Isaiah 7

Chapter 7

A Message for Ahaz

1 When Ahaz, son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Syriat and Pekah son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, set out to attack Jerusalem. However, they were unable to carry out their plan.

2 The news had come to the royal court of Judah: “Syria is allied with Israelt against us!” So the hearts of the king and his people trembled with fear, like trees shaking in a storm.
3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Take your son Shear-jashubt and go out to meet King Ahaz. You will find him at the end of the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool, near the road leading to the field where cloth is washed.t4 Tell him to stop worrying. Tell him he doesn’t need to fear the fierce anger of those two burned-out embers, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah.5 Yes, the kings of Syria and Israel are plotting against him, saying,6 ‘We will attack Judah and capture it for ourselves. Then we will install the son of Tabeel as Judah’s king.’

7 But this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
“This invasion will never happen;
it will never take place;8 for Syria is no stronger than its capital, Damascus,
and Damascus is no stronger than its king, Rezin.
As for Israel, within sixty-five years
it will be crushed and completely destroyed.9 Israel is no stronger than its capital, Samaria,
and Samaria is no stronger than its king, Pekah son of Remaliah.
Unless your faith is firm,
I cannot make you stand firm.”

The Sign of Immanuel

10 Later, the LORD sent this message to King Ahaz:

11 “Ask the LORD your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.t”

12 But the king refused. “No,” he said, “I will not test the LORD like that.”
13 Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well?14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgint will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).15 By the time this child is old enough to choose what is right and reject what is wrong, he will be eating yogurtt and honey.

16 For before the child is that old, the lands of the two kings you fear so much will both be deserted.

17 “Then the LORD will bring things on you, your nation, and your family unlike anything since Israel broke away from Judah. He will bring the king of Assyria upon you!”
18 In that day the LORD will whistle for the army of southern Egypt and for the army of Assyria. They will swarm around you like flies and bees.19 They will come in vast hordes and settle in the fertile areas and also in the desolate valleys, caves, and thorny places.

20 In that day the Lord will hire a “razor” from beyond the Euphrates Rivert—the king of Assyria—and use it to shave off everything: your land, your crops, and your people.t
21 In that day a farmer will be fortunate to have a cow and two sheep or goats left.22 Nevertheless, there will be enough milk for everyone because so few people will be left in the land. They will eat their fill of yogurt and honey.23 In that day the lush vineyards, now worth 1,000 pieces of silver,t will become patches of briers and thorns.24 The entire land will become a vast expanse of briers and thorns, a hunting ground overrun by wildlife.

25 No one will go to the fertile hillsides where the gardens once grew, for briers and thorns will cover them. Cattle, sheep, and goats will graze there.

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.