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.

And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz son of Jotham son of Uzziah king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria, and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, came up, to Jerusalem, to war against it, but could not prevail against 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 it was told the house of David, saying, Syria hath settled down upon Ephraim. Then shook his heart, and the heart of his people, as the trees of a forest shake before a 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 said Yahweh, unto Isaiah, Go forth, I pray thee, to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shear-jashub thy son, —unto the end of the channel of the upper pool, unto the highway of the fuller’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 unto him—Take heed and keep thyself calm—do not fear, neither let thy heart be faint, because of these two fag-ends of smoking firebrands, —in spite of the glow of the anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah.

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

Because Syria, hath taken counsel against thee, for mischief, —[with] Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, 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, and besiege it, and break it open, for ourselves, —and set up a king in the midst thereof, even the son of Tabeal,

7 But this is what the Lord God says, “This plan won't materialize—it just won't happen!

Thus, saith My Lord, Yahweh, —It shall not stand Neither shall it come to pass!

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, though the head of Syria is Damascus, And, the head of Damascus, is Rezin, Yet within threescore and five years more, shall Ephraim be broken that it shall not 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.”

Even though the head of Ephraim is Samaria, And, the head of Samaria, is the son of Remaliah. If ye trust not, Surely, ye cannot be trusted!

10 Later the Lord sent another message to Ahaz,

And again spake Yahweh unto Ahaz saying—

11 “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether as deep as where people are buried or as high as heaven.” (Sheol h7585)

Ask thee a sign, of Yahweh thy God, —Go down deep for a request, Or ascend on high! (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 ask Nor will I put Yahweh to the proof.

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?

Then said he—Hear, I pray you, O house of David! Is it, too little, for you to weary men, that ye must weary even 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.

Wherefore let My Lord Himself give you a sign, —Lo! a Virgin, being with child and giving birth to a son, thou wilt call his name Immanuel.

15 He will eat curds and honey until the time he knows to refuse evil and choose the good.

Curds and honey, shall he eat, by the time that he knoweth to refuse the bad and choose the 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 boy knoweth to refuse the bad and choose the good, forsaken shall be the land, at which, thou, art alarmed, of the presence of both her kings.

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!”

Yahweh will bring upon thee and upon thy people, and upon the house of thy father, days which have not come, from the day when Ephraim departed from Judah, —even 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 shall come to pass in that day that Yahweh will give a signal—To the fly that is in the uttermost part of the Nile-canals of Egypt, And to the bee that 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 shall all of them come and settle down—In the desolate torrent-valleys, And in the rents of the crags, —And on all the thorn-bushes, And on all the pastures,

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 My Lord shave, with a hired razor, even with them of the lands over the River Euphrates, with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the feet, —yea, even the beard, will it sweep off.

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

And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall keep alive 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.

Yea it shall come to pass for the abundance of the yield of milk, that he shall eat curds, —for, curds and honey, shall every one eat that is left in the midst of 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 shall some to pass in that day, that, every place wherein there used to be a thousand vines at a thousand pieces of silver, —yea, even for briars and thorns, shall it be.

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

With arrows and with a bow, shall one come in thither, —for briars and thorns, shall be all the land.

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.

But all the hills which, with the hoe, can be weeded, —there shall not come thither, the fear of briars and thorns, —but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and for the tread of lesser cattle.