Isaiah 7
1 Ahaz was the son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah. During the time that Ahaz was the king of Judah, King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel marched [with their armies] to attack Jerusalem. But they could not conquer it.
| ויהי בימי אחז בן יותם בן עזיהו מלך יהודה עלה רצין מלך ארם ופקח בן רמליהו מלך ישראל ירושלם למלחמה עליה ולא יכל להלחם עליה׃ |
2 [But before they attacked], everyone in the palace heard a report that the armies of Syria and Israel were [now] (allies/joined [to attack Jerusalem)]. So Ahaz and the people over whom he ruled were extremely afraid; they were shaking from fear like trees shake in a windstorm.
| ויגד לבית דוד לאמר נחה ארם על אפרים וינע לבבו ולבב עמו כנוע עצי יער מפני רוח׃ |
3 Then Yahweh said to me, “Take your son Shear-Jashub, and go to talk with [King] Ahaz. He is at the end of the (aqueduct/water channel) that brings water into the upper reservoir, near the road to the place where women wash clothes.
| ויאמר יהוה אל ישעיהו צא נא לקראת אחז אתה ושאר ישוב בנך אל קצה תעלת הברכה העליונה אל מסלת שדה כובס׃ |
4 Tell Ahaz to stop worrying [DOU]. Tell him that he does not need to be afraid of those two kings, Rezin and Pekah. They are very angry [with Judah], but they are [unable to harm his country any more than] completely burned-out coals [can harm him].
| ואמרת אליו השמר והשקט אל תירא ולבבך אל ירך משני זנבות האודים העשנים האלה בחרי אף רצין וארם ובן רמליהו׃ |
5 Yes, they are planning to attack this land and saying,
| יען כי יעץ עליך ארם רעה אפרים ובן רמליהו לאמר׃ |
6 ‘We will attack Judah and conquer it. Then we will appoint Tabeel’s son to be the king of Judah.’
| נעלה ביהודה ונקיצנה ונבקענה אלינו ונמליך מלך בתוכה את בן טבאל׃ |
7 But this is what Yahweh, the Lord, says: ‘It will not happen; they will not [conquer Jerusalem]!
| כה אמר אדני יהוה לא תקום ולא תהיה׃ |
8 The capital of Syria is Damascus, but Damascus is ruled [only] by its [unimportant/insignificant] king king Rezin. And as for Israel, within 65 years it will be conquered and completely destroyed.
| כי ראש ארם דמשק וראש דמשק רצין ובעוד ששים וחמש שנה יחת אפרים מעם׃ |
9 Israel’s capital is Samaria, and Samaria is ruled only by its [insignificant/unimportant] king king Pekah. [So you do not need to be afraid of those two countries]! [But you must trust me, because] if you do not trust me fully, you will be defeated.’”
| וראש אפרים שמרון וראש שמרון בן רמליהו אם לא תאמינו כי לא תאמנו׃ |
10 [Later], Yahweh gave [me another message to tell to] King Ahaz.
| ויוסף יהוה דבר אל אחז לאמר׃ |
11 [He said to tell him], “Request me, Yahweh your God, to do something that will enable you to be sure [that I will help/protect you]. What you request can be [from a place that is] as high as the sky or as low as the place where the dead people are.” (Sheol h7585)
| שאל לך אות מעם יהוה אלהיך העמק שאלה או הגבה למעלה׃ (Sheol h7585) |
12 But [when I told that to the king, he refused]. He said, “[No], I will not request Yahweh to do something to prove [that he will help/protect us]!”
| ויאמר אחז לא אשאל ולא אנסה את יהוה׃ |
13 Then I said [to him], “You people who are descendants of King David, listen! You are causing me to be tired of being patient. Are you also going to cause my God to stop being patient with you [RHQ]?
| ויאמר שמעו נא בית דוד המעט מכם הלאות אנשים כי תלאו גם את אלהי׃ |
14 Yahweh himself will do something for you [to prove that he will help/protect you]. Listen to this: A young woman will become pregnant and give birth to a son. She will name him Immanuel, [which means ‘God is with us’].
| לכן יתן אדני הוא לכם אות הנה העלמה הרה וילדת בן וקראת שמו עמנו אל׃ |
15 And by the time that child is old enough to eat curds/yogurt and honey, he will be able to reject what is evil and choose what is good.
| חמאה ודבש יאכל לדעתו מאוס ברע ובחור בטוב׃ |
16 And before that child is old enough to do that, the lands of the two kings that you(sg) are very (afraid of/worried about) will be deserted.
| כי בטרם ידע הנער מאס ברע ובחר בטוב תעזב האדמה אשר אתה קץ מפני שני מלכיה׃ |
17 [But then] Yahweh will cause you and your family and your entire nation to experience [terrible disasters]. Those disasters will be worse than any disasters that have occurred since the country of Israel separated from Judah. Yahweh will cause [the army of] the king of Assyria to attack you!”
| יביא יהוה עליך ועל עמך ועל בית אביך ימים אשר לא באו למיום סור אפרים מעל יהודה את מלך אשור׃ |
18 At that time, [it will be as though] Yahweh will whistle to summon the army from the south of Egypt as well as the army of Assyria. They will [come and surround your country like] [MET] flies and bees.
| והיה ביום ההוא ישרק יהוה לזבוב אשר בקצה יארי מצרים ולדבורה אשר בארץ אשור׃ |
19 They will all come and settle/live [everywhere]—in the narrow valleys and caves in the rock cliffs, on land where there are thornbushes as well as on the fertile land.
| ובאו ונחו כלם בנחלי הבתות ובנקיקי הסלעים ובכל הנעצוצים ובכל הנהללים׃ |
20 At that time Yahweh will hire the king of Assyria to come [with his army] from east of the [Euphrates] River. [They will get rid of everything in your land—the crops and the people. They will destroy everything thoroughly]; it will be like [MET] a barber shaving not only a man’s hair but his beard and the hair on his legs.
| ביום ההוא יגלח אדני בתער השכירה בעברי נהר במלך אשור את הראש ושער הרגלים וגם את הזקן תספה׃ |
21 When that happens, a farmer will be able to have only one cow and two goats/sheep.
| והיה ביום ההוא יחיה איש עגלת בקר ושתי צאן׃ |
22 [However], those animals will give plenty of milk, with the result that the farmer will have curds/yogurt to eat. And [because there will not be many people left] in the land, all the people who remain there will have plenty of milk and honey.
| והיה מרב עשות חלב יאכל חמאה כי חמאה ודבש יאכל כל הנותר בקרב הארץ׃ |
23 Now there are many areas where there are vineyards that are worth 1,000 pieces of silver, but at that time there will be only briers and thorns [DOU] in those fields.
| והיה ביום ההוא יהיה כל מקום אשר יהיה שם אלף גפן באלף כסף לשמיר ולשית יהיה׃ |
24 There will be only briers and thorns in the entire land, [and wild animals], with the result that men will take their bows and arrows and go there [to hunt and kill animals].
| בחצים ובקשת יבוא שמה כי שמיר ושית תהיה כל הארץ׃ |
25 No one will go to where there previously were gardens on fertile hillsides, because briers and thorns will cover those hillsides. They will be areas where [only a few] cattle and sheep and goats wander around [searching for something to eat].
| וכל ההרים אשר במעדר יעדרון לא תבוא שמה יראת שמיר ושית והיה למשלח שור ולמרמס שה׃ |
