Isaiah 7:1-9:7
New King James Version
Isaiah Sent to King Ahaz(A)
7 Now it came to pass in the days of (B)Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against (C)it, but could not [a]prevail against it. 2 And it was told to the house of David, saying, “Syria’s forces are [b]deployed in Ephraim.” So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.
3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and [c]Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field, 4 and say to him: [d]‘Take heed, and [e]be (D)quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah. 5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying, 6 “Let us go up against Judah and [f]trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel”— 7 thus says the Lord God:
(E)“It shall not stand,
Nor shall it come to pass.
8 (F)For the head of Syria is Damascus,
And the head of Damascus is Rezin.
Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be [g]broken,
So that it will not be a people.
9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
And the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son.
(G)If you will not believe,
Surely you shall not be established.” ’ ”
The Immanuel Prophecy
10 Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 (H)“Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; [h]ask it either in the depth or in the height above.”
12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!”
13 Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: (I)Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear (J)a Son, and shall call His name (K)Immanuel.[i] 15 Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 (L)For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by (M)both her kings. 17 (N)The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father’s house—days that have not come since the day that (O)Ephraim departed from Judah.”
18 And it shall come to pass in that day
That the Lord (P)will whistle for the fly
That is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt,
And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
19 They will come, and all of them will rest
In the desolate valleys and in (Q)the clefts of the rocks,
And on all thorns and in all pastures.
20 In the same day the Lord will shave with a (R)hired (S)razor,
With those from beyond [j]the River, with the king of Assyria,
The head and the hair of the legs,
And will also remove the beard.
21 It shall be in that day
That a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep;
22 So it shall be, from the abundance of milk they give,
That he will eat curds;
For curds and honey everyone will eat who is left in the land.
23 It shall happen in that day,
That wherever there could be a thousand vines
Worth a thousand shekels of silver,
(T)It will be for briers and thorns.
24 With arrows and bows men will come there,
Because all the land will become briers and thorns.
25 And to any hill which could be dug with the hoe,
You will not go there for fear of briers and thorns;
But it will become a range for oxen
And a place for sheep to roam.
Assyria Will Invade the Land
8 Moreover the Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll, and (U)write on it with a man’s pen concerning [k]Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. 2 And I will take for Myself faithful witnesses to record, (V)Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.”
3 Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Call his name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz; 4 (W)for before the child [l]shall have knowledge to cry ‘My father’ and ‘My mother,’ (X)the riches of Damascus and the [m]spoil of Samaria will be taken away before the king of Assyria.”
5 The Lord also spoke to me again, saying:
6 “Inasmuch as these people refused
The waters of (Y)Shiloah that flow softly,
And rejoice (Z)in Rezin and in Remaliah’s son;
7 Now therefore, behold, the Lord brings up over them
The waters of [n]the River, strong and mighty—
The king of Assyria and all his glory;
He will [o]go up over all his channels
And go over all his banks.
8 He will pass through Judah,
He will overflow and pass over,
(AA)He will reach up to the neck;
And the stretching out of his wings
Will [p]fill the breadth of Your land, O (AB)Immanuel.[q]
9 “Be(AC) shattered, O you peoples, and be broken in pieces!
Give ear, all you from far countries.
Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces;
Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces.
10 (AD)Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing;
Speak the word, (AE)but it will not stand,
(AF)For [r]God is with us.”
Fear God, Heed His Word
11 For the Lord spoke thus to me with [s]a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying:
12 “Do not say, ‘A conspiracy,’
Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy,
Nor be afraid of their [t]threats, nor be [u]troubled.
13 The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow;
Let Him be your fear,
And let Him be your dread.
14 (AG)He will be as a [v]sanctuary,
But (AH)a stone of stumbling and a rock of [w]offense
To both the houses of Israel,
As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 And many among them shall (AI)stumble;
They shall fall and be broken,
Be snared and [x]taken.”
16 Bind up the testimony,
Seal the law among my disciples.
17 And I will wait on the Lord,
Who (AJ)hides His face from the house of Jacob;
And I (AK)will hope in Him.
18 (AL)Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me!
We (AM)are for signs and wonders in Israel
From the Lord of hosts,
Who dwells in Mount Zion.
19 And when they say to you, (AN)“Seek those who are mediums and wizards, (AO)who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they (AP)seek the dead on behalf of the living? 20 (AQ)To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because (AR)there[y] is no light in them.
21 They will pass through it hard-pressed and hungry; and it shall happen, when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and (AS)curse [z]their king and their God, and look upward. 22 Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness.
The Government of the Promised Son(AT)
9 Nevertheless (AU)the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed,
As when at (AV)first He lightly esteemed
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
And (AW)afterward more heavily oppressed her,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
In Galilee of the Gentiles.
2 (AX)The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation
And [aa]increased its joy;
They rejoice before You
According to the joy of harvest,
As men rejoice (AY)when they divide the spoil.
