7:1 When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.
7:2 Now the house of David was told, “Aram has allied itself with Ephraim”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.
7:3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman’s Field.
7:4 Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood–because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah.
7:5 Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s son have plotted your ruin, saying,
7:6 “Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.”
7:7 Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘It will not take place, it will not happen,
7:8 for the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is only Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people.
7:9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’”
7:10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz,
7:11 “Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”
7:12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test.”
7:13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also?
7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
7:15 He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right.
7:16 But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.
7:17 The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah–he will bring the king of Assyria.”
7:18 In that day the LORD will whistle for flies from the distant streams of Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria.
7:19 They will all come and settle in the steep ravines and in the crevices in the rocks, on all the thornbushes and at all the water holes.
7:20 In that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the River–the king of Assyria–to shave your head and the hair of your legs, and to take off your beards also.
7:21 In that day, a man will keep alive a young cow and two goats.
7:22 And because of the abundance of the milk they give, he will have curds to eat. All who remain in the land will eat curds and honey.
7:23 In that day, in every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels, there will be only briers and thorns.
7:24 Men will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns.
7:25 As for all the hills once cultivated by the hoe, you will no longer go there for fear of the briers and thorns; they will become places where cattle are turned loose and where sheep run.
7:1 In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, the king of Judah, Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but they were not able to prevail against it.
7:2 And it was reported to the house of David that Aram allied with Ephraim, and his heart and the heart of his people quivered as the trees of the forest quiver in the face of a wind.
7:3 Then Jehovah said to Isaiah, Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the road to the Fuller’s Field;
7:4 And say to him, Be careful and be quiet; do not fear, and do not be fainthearted because of these two smoking firebrand stubs, at the burning anger of Rezin and Aram, and the son of Remaliah.
7:5 Because Aram and Ephraim and the son of Remaliah have planned evil against you, saying,
7:6 Let us go up against Judah and make it sick with terror and break it open for ourselves, and let us set the son of Tabel in its midst as king;
7:7 Thus says the Lord Jehovah, / It shall not stand, and it shall not happen;
7:8 For the head of Aram is Damascus, / And the head of Damascus is Rezin; / And in another sixty-five years / Ephraim will be shattered as a people.
7:9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, / And the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah; / If you do not believe, surely you will not remain standing.
7:10 Then Jehovah spoke further to Ahaz, saying,
7:11 Ask for a sign from Jehovah your God; make it as deep as Sheol, or make it as high as high can go.
7:12 And Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not try Jehovah.
7:13 And he said, Hear now, O house of David, is it too small a thing for you to exhaust the patience of men that you will exhaust the patience of my God as well?
7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and will bear a son, and she will call his name Immanuel.
7:15 He will eat curds and honey until he knows how to refuse evil and choose good.
7:16 For before this boy knows how to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be abandoned.
7:17 Jehovah will bring upon you and your people and the house of your father such days as have not been since the days when Ephraim turned away from Judah; He will bring upon you the king of Assyria.
7:18 And in that day Jehovah will whistle for the flies which are at the ends of the rivers of Egypt and for the bees which are in the land of Assyria.
7:19 And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines and the clefts of the cliffs and on all the thornbushes and on all watering places.
7:20 In that day the Lord will shave with the razor hired from beyond the River, with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the legs; and it will take away the beard as well.
7:21 And in that day each man will keep alive only a milk cow and two females of the flock.
7:22 And because of the abundance of milk produced, he will eat curds; for everyone left behind in the midst of the land will eat curds and honey.
7:23 And in that day every place where there could be a thousand vines, worth a thousand shekels of silver, will become thorns and thistles.
7:24 Men will come there with arrows and bow, for all the land will be thorns and thistles.
7:25 And to all the hills that once were hoed with the hoe you will not go for fear of thorns and thistles; but they will become a place for cattle to roam in and for sheep to trample.