Isaiah 7
7
Trouble With Aram
1Ahaz was the son of Jotham, who was the son of Uzziah. Rezin was the king of Aram, Pekah son of Remaliah#7:1 Pekah son of Remaliah A king of northern Israel. He ruled about 740-731 B.C. was the king of Israel. When Ahaz was king of Judah, Rezin and Pekah went up to Jerusalem to attack it, but they were not able to defeat the city.#7:1 Rezin and Pekah … the city Or “Rezin and Pekah went up to attack Jerusalem, but they were not able to fight.”
2The family of David received a message that said, “The armies of Aram and Ephraim have joined together in one camp.” When King Ahaz heard this message, he and the people became frightened. They shook with fear like trees of the forest blowing in the wind.
3Then the Lord told Isaiah, “You and your son Shear Jashub#7:3 Shear Jashub This is a name that means “a few people will come back.” should go out and talk to Ahaz. Go to the place where the water flows into the Upper Pool,#7:3 Upper Pool Probably the Pool of Siloam at the southern tip of the City of David, just above the older pool now called the Red Pool. on the street that leads up to Laundryman’s Field.
4“Tell Ahaz, ‘Be careful, but be calm. Don’t be afraid. Don’t let those two men, Rezin and Remaliah’s son,#7:4 Remaliah’s son Pekah, the king of northern Israel. He ruled about 740–731 B.C. frighten you! They are like two burning sticks. They might be hot now, but soon they will be nothing but smoke. Rezin, Aram, and Remaliah’s son became angry 5and made plans against you. They said, 6“Let’s go fight against Judah and divide it among ourselves. Then we will make Tabeel’s son the new king of Judah.”’”
7But the Lord GOD says, “Their plan will not succeed. It will not happen 8because Aram depends on its capital Damascus, and Damascus is led by its weak king Rezin. And don’t worry about Ephraim. Within 65 years it will be crushed, no longer a nation. 9Ephraim depends on its capital Samaria, and Samaria is led by Remaliah’s son. So you have no reason to fear. Believe this, or you will not survive.”
Immanuel—God Is With Us
10Then the Lord spoke to Ahaz again 11and said, “Ask for a sign from the Lord your God to prove to yourself that this is true. You can ask for any sign you want. The sign can come from a place as deep as Sheol#7:11 The sign … Sheol Or “Make your request deep.” The Hebrew word for “question” is like the word for Sheol. or as high as the skies.#7:11 The sign … skies Literally, “make your request very high.””
12But Ahaz said, “I will not ask for a sign as proof. I will not test the Lord.”
13Then Isaiah said, “Family of David, listen very carefully! Is it not enough that you would test the patience of humans? Will you now test the patience of my God? 14But the Lord will still show you this sign:
The young woman is pregnant#7:14 The young woman is pregnant Or “Look at this young woman. She is pregnant.” The ancient Greek version (quoted in Mt. 1:23) translates “young woman” here with a word meaning “virgin” and has “Look! The virgin will become pregnant.”
and will give birth to a son.
She will name him Immanuel.#7:14 Immanuel This name means “God is with us.”
15He will eat milk curds and honey#7:15 milk curds and honey This refers to some of the first solid foods, something like yogurt, that were fed to a baby. This is also the food that even the poor can find to eat. Also in verse 22.
as he learns to choose good and refuse evil.
16But before he is old enough to make that choice,
the land of the two kings you fear will be empty.
17“But the Lord will bring troubled times to you. These troubles will be worse than anything that has happened since the time Israel separated from Judah. This will happen to your people and to your father’s family when God brings the king of Assyria to fight against you.
18“At that time the Lord will call for the ‘Fly’ that is now near the streams of Egypt, and he will call for the ‘Bee’ that is now in the country of Assyria. Those enemies will come to your country. 19They will settle in the deep valleys and in the caves, by the thornbushes and watering holes. 20The Lord will use Assyria to punish Judah. Assyria will be hired and used like a razor to shave off Judah’s beard and to remove the hair from his head and body.#7:20 shave … body This means that the people of Judah would be humiliated and treated like slaves.
21“At that time someone might keep only one young cow and two sheep alive. 22But there will be enough milk for them to eat milk curds. In fact, everyone left in the country will eat milk curds and honey. 23There are now fields that have 1000 grapevines, and each grapevine is worth 1000 pieces of silver. But those fields will be covered with weeds and thorns. 24That land will be wild and used only as a hunting ground where people go with bows and arrows. 25People once worked the soil and grew food on these hills, but at that time they will not go there, because the fields will be covered with weeds and thorns. It will be a place where cattle graze and sheep wander.”
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Isaiah 7
7
1In 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 they could not conquer it. 2When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim,” his heart and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.
3And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go forth to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub#7.3 That is A remnant shall return your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Fuller's Field, 4and 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 Remaliah. 5Because Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, 6“Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabe-el as king in the midst of it,” 7thus says the Lord God:
It shall not stand,
and it shall not come to pass.
8For the head of Syria is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is Rezin.
(Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken to pieces so that it will no longer be a people.)
9And the head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah.
If you will not believe,
surely you shall not be established.’ ”
10Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, 11“Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” 13And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14#Mt 1.23. Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman#7.14 Or virgin shall conceive and bear#7.14 Or is with child and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Immanu-el.#7.14 That is God is with us 15He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16For 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. 17The 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.”
18In 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. 19And 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.
20In 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.
21In that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep; 22and 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.
23In that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand shekels of silver, will become briers and thorns. 24With bow and arrows men will come there, for all the land will be briers and thorns; 25and 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.
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Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America