Isaiah 7

1 It was during the reign of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin, king of Aram, marched to attack Jerusalem. Pekah, son of Remaliah, king of Israel, joined in the attack, but they couldn't conquer 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 the royal family of Judah was told, “Aram and Ephraim have an alliance,” Ahaz and his people were terrified and they shook like trees in the forest tossed about 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 told Isaiah, “Take your son Shear-jashub with you and go and meet Ahaz. He'll be at the end of the aqueduct of the upper pool, by the road to the laundry 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 Tell him, ‘Calm down and keep quiet. Don't be afraid or scared over a couple of smoldering bits of firewood, over the burning anger of Rezin and Aram, and of Remaliah's son.

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 Aram has plotted to destroy you together with Ephraim and Remaliah's son saying,

Because Aram has made evil designs against you, saying,

6 Let's go and attack Judah! We'll terrorize it and conquer it for ourselves, and make Tabeel's son its 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, “This plan won't materialize—it just won't 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. In addition, within sixty-five years Israel as a nation will be destroyed.

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 Israel is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If you don't trust in me, then you won't survive.”

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 Later the Lord sent another message to Ahaz,

And Isaiah said again to Ahaz,

11 “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether as deep as where people are buried or as high as 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 “No, I'm not going to ask,” Ahaz replied. “I refuse to put the Lord to the test.”

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

13 Then Isaiah said, “Listen, royal family of Judah! Isn't it enough for you to wear people out? Do you have to wear my God out too?

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 This is why the Lord himself is going to give you a sign. Look! The virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and she 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 He will eat curds and honey until the time he knows to refuse evil and choose the good.

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 to refuse evil and choose the good, the land of the two kings you're afraid of will be deserted.

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 make you, your people, and the royal family experience a time unlike anything since the day Ephraim split from Judah. He will bring the king of Assyria to attack you!”

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 At that time the Lord will whistle to call flies from the distant rivers of Egypt and bees from the country 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 They will all come and descend on the steep valleys and rock crevices, on all the thorn bushes and waterholes.

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

20 At that time the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River, the king of Assyria, to shave you from head to toe, including your beards.

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 At that time a someone who manages to keep a young cow and two sheep alive

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

22 will eat curds, because they produce so much milk—for everyone who survives 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 At that time everywhere that once had a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels will only have brambles and thorns.

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 People will go hunting there with bows and arrows because the land will be covered with brambles and thorns.

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

25 In fact, all the hills that were once tilled by the hoe you won't want to go to because you'll worry about the brambles and thorns there. They'll just be where cattle are let loose and where sheep roam.

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.