Isaiah 7

Isaiah Sent to King Ahaz

1 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against it, but could not prevail against it.2 And it was told to the house of David, saying, Syrias forces are deployed in Ephraim. So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fullers Field,4 and say to him: Take heed, and be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah.5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying,6 Let us go up against Judah and trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel7 thus says the Lord God: It shall not stand, Nor shall it come to pass.8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, And the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken, So that it will not be a people.9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, And the head of Samaria is Remaliahs son. If you will not believe, Surely you shall not be established.

The Immanuel Prophecy

10 Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying,11 Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!13 Then he said, Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also?14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.15 Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.16 For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings.17 The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your fathers housedays that have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah.18 And it shall come to pass in that day That the Lord will whistle for the fly That is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt, And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.19 They will come, and all of them will rest In the desolate valleys and in the clefts of the rocks, And on all thorns and in all pastures.20 In the same day the Lord will shave with a hired razor, With those from beyond the River, with the king of Assyria, The head and the hair of the legs, And will also remove the beard.21 It shall be in that day That a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep;22 So it shall be, from the abundance of milk they give, That he will eat curds; For curds and honey everyone will eat who is left in the land.23 It shall happen in that day, That wherever there could be a thousand vines Worth a thousand shekels of silver, It will be for briers and thorns.24 With arrows and bows men will come there, Because all the land will become briers and thorns.25 And to any hill which could be dug with the hoe, You will not go there for fear of briers and thorns; But it will become a range for oxen And a place for sheep to roam.

ISAIAH 7

Isaiah Offers Hope //to King Ahaz

1  t Ahaz, the son of Jotham and the grandson of Uzziah, was king of Judah when King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel went to attack Jerusalem. But they were not able to do what they had planned.t

2 When news reached the royal palace that Syria had joined forces with Israel, King Ahaz and everyone in Judah were so terrified that they shook like trees in a windstorm.

3 Then the [Lord] said to me:
Take your son Shearjashubt and go see King Ahaz. You will find him on the road near the cloth makers' shops at the end of the canal that brings water from the upper pool. 4 Tell Ahaz to stop worrying. There's no need for him to be afraid of King Rezin and King Pekah. They are very angry, but they are nothing more than a dying fire. Ahaz doesn't need to fear 5 their evil threats

6 to invade and defeat Judah and Jerusalem and to let the son of Tabeel be king in his place.
7 I, the [Lord], promise that this will never happen.

8-9 Damascus is just the capital of Syria, and King Rezin rules only in Damascus. Samaria is just the capital of Israel, and King Pekah rules only in Samaria. But in less than 65 years, Israel will be destroyed. And if Ahaz and his officials don't trust me, they will be defeated.

A Son Named Immanuel

11 “Ask me for proof that my promise will come true. Ask for something to happen deep in the world of the dead or high in the heavens above.”

12 “No, [Lord],” Ahaz answered. “I won't test you!”

13 Then I said:
Listen, every one of you in the royal family of David. You have already tried my patience. Now you are trying God's patience by refusing to ask for proof. 14 t But the [Lord] will still give you proof. A virgint is pregnant; she will have a son and will name him Immanuel.t 15-16 Even before the boy is old enough to know how to choose between right and wrong, he will eat yogurt and honey, t and the countries of the two kings you fear will be destroyed.

17 But the [Lord] will make more trouble for your people and your kingdom than any of you have known since Israel broke away from Judah. He will even bring the king of Assyria to attack you.

The Threat of an Invasion

19 They will settle everywhere—in the deep valleys and between the rocks, on every thornbush and all over the pastureland.

20 The Lord will pay the king of Assyria to bring a razor from across the Euphrates River and shave your head and every hair on your body, including your beard.t
21 Anyone who is able to save only one young cow and two sheep,

22 will have enough milk to make yogurt. In fact, everyone left in the land will eat yogurt and honey.t
23 Vineyards that had 1,000 vines and were worth 1,000 pieces of silver will turn into thorn patches. 24 You will go there to hunt with your bow and arrows, because the whole country will be covered with thornbushes. 25 The hills where you once planted crops will be overgrown with thorns and thistles. You will be afraid to go there, and your cattle, sheep, and goats will be turned loose on those hills.