Isaiah 7

1 It was during the reign of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin, king of Aram, marched to attack Jerusalem. Pekah, son of Remaliah, king of Israel, joined in the attack, but they couldn't conquer the city.

In the time of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up against Jerusalem to besiege it; but he could not prevail against it.

2 When the royal family of Judah was told, “Aram and Ephraim have an alliance,” Ahaz and his people were terrified and they shook like trees in the forest tossed about by the wind.

And when it was told the house of David, that the Syrians had encamped in Ephraim, his heart was moved, and the hearts of his people, as the trees of the forest are moved with the wind.

3 Then the Lord told Isaiah, “Take your son Shear-jashub with you and go and meet Ahaz. He'll be at the end of the aqueduct of the upper pool, by the road to the laundry field.

Then said Jehovah to Isaiah, Go forth to meet Ahaz, thou and Shear-Jashub thy son, at the end of the aqueduct of the upper pool, in the way to the fuller's field;

4 Tell him, ‘Calm down and keep quiet. Don't be afraid or scared over a couple of smoldering bits of firewood, over the burning anger of Rezin and Aram, and of Remaliah's son.

and say to him: Take heed, and be quiet! Fear not, neither let thy heart he faint On account of the two tails of these smoking firebrands, On account of the fierce wrath of Rezin with the Syrians, and of the son of Remaliah,

5 Aram has plotted to destroy you together with Ephraim and Remaliah's son saying,

Because Syria deviseth evil against thee, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, saying,

6 Let's go and attack Judah! We'll terrorize it and conquer it for ourselves, and make Tabeel's son its king.”

“Let us go up against Judah, and besiege the city, And take it, And set a king in the midst of it, Even the son of Tabeal.”

7 But this is what the Lord God says, “This plan won't materialize—it just won't happen!

Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: “It shall not stand, neither shall it be;

8 For the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. In addition, within sixty-five years Israel as a nation will be destroyed.

But the head of Syria shall still be Damascus, And the head of Damascus, Rezin; [[And within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that he be no more a people.]]

9 The head of Israel is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If you don't trust in me, then you won't survive.”

And the head of Ephraim shall still be Samaria, And the head of Samaria, the son of Remaliah. If ye will not believe, neither shall ye thrive.”

10 Later the Lord sent another message to Ahaz,

Jehovah spake also again to Ahaz:

11 “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether as deep as where people are buried or as high as heaven.” (Sheol h7585)

“Ask thee a sign of Jehovah, thy God; Ask it from below, or in the height above!” (Sheol h7585)

12 “No, I'm not going to ask,” Ahaz replied. “I refuse to put the Lord to the test.”

And Ahaz said, I will not ask; I will not tempt Jehovah!

13 Then Isaiah said, “Listen, royal family of Judah! Isn't it enough for you to wear people out? Do you have to wear my God out too?

Then he said, Hear ye now, O house of David! Is it too small a thing for you to weary men, That ye should weary my God also?

14 This is why the Lord himself is going to give you a sign. Look! The virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and she will call him Immanuel.

Therefore shall Jehovah himself give you a sign: Behold, the damsel shall conceive, and bear a son, And she shall call his name Immanuel.

15 He will eat curds and honey until the time he knows to refuse evil and choose the good.

Milk and honey shall he eat, Until he learn to refuse the evil, and choose the good;

16 For before the boy knows to refuse evil and choose the good, the land of the two kings you're afraid of will be deserted.

For before this child shall have learned to refuse the evil and choose the good, The land shall become desolate, On account of whose two kings thou art in terror.

17 The Lord will make you, your people, and the royal family experience a time unlike anything since the day Ephraim split from Judah. He will bring the king of Assyria to attack you!”

Yet Jehovah shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father's house, Days such as have not been Since Ephraim revolted from Judah. [[Even the king of Assyria.]]

18 At that time the Lord will whistle to call flies from the distant rivers of Egypt and bees from the country of Assyria.

And it shall come to pass in that day That Jehovah shall whistle for the fly that is at the end of the streams of Egypt, And the bee that is in the land of Assyria,

19 They will all come and descend on the steep valleys and rock crevices, on all the thorn bushes and waterholes.

And they shall come, and light all of them In the desolate valleys, and fissures of the rocks, And upon all hedges, and upon all pastures.

20 At that time the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River, the king of Assyria, to shave you from head to toe, including your beards.

In that day shall Jehovah shave, with a razor hired beyond the river, [[with the king of Assyria, ]] The head, and the hair of the feet; Yea, even the beard shall he take away.

21 At that time a someone who manages to keep a young cow and two sheep alive

And it shall come to pass in that day, That a man shall keep a young cow, and two sheep;

22 will eat curds, because they produce so much milk—for everyone who survives in the land will eat curds and honey.

And for the abundance of milk which they produce, shall he eat cheese; For milk and honey shall all eat Who are left in the land,

23 At that time everywhere that once had a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels will only have brambles and thorns.

And it shall come to pass in that day, That every place where stood a thousand vines, worth a thousand shekels of silver, Shall be covered with briers and thorns.

24 People will go hunting there with bows and arrows because the land will be covered with brambles and thorns.

With arrows and with bows shall men go thither; For all the land shall become briers and thorns.

25 In fact, all the hills that were once tilled by the hoe you won't want to go to because you'll worry about the brambles and thorns there. They'll just be where cattle are let loose and where sheep roam.

All the hills that were digged with the mattock Shall no one approach through fear of briers and thorns; They shall be for the pasturage of oxen, And the trampling of sheep.