Isaiah 7
7
Trouble with Aram
1Now Ahaz was the son of Jotham, who was the son of Uzziah. When Ahaz was king of Judah, Rezin and Pekah went up to Jerusalem to fight against it. Rezin was king of Aram. And Pekah son of Remaliah was king of Israel. But they were not able to defeat the city.
2A message was told to Ahaz king of Judah. It said, “The armies of Aram and Israel# Literally, “Ephraim.” Isaiah often uses “Ephraim” to mean all of Israel. have joined together.”
When Ahaz heard this, he and the people became very frightened. They shook with fear like trees of the forest blown by the wind.
3Then the Lord told Isaiah, “You and your son Shear-Jashub should go out and talk to Ahaz. Go to the place where the water flows into the upper pool. This is on the road to the Washerman’s Field. 4Tell Ahaz, ‘Be careful. Be calm, and don’t be afraid. Don’t let those two men, Rezin and Remaliah’s son Pekah, scare you. Don’t be afraid of their anger and Aram’s anger. Those two men are as weak as two barely burning sticks that are ready to go out. 5They have made plans against you. They said, 6“Let’s fight against Judah and tear it apart. We will divide Judah for ourselves. We will make the son of Tabeel the new king of Judah.” 7But I, the Lord God, say,
Their plan will not succeed.
It will not happen.
8That is because Aram is led by the city of Damascus.
And Damascus is led by its weak king, Rezin.
Within 65 years Israel will no longer be a nation.
9Israel is led by the city of Samaria,
and Samaria is led by its weak king, the son of Remaliah.
If your faith is not strong,
then you will not have strength to last.’”
Immanuel—God Is with Us
10Then the Lord spoke to Ahaz again. 11The Lord said, “Ask for a sign to prove to yourself that these things are true. It may be a sign from as deep as the place where the dead are or as high as the heavens.”
12But Ahaz said, “I will not ask for a sign. I will not test the Lord.”
13Then Isaiah said, “Ahaz, descendant of David, listen very carefully! Isn’t it bad enough that you wear out the patience of people? Do you have to wear out the patience of my God also? 14But the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin# The Hebrew word means “a young woman.” Often this meant a girl who was not married and had not yet had physical relations with anyone. will be pregnant. She will have a son, and she will name him Immanuel.# This name means “God is with us.” 15He will be eating milk curds and honey when he learns to reject what is evil and to choose what is good. 16You are afraid of the kings of Israel and Aram now. But before the child learns what is good and what is evil, the lands of Israel and Aram will be empty. 17The Lord will bring some troubled times to you. Those troubles will come to your people and to the people of your father’s family. The Lord will bring the king of Assyria to fight against you.
18“At that time the Lord will whistle to call for the Egyptians. And they will come like flies from the streams of Egypt. The Lord will call for the Assyrians. And they will come like bees from the land of Assyria. 19These enemies will camp in the deep ravines and in the cliffs. They will camp by the thornbushes and watering holes. 20The Lord will use Assyria to punish Judah. Assyria will be hired and used like a razor. It will be as if the Lord is shaving the hair from Judah’s head and legs and is shaving off Judah’s beard.
21“At that time a person will be able to keep only one young cow and two sheep alive. 22There will be only enough milk for that person to eat milk curds. All who remain in the land will go back to eating only milk curds and honey. 23In this land there are now vineyards that have 1,000 grapevines. These grapevines are worth about 25 pounds of silver. But these fields will become full of weeds and thorns. 24The land will become wild and useful only as a hunting ground. 25People once worked and grew food on these hills. But at that time people will not go there. The land will be filled with weeds and thorns. Only sheep and cattle will go to those places.”
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Isaiah 7: ICB
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Isaiah 7
7
The Message to Ahaz
1This took place during the reign of Ahaz, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah king of Judah:#Is 1:1 Aram’s King Rezin and Israel’s King Pekah son of Remaliah went to fight against Jerusalem,#2Kg 15:25,37; 16:5 but they were not able to conquer it.
2When it became known to the house of David#Is 7:13; 9:7; 16:5; 22:9,22; 29:1; 37:35; 38:5; 55:3 that Aram had occupied Ephraim,#Is 8:12; 9:9 the heart of Ahaz#7:2 Lit Aram has rested upon Ephraim, his heart and the hearts of his people trembled like trees of a forest shaking in the wind.
3The Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-jashub#7:3 = A Remnant Will Return#Is 8:3,18 to meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool,#2Kg 18:17; Is 36:2 by the road to the Launderer’s Field. 4Say to him: Calm down and be quiet. Don’t be afraid or cowardly#Gn 15:1; Ex 14:13; 20:20; Nm 14:9; Dt 20:3; 31:6; Jos 10:8,25; Is 10:24; 35:4; 41:14 because of these two smoldering sticks, the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram, and the son of Remaliah. 5For Aram, along with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has plotted harm against you. They say, 6‘Let’s go up against Judah, terrorize it, and conquer it for ourselves. Then we can install Tabeel’s son as king in it.’”
7This is what the Lord God says:
It will not happen; it will not occur.#Is 8:10
8The chief city of Aram is Damascus,
the chief of Damascus is Rezin
(within sixty-five years
Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people),
9the chief city of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the chief of Samaria is the son of Remaliah.
If you do not stand firm in your faith,
then you will not stand at all.
The Immanuel Prophecy
10Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz: 11“Ask for a sign#2Kg 19:29; Is 37:30; 38:7–8; 55:13 from the Lord your God — it can be as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven.”
12But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask. I will not test the Lord.”
13Isaiah#Mt 3:3; 12:17 said, “Listen, house of David! Is it not enough for you to try the patience of men? Will you also try the patience of my God?#Is 1:14; 43:24; Jr 15:6; 20:9; Mal 2:17 14Therefore, the Lord himself will give you#7:14 In Hb, the word you is pl a sign: See, the virgin will conceive,#7:14 Or virgin is pregnant, will have a son, and name him Immanuel.#7:14 = God With Us#Is 8:8,10; Mt 1:23; Lk 1:31 15By the time he learns to reject what is bad and choose what is good,#Dt 1:39 he will be eating curds#7:15 Or sour milk and honey.#Ex 3:8; 2Sm 17:29; Is 7:22; 8:15 16For before the boy knows to reject what is bad and choose what is good, the land of the two kings you dread will be abandoned. 17The Lord will bring on you, your people, and your father’s house such a time as has never been since Ephraim separated from Judah:#1Kg 12:16 He will bring the king of Assyria.”#2Ch 28:20; Is 8:7–8; 10:5–6
18On that day#Is 27:12
the Lord will whistle#Is 5:25 to flies
at the farthest streams of the Nile
and to bees in the land of Assyria.
19All of them will come and settle
in the steep ravines, in the clefts of the rocks,#Is 2:19; Jr 16:16
in all the thornbushes, and in all the water holes.
20On that day the Lord will use a razor#2Kg 18:13–16; Is 24:1; Ezk 5:1–4 hired from beyond the Euphrates River — the king of Assyria#Is 8:7; 11:15; Jr 2:18 — to shave the hair on your heads, the hair on your legs, and even your beards.
21On that day
a man will raise a young cow and two sheep,
22and from the abundant milk they give
he will eat curds,
for every survivor in the land will eat curds and honey.#Is 8:15
23And on that day
every place where there were a thousand vines,
worth a thousand pieces of silver,
will become thorns and briers.#Is 5:6
24A man will go there with bow and arrows
because the whole land will be thorns and briers.
25You will not go to all the hills
that were once tilled with a hoe,
for fear of the thorns and briers.
Those hills will be places for oxen to graze
and for sheep to trample.
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