Isaiah 7

War against Jerusalem

1Now it came about in the days of 1Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that 2Rezin the king of Aram and 3Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but 4could not 5conquer it. 2When it was reported to the 6house of David, saying, “The Arameans 78have camped in 9Ephraim,” his heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake 10with the wind.

3Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and your son 11Shear-jashub, at the end of the 12conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the 13fuller’s field, 4and say to him, ‘Take care and be 14calm, have no 15fear and 16do not be fainthearted because of these two stubs of smoldering 17firebrands, on account of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and the 18son of Remaliah. 5Because 19Aram, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has planned evil against you, saying, 6“Let us go up against Judah and 20terrorize it, and make for ourselves a breach in 21its walls and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” 7thus says the Lord 22God: “23It shall not stand nor shall it come to pass. 8For the head of Aram is 24Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin (now within another 65 years Ephraim will be shattered, so that it is no longer a people), 9and the head of Ephraim is Samaria and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. 25If you will not believe, you surely shall not 26last.”’”

The Child Immanuel

10Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11“Ask a 27sign for yourself from the Lord your God; 28make it deep as Sheol or high as 29heaven.” 12But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!” 13Then he said, “Listen now, O 30house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will 31try the patience of 32my God as well? 14Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, 33a 34virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name 3536Immanuel. 15He will eat 37curds and honey 38at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. 1639For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, 40the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.

Trials to Come for Judah

17The Lord will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house such days as have never come since the day that 41Ephraim separated from Judah, the 42king of Assyria.”

18In that day the Lord will 43whistle for the fly that is in the 4445remotest part of the rivers of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19They will all come and settle on the steep 46ravines, on the 47ledges of the cliffs, 48on all the thorn bushes and on all the 49watering places.

20In that day the Lord will 50shave with a 51razor, 52hired from regions beyond 53the 54Euphrates (that is, with the king of Assyria), the head and the hair of the legs; and it will also remove the beard.

21Now in that day a man may keep alive a 55heifer and a pair of sheep; 22and because of the abundance of the milk produced he will eat curds, for everyone that is left within the land will eat 56curds and honey.

23And it will come about in that day, 57that every place where there used to be a thousand vines, valued at a thousand shekels of silver, will become 58briars and thorns. 24People will come there with bows and arrows because all the land will be briars and thorns. 25As for all the hills which used to be cultivated with the hoe, you will not go there for fear of briars and thorns; but they will become a place for 5960pasturing oxen and for sheep to trample.