The Book of the Prophet Isaiah

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- Chapter 7 -

Ahaz was the son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah. During the time that Ahaz was the king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah of Israel marched with their armies to attack Jerusalem. But they could not conquer it.

Before they attacked, everyone in the palace in Jerusalem heard news that Aram and Israel were now allies. So King Ahaz and the people over whom he ruled were extremely afraid; they were shaking like trees shake in a windstorm.

Then Yahweh said to me, “Take your son Shear-Jashub, and go to talk with King Ahaz. He is at the end of the aqueduct that brings water into the upper reservoir, near the road to the place where women wash clothes.

Tell Ahaz to stop worrying. Tell him that he does not need to be afraid of those two kings, Rezin and Pekah. They are very angry with Judah, but they are unable to harm his country any more than completely burned-out coals could harm him.

Yes, they are planning against him and saying,

‘We will attack Judah and conquer it. Then we will appoint Tabeel’s son to be the king of Judah.’

But this is what Yahweh, the Lord, says: ’It will not happen; They will not conquer Jerusalem!

The capital of Aram is Damascus, but Damascus is ruled only by its unimportant King Rezin. And as for Israel, within sixty-five years it will be conquered and completely destroyed.

Israel’s capital is Samaria, and Samaria is ruled only by its insignificant King Pekah. So you do not need to be afraid of those two countries! But you must trust me, because if you do not trust me firmly, you will be defeated.’”

The Sign of Immanuel

(Matthew 1:18–25)

Later, Yahweh gave me another message to tell to King Ahaz.

He said to tell him, “Request me, Yahweh your God, to do something that will enable you to be sure that I will help you. What you request can be in a place that is as high as the sky or as low as the place where the dead people are.”

But when I told that to the king, he refused. He said, “No, I will not ask Yahweh to do something to prove that he will help us.”

Then I said to him, “You people who are descendants of King David, listen! You are causing me to be tired of being patient. Are you also going to cause my God to stop being patient with you?

Yahweh himself will do something for you to prove that he will help you. Listen to this: A young woman will become pregnant and give birth to a son. She will name him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’

By the time that child is old enough to eat curds and honey, he will be able to reject what is evil and choose what is good.

And before that child is old enough to do that, the lands of the two kings that you are very afraid of will be deserted.

Judgment to Come

(Micah 1:1–7)

But then Yahweh will cause you and your family and your entire nation to experience terrible disasters. Those disasters will be worse than any disasters that have occurred since the country of Israel separated from Judah. Yahweh will cause the army of the king of Assyria to attack you!”

At that time, it will be as though Yahweh will whistle to summon the army from the south of Egypt as well as the army of Assyria. They will come and surround your country like flies and bees.

They will all come and settle everywhere, in the narrow valleys and caves in the rock cliffs, on land where there are thornbushes as well as on the fertile land.

At that time Yahweh will hire the king of Assyria to come with his army from east of the Euphrates River. They will get rid of everything in your land, the crops and the people. They will destroy everything thoroughly; it will be like a barber shaving not only a man’s hair but his beard and the hair on his legs.

When that happens, a farmer will be able to keep alive only one young cow and two goats.

However, those animals will give plenty of milk, with the result that the farmer will have curds to eat. And because there will not be many people left in the land, all the people who remain there will have plenty of milk and honey.

Now there are many areas where there are vineyards that are worth one thousand pieces of silver, but at that time there will be only briers and thorns in those fields.

There will be only briers and thorns in the entire land, and wild animals, with the result that men will take their bows and arrows and go there to hunt and kill animals.

No one will go to where there previously were gardens on fertile hillsides, because briers and thorns will cover those hillsides. They will be areas where only a few cattle and sheep and goats wander around searching for something to eat.

In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.

David’s house was told, “Syria is allied with Ephraim.” His heart trembled, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest tremble with the wind.

Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you, and Shearjashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway of the fuller’s field.

Tell him, ‘Be careful, and keep calm. Don’t be afraid, neither let your heart be faint because of these two tails of smoking torches, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.

Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have plotted evil against you, saying,

“Let’s go up against Judah, and tear it apart, and let’s divide it among ourselves, and set up a king within it, even the son of Tabeel.”

This is what the Lord GOD says: “It shall not stand, neither shall it happen.”

For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim shall be broken in pieces, so that it shall not be a people.

The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.’”

The Sign of Immanuel

(Matthew 1:18–25)

The LORD spoke again to Ahaz, saying,

“Ask a sign of the LORD your God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.”

But Ahaz said, “I won’t ask. I won’t tempt the LORD.”

He said, “Listen now, house of David. Is it not enough for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God also?

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.(a)

He shall eat butter and honey when he knows to refuse the evil and choose the good.

For before the child knows to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you abhor shall be forsaken.

Judgment to Come

(Micah 1:1–7)

The LORD will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah, even the king of Assyria.

It will happen in that day that the LORD will whistle 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.

They shall come, and shall all rest in the desolate valleys, in the clefts of the rocks, on all thorn hedges, and on all pastures.

In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired in the parts beyond the River, even with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the feet; and it shall also consume the beard.

It shall happen in that day that a man shall keep alive a young cow, and two sheep.

It shall happen, that because of the abundance of milk which they shall give he shall eat butter, for everyone will eat butter and honey that is left within the land.

It will happen in that day that every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels,(b) will be for briers and thorns.

People will go there with arrows and with bow, because all the land will be briers and thorns.

All the hills that were cultivated with the hoe, you shall not come there for fear of briers and thorns; but it shall be for the sending out of oxen, and for sheep to tread on.”

Footnotes

(a)7:14 “Immanuel” means “God with us”.

(b)7:23 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces, so 1000 shekels is about 10 kilograms or 22 pounds.