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Isaiah 7

New International Reader’s Version



1 Ahaz was king of Judah. Rezin was king of Aram. And Pekah was king of Israel. Rezin and Pekah marched up to fight against Jerusalem. But they couldn’t overpower it. Ahaz was the son of Jotham and the grandson of Uzziah. Pekah was the son of Remaliah. 2 The royal family of Ahaz was told, ‘The army of Aram has joined forces with Ephraim’s army.’ So the hearts of Ahaz and his people trembled with fear. They shook just as trees in the forest shake when the wind blows through them. 3 The LORD said to Isaiah, ‘Go out and see Ahaz. Take your son Shear-Jashub with you. Meet Ahaz at the end of the channel that brings water from the Upper Pool. It is on the road to the Washerman’s Field. 4 Tell Ahaz, “Be careful. Stay calm. Do not be afraid. Do not lose hope because of the great anger of Rezin, Aram and the son of Remaliah. After all, they are nothing but two pieces of smoking firewood. 5 Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s son have planned to destroy you. They said, 6 ‘Let’s march into Judah and attack it. Let’s tear everything down. Then we can share the land among ourselves. And we can make Tabeel’s son king over it.’ 7 But I am the LORD and King. I say, ‘ “ ‘That will not happen. It will not take place. 8 The capital of Aram is Damascus. And the ruler of Damascus is only Rezin. Do not worry about the people of Ephraim. They will be too crushed to be considered a people. That will happen before 65 years are over. 9 The capital of Ephraim is Samaria. And the ruler of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’ ” ’ 10 The LORD spoke to Ahaz through Isaiah again. He said, 11 ‘I am the LORD your God. Ask me to give you a sign. It can be anything in the deepest grave or in the highest heaven.’ 12 But Ahaz said, ‘I won’t ask. I won’t test the LORD.’ 13 Then Isaiah said, ‘Listen, you members of the royal family of David! Isn’t it enough for you to test the patience of human beings? Are you also going to test the patience of my God? 14 The Lord himself will give you a sign. The virgin is going to have a baby. She will give birth to a son. And he will be called Immanuel. 15 He will still be very young when he can decide between right and wrong. 16 Even before then, the lands of the two kings you fear will be ruined. 17 The LORD will also bring the king of Assyria against you. And he will bring him against your people and the whole royal family. That will be a time of trouble. It will be unlike any since the people of Ephraim broke away from Judah.’ 



18 At that time the LORD will whistle for the Egyptians. They will come like flies from the River Nile in Egypt. He will also whistle for the Assyrians. They will come from their country like bees. 19 All of them will come and camp in the deep valleys. They will camp in caves in the rocks. And they’ll camp near bushes and water holes. 20 At that time the Lord will use the Assyrians to punish you. Ahaz had hired them earlier from east of the River Euphrates. Now their king will be like a razor in the Lord’s hand. He will shave the hair from your head and private parts. He will also shave off your beards. 21 At that time a person may only be able to keep alive one young cow and two goats. 22 But they will give plenty of milk to live on. In fact, everyone left in the land will only have milk curds and honey to eat. 23 The land used to have vineyards with 1,000 vines worth 12 kilograms of silver. But soon the whole land will be covered with thorns and bushes. 24 Hunters will go there with bows and arrows. That’s because it will be covered with bushes and thorns. 25 All the hills used to be ploughed with hoes. But you won’t go there anymore. That’s because you will be afraid of the thorns and bushes. Cattle will be turned loose on those hills. Sheep will also run there. 

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Isaiah 7

English Standard Version



1 In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. (2Ki 15:37; 2Ki 16:5; Isa 1:1) 2 When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with[1] Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz[2] and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind. (Isa 8:12; Isa 9:9) 3 And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub[3] your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer’s Field. (2Ki 18:17; Isa 8:3; Isa 8:18; Isa 36:2) 4 And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah. (Ex 14:13; Isa 7:1; Isa 8:12; Am 4:11; Zec 3:2) 5 Because Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, (Isa 7:4) 6 “Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it[4] for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” 7 thus says the Lord God: “It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass. (Isa 8:10) 8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered from being a people. (Ge 14:15) 9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you[5] are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.’” (2Ch 20:20; Isa 7:1) 



10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask a sign of the Lord your[6] God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” (2Ki 19:29) 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” 13 And he[7] said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? (Isa 43:24) 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.[8] (Ge 24:43; Ex 2:8; Ps 68:25; Pr 30:19; Isa 8:8; Isa 8:10; Isa 9:6; Isa 37:30; Isa 38:7; Mt 1:23; Lu 1:31; Lu 1:34) 15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. (Isa 7:22) 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. (Isa 6:12; Isa 8:4) 17 The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!” (1Ki 12:16; 2Ch 28:20; Isa 8:7) 18 In that day the Lord will whistle for the fly that is at the end of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. (Isa 5:26) 19 And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines, and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thornbushes, and on all the pastures.[9] (Isa 2:19; Jer 13:4; Jer 16:16) 20 In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired beyond the River[10]—with the king of Assyria—the head and the hair of the feet, and it will sweep away the beard also. (2Ki 18:13; Isa 8:7; Isa 10:5; Isa 10:15; Isa 11:15; Isa 24:1; Eze 5:1) 21 In that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep, (Isa 5:17) 22 and because of the abundance of milk that they give, he will eat curds, for everyone who is left in the land will eat curds and honey. (Isa 7:15) 23 In that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand shekels[11] of silver, will become briers and thorns. (Isa 5:6) 24 With bow and arrows a man will come there, for all the land will be briers and thorns. (Jud 5:11) 25 And as for all the hills that used to be hoed with a hoe, you will not come there for fear of briers and thorns, but they will become a place where cattle are let loose and where sheep tread. (Isa 7:23; Isa 32:13) 

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The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.