashub s to meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, t by the road to the Fuller’s Field. 4 Say to him: Calm down and be quiet. Don’t be afraid or cowardly u because of these two smoldering stubs of firebrands, the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram, and the son of Remaliah. 5 For Aram, along with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has plotted harm against you. They say, 6 ‘Let us go up against Judah, terrorize it, and conquer it for ourselves. Then we can install Tabeel’s son as king in it.’ ”

7 This is what the Lord God says:

It will not happen; it will not occur. v

8 The w head of Aram is Damascus,

the head of Damascus is Rezin

(within 65 years

Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people),

9 the head of Ephraim is Samaria,

and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah.

If you do not stand firm in your faith,

then you will not stand at all.

The Immanuel Prophecy

10 Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz: 11 “Ask for a sign x from the Lord your God—from the depths of * Sheol to the heights of heaven.”

12 But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask. I will not test the Lord.”

13 Isaiah y said, “Listen, house of David! Is it not enough for you to try the patience of men? Will you also try the patience of my God? z 14 Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a a sign: The virgin will conceive, b have a son, and name him Immanuel. c d 15 By the time he learns to reject what is bad and choose what is good, e he will be eating butter f and honey. g 16 For before the boy knows to reject what is bad and choose what is good, the land of the two kings you dread will be abandoned. 17 The Lord will bring on you, your people, and the house of your father, such a time as has never been since Ephraim separated from Judah h—the king of Assyria i is coming.”

18 On that day j

the Lord will whistle k to the fly

that is at the farthest streams of the Nile

and to the bee that is in the land of Assyria.

19 All of them will come and settle

in the steep ravines, in the clefts of the rocks, l

in all the thornbushes, and in all the water holes.

20 On that day the Lord will use a razor m hired from beyond the Euphrates River—the king of Assyria n—to shave the head, the hair on the legs, and to remove the beard as well.

21 On that day

a man will raise a young cow and two sheep,

22 and from the abundant milk they give

he will eat butter,

for every survivor in the land will eat butter and honey. o

23 And on that day

every place where there were 1,000 vines,

worth 1,000 pieces of silver,

will become thorns and briers. p

24 A man will go there with bow and arrows

because the whole land will be thorns and briers.

25 You will not go to all the hills

that were once tilled with a hoe,

for fear of the thorns and briers.

Those hills will be places for oxen to graze

and for sheep to trample.