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.

And it came to pass in the days of Achaz the son of Jotham, the son of 'Uzziyahu, the king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekach the son of Remalyahu, the king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it; but were not able to make an attack upon 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 it was told unto the house of David, saying, Syria is encamped with Ephraim; and his heart trembled, with the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest are shaken before 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,

And the Lord said unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Achaz, thou with Shear-yashub thy son, to the end of the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the highway of the washer'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 thou shalt say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, and let thy heart not become faint because of these two stumps of smoking firebrands, before the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remalyahu.

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

Forasmuch as Syria, [with] Ephraim and the son of Remalyahu, have taken evil counsel against thee, 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, and besiege it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set up as king in the midst of it the son of Tabeal:

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

Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, It shall not succeed, and it shall not come to pass.

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 Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin: and within sixty and five years shall Ephraim be broken, to be no more 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 Remalyahu's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not have permanence.

10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying,

And the Lord continued to speak unto Achaz, saying,

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

Ask thee a sign from the Lord thy God; ask it in the depth, or high up above. (Sheol h7585)

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

But Achaz said, I will not ask, and I will not tempt the Lord.

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, Hear ye now, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that ye will weary also 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.

Therefore will the Lord himself give you a sign: behold, this young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and she shall call his name 'Immanu-el, [God with us].

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

Cream and honey shall he eat, so soon as he knoweth to refuse the evil, and to choose the 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 yet the child shall know to refuse the evil, and to choose the good, shall be forsaken the land, of the kings of which thou feelest dread.

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 will bring over thee, and over thy people, and over thy father's house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim withdrew from Judah, —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 shall come to pass on that day, that the Lord will call for the fly that is in the uttermost end of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee that 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 shall come, and shall encamp, all of them, in the desolate valleys, and in the clefts of the rocks, and upon all thorn-hedges, and upon all bushes.

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.

On the same day will the Lord shave with the razor that is hired, from among those on the other side of the river, with the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet: and also the beard shall it entirely remove.

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

And it shall come to pass on that day, that a man shall nourish [but] one 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 it shall happen, that for the abundance of milk which they shall give he shall eat cream; for cream and honey shall eat every one that is left in the midst of 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 shall come to pass on that day, that every place, where there are [now] a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels, shall be, —yea, this shall be [given up] to briers and thorns.

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

With arrows and with bows shall men enter thither; because all the land shall become [covered with] briers 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 all mountains that are worked with the mattock, there shall not come thither the fear of briers and thorns: and they shall serve for the pasture of oxen, and for the treading of sheep.