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 7have taken a stand by 8Ephraim,” his heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake from the wind.

3Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and your son 9Shear-jashub, at the end of the 10conduit of the upper pool, on the road to the 11fuller’s field, 4and say to him, ‘Take care and be 12calm, have no 13fear and 14do not be fainthearted because of these two stumps of smoldering 15logs, on account of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and the 16son of Remaliah. 5Because 17Aram, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has planned evil against you, saying, 6“Let’s go up against Judah and 18terrorize it, and take it for ourselves by assault and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” 7this is what the Lord 19God says: “20It shall not stand nor shall it come to pass. 8For the head of Aram is 21Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin (now within another sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken to pieces, 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. 22If you will not believe, you certainly shall not 23last.”’”

The Child Immanuel

10Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11“Ask for a 24sign for yourself from the Lord your God; 25make it deep as Sheol or high as 26heaven.” 12But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I put the Lord to the test!” 13Then he said, “Listen now, 27house of David! Is it too trivial a thing for you to 28try the patience of men, that you will 2930try the patience of 31my God as well? 14Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, 32the 33virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him 3435Immanuel. 15He will eat 3637curds and honey 38at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. 1639For before the boy knows enough to refuse evil and choose good, 40the land whose two kings you dread will be abandoned.

Trials to Come for Judah

17The Lord will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that 41Ephraim separated from Judah--the days of the 42king of Assyria.”

18On that day the Lord will 43whistle for the fly that is in the 4445remotest part of the canals 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 watering places.

20On that day the Lord will 49shave with a 50razor, 51hired from regions beyond 52the Euphrates River (that is, with the king of Assyria), the head and the hair of the legs; and it will also remove the beard.

21Now on that day a person may keep alive only a 53heifer and a pair of sheep; 22and because of the abundance of the milk produced he will eat 54curds, for everyone who is left within the land will eat 5556curds and honey.

23And it will come about on 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 plow, 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.