Isaiah 7

1 Now in the days that Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, Rezin king of Aram marched up to wage war against Jerusalem. He was accompanied by Pekah son of Remaliah the king of Israel, but he could not overpower the city.

Now it came about in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin, the king of Aram, and Pekah, the son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to make war against it, but were not able to overcome it.

2 When it was reported to the house of David that Aram was in league with Ephraim, the hearts of Ahaz and his people trembled like trees in the forest shaken by the wind.

And word came to the family of David that Aram had put up its tents in Ephraim. And the king's heart, and the hearts of his people, were moved, like the trees of the wood shaking in the wind.

3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-jashub to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct that feeds the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field,

Then the Lord said to Isaiah, Go out now, you and Shear-jashub, your son, and you will come across Ahaz at the end of the stream flowing from the higher pool, in the highway of the washerman's field;

4 and say to him: Calm down and be quiet. Do not be afraid or disheartened over these two smoldering stubs of firewood—over the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah.

And say to him, Take care and be quiet; have no fear, and do not let your heart be feeble, because of these two ends of smoking fire-wood, because of the bitter wrath of Rezin and Aram, and of the son of Remaliah.

5 For Aram, along with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has plotted your ruin, saying:

Because Aram has made evil designs against you, saying,

6 ‘Let us invade Judah, terrorize it, and divide it among ourselves. Then we can install the son of Tabeal over it as king.’

Let us go up against Judah, troubling her, and forcing our way into her, and let us put up a king in her, even the son of Tabeel:

7 But this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘It will not arise; it will not happen.

This is the word of the Lord God: This design will not come about or be effected.

8 For the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered as a people.

For the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin (and in sixty-five years from now Ephraim will be broken, and will no longer 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.’”

And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If you will not have faith, your kingdom will be broken.

10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying,

And Isaiah said again to Ahaz,

11 “Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.” (Sheol h7585)

Make a request to the Lord your God for a sign, a sign in the deep places of the underworld, or in the high heavens. (Sheol h7585)

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

But Ahaz said, I will not put the Lord to the test by making such a request.

13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God as well?

And he said, Give ear now, O family of David: is it not enough that you are driving men to disgust? will you do the same to my God?

14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.

For this cause the Lord himself will give you a sign; a young woman is now with child, and she will give birth to a son, and she will give him the name Immanuel.

15 By the time He knows enough to reject evil and choose good, He will be eating curds and honey.

Butter and honey will be his food, when he is old enough to make a decision between evil and good.

16 For before the boy knows enough to reject evil and choose good, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.

For before the child is old enough to make a decision between evil and good, the land whose two kings you are now fearing will have become waste.

17 The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since the day Ephraim separated from Judah—He will bring the king of Assyria.”

The Lord is about to send on you, and on your people, and on your father's house, such a time of trouble as there has not been from the days of the separating of Ephraim from Judah; even the coming of the king of Assyria.

18 On that day the LORD will whistle to the flies at the farthest streams of the Nile and to the bees in the land of Assyria.

And it will be in that day that the Lord will make a piping sound for the fly which is in the end of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee which is in the land of Assyria.

19 And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines and clefts of the rocks, in all the thornbushes and watering holes.

And they will come, covering all the waste valleys, and the holes of the rocks, and the thorns, and all the watering-places.

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

In that day will the Lord take away the hair of the head and of the feet, as well as the hair of the face, with a blade got for a price from the other side of the River; even with the king of Assyria.

21 On that day a man will raise a young cow and two sheep,

And it will be in that day that a man will give food to a young cow and two sheep;

22 and from the abundance of milk they give, he will eat curds; for all who remain in the land will eat curds and honey.

And they will give so much milk that he will be able to have butter for his food: for butter and honey will be the food of all who are still living in the land.

23 And on that day, in every place that had a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, only briers and thorns will be found.

And it will be in that day that in every place where before there were a thousand vines valued at a thousand shekels of silver, there will be nothing but blackberries and thorns.

24 Men will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns.

Men will come there with bows and arrows, because all the land will be full of blackberries and thorns.

25 For fear of the briers and thorns, you will no longer traverse the hills once tilled by the hoe; they will become places for oxen to graze and sheep to trample.

And they will send out the oxen and the sheep on all the hills which before were worked with the spade, ... fear of blackberries and thorns.