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. And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, [that] Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against 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. And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with 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. Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of 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 unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.

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

5. Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, 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 vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, [even] the son of Tabeal:

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

7. Thus saith the Lord GOD, It shall not stand, neither shall it 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; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not 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 Ephraim [is] Samaria, and the head of Samaria [is] Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.

10. Yahweh spoke to Ahaz again and said:

10. Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying,

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

11. Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.

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

12. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD.

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 ye now, O house of David; [Is it] a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye 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 shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

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

15. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know 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 shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

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 shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father's house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; [even] 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. And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the LORD shall hiss for the fly that [is] in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that [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 shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes.

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 the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, [namely], by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet: and it shall also consume the beard.

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

21. And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] a man shall nourish 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 it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk [that] they shall give he shall eat butter: for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the land.

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. And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] every place shall be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, it shall [even] be for 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 arrows and with bows shall [men] come thither; because all the land shall become 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 [on] all hills that shall be digged with the mattock, there shall not come thither the fear of briers and thorns: but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and for the treading of lesser cattle.