Isaiah, 7

1. In the reign of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah king of Judah, Razon king of Aram advanced on Jerusalem with Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, to attack it; but he was unable to attack it.

1. In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzzi'ah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remali'ah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but they could not conquer it.

2. The House of David was informed: 'Aram has halted in Ephraimite territory.' At this, his heart and his people's hearts shook like forest trees shaking in the wind.

2. When the house of David was told, "Syria is in league with E'phraim," his heart and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.

3. Yahweh then said to Isaiah, 'Go out with your son Shear-Jashub, and meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the road to the Fuller's Field,

3. And the LORD said to Isaiah, "Go forth to meet Ahaz, you and She'ar-jash'ub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Fuller's Field,

4. and say to him, "Pay attention and keep calm. Do not be frightened or demoralised by these two smouldering sticks of firewood, by the fierce anger of Razon, Aram and the son of Remaliah,

4. and say to him, `Take heed, 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 Remali'ah.

5. or because Aram, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah have been plotting against you and saying:

5. Because Syria, with E'phraim and the son of Remali'ah, has devised evil against you, saying,

6. Let us mount an attack on Judah, destroy it, force it onto our side and install the son of Tabeel there as king.

6. "Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Ta'be-el as king in the midst of it,"

7. "Lord Yahweh says this: This will not happen, it will never occur,

7. thus says the Lord GOD: It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass.

8. for the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Razon; another sixty-five years, and Ephraim will cease to be a people.

8. For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. (Within sixty-five years E'phraim will be broken to pieces so that it will no longer be a people.)

9. The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you will not take your stand on me you will not stand firm." '

9. And the head of E'phraim is Sama'ria, and the head of Sama'ria is the son of Remali'ah. If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.'"

10. Yahweh spoke to Ahaz again and said:

10. Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz,

11. Ask Yahweh your God for a sign, either in the depths of Sheol or in the heights above.

11. "Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven."

12. But Ahaz said, 'I will not ask. I will not put Yahweh to the test.'

12. But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test."

13. He then said: Listen now, House of David: are you not satisfied with trying human patience that you should try my God's patience too?

13. And he said, "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also?

14. The Lord will give you a sign in any case: It is this: the young woman is with child and will give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel.

14. Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Imman'u-el.

15. On curds and honey will he feed until he knows how to refuse the bad and choose the good.

15. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.

16. Before the child knows how to refuse the bad and choose the good, the lands whose two kings are frightening you will be deserted.

16. For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.

17. Yahweh will bring times for you, your people and your ancestral House, such as have not been seen since Ephraim broke away from Judah (the king of Assyria).

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 E'phraim departed from Judah -- the king of Assyria."

18. When that day comes, Yahweh will whistle up mosquitoes from the distant streams of Egypt and bees from the land of Assyria,

18. In that day the LORD will whistle for the fly which is at the sources of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee which is in the land of Assyria.

19. and they will all come and settle on the streams in the gullies, in the holes in the rocks, on all the thorn-bushes and on all the water-points.

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.

20. That day the Lord will shave, with a razor hired from the other side of the River (with the king of Assyria), the head and the hair of the leg, and take off the beard, too.

20. In that day the Lord will shave with a razor which is hired beyond the River -- with the king of Assyria -- the head and the hair of the feet, and it will sweep away the beard also.

21. When that day comes, each man will raise one heifer and two sheep,

21. In that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep;

22. and because of the abundant milk they give (on curds will he feed) all who are left in the country will feed on curds and honey.

22. and because of the abundance of milk which they give, he will eat curds; for every one that is left in the land will eat curds and honey.

23. When that day comes, wherever there used to be a thousand vines worth a thousand pieces of silver, all will be brambles and thorn-bushes;

23. In that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand shekels of silver, will become briers and thorns.

24. to be ventured into only with arrows and bow, for the country will be nothing but brambles and thorn-bushes.

24. With bow and arrows men will come there, for all the land will be briers and thorns;

25. No more will you venture on any hillside formerly under the hoe for fear of the brambles and thorn-bushes; it will be fit only for pasturing the cattle, a tramping-ground for sheep.

25. and as for all the hills which 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.