4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden
And the staff of his shoulder,
The rod of his oppressor,
As in the day of (AZ)Midian.
5 For every warrior’s [ab]sandal from the noisy battle,
And garments rolled in blood,
(BA)Will be used for burning and fuel [ac]of fire.
6 (BB)For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a (BC)Son is given;
And (BD)the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
(BE)Wonderful, Counselor, (BF)Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, (BG)Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
(BH)There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The (BI)zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 7:1 conquer it
- Isaiah 7:2 Lit. settled upon
- Isaiah 7:3 Lit. A Remnant Shall Return
- Isaiah 7:4 Be careful
- Isaiah 7:4 be calm
- Isaiah 7:6 cause a sickening dread
- Isaiah 7:8 Lit. shattered
- Isaiah 7:11 Lit. make the request deep or make it high above
- Isaiah 7:14 Lit. God-With-Us
- Isaiah 7:20 The Euphrates
- Isaiah 8:1 Lit. Speed the Spoil, Hasten the Booty
- Isaiah 8:4 knows how
- Isaiah 8:4 plunder
- Isaiah 8:7 The Euphrates
- Isaiah 8:7 Overflow
- Isaiah 8:8 Lit. be the fullness of
- Isaiah 8:8 Lit. God-With-Us
- Isaiah 8:10 Heb. Immanuel
- Isaiah 8:11 Mighty power
- Isaiah 8:12 Lit. fear or terror
- Isaiah 8:12 Lit. in dread
- Isaiah 8:14 holy abode
- Isaiah 8:14 stumbling over
- Isaiah 8:15 captured
- Isaiah 8:20 Or they have no dawn
- Isaiah 8:21 Or by their king and by their God
- Isaiah 9:3 So with Qr., Tg.; Kt., Vg. not increased joy; LXX Most of the people You brought down in Your joy
- Isaiah 9:5 boot
- Isaiah 9:5 for the fire
Isaiah 7:1-9:7
New American Standard Bible
War against Jerusalem
7 Now it came about in the days of (A)Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that (B)Rezin the king of Aram and (C)Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but (D)could not [a]conquer it. 2 When it was reported to the (E)house of David, saying, “The Arameans (F)have taken a stand by (G)Ephraim,” his heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake from the wind.
3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and your son [b]Shear-jashub, at the end of the (H)conduit of the upper pool, on the road to the [c]fuller’s field, 4 and say to him, ‘Take care and be (I)calm, have no (J)fear and (K)do not be fainthearted because of these two stumps of smoldering (L)logs, on account of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and the (M)son of Remaliah. 5 Because (N)Aram, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has planned evil against you, saying, 6 “Let’s go up against Judah and [d]terrorize it, and take it for ourselves by assault and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” 7 this is what the Lord [e]God says: “(O)It shall not stand nor shall it come to pass. 8 For the head of Aram is (P)Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin (now within another sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken to pieces, so that it is no longer a people), 9 and the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. (Q)If you will not believe, you certainly shall not [f]last.”’”
The Child Immanuel
10 Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 “Ask for a (R)sign for yourself from the Lord your God; [g]make it deep as Sheol or high as [h]heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I put the Lord to the test!” 13 Then he said, “Listen now, (S)house of David! Is it too trivial a thing for you to [i]try the patience of men, that you will [j](T)try the patience of (U)my God as well? 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, (V)the [k]virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him [l](W)Immanuel. 15 He will eat [m](X)curds and honey [n]at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. 16 (Y)For before the boy knows enough to refuse evil and choose good, (Z)the land whose two kings you dread will be abandoned.
Trials to Come for Judah
17 The Lord will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that (AA)Ephraim separated from Judah—the days of the (AB)king of Assyria.”
18 On that day the Lord will (AC)whistle for the fly that is in the [o](AD)remotest part of the canals of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19 They will all come and settle on the steep [p]ravines, on the (AE)ledges of the cliffs, (AF)on all the thorn bushes, and on all the watering places.
20 On that day the Lord will (AG)shave with a (AH)razor, (AI)hired from regions beyond (AJ)the Euphrates River (that is, with the king of Assyria), the head and the hair of the legs; and it will also remove the beard.
21 Now on that day a person may keep alive only a (AK)heifer and a pair of sheep; 22 and because of the abundance of the milk produced he will eat [q]curds, for everyone who is left within the land will eat [r](AL)curds and honey.
23 And it will come about on that day, (AM)that every place where there used to be a thousand vines, valued at a thousand shekels of silver, will become (AN)briars and thorns. 24 People will come there with bows and arrows, because all the land will be briars and thorns. 25 As for all the hills which used to be cultivated with the plow, you will not go there for fear of briars and thorns; but they will become a place for [s](AO)pasturing oxen and for sheep to trample.
Damascus and Samaria Fall
8 Then the Lord said to me, “Take for yourself a large tablet and (AP)write on it [t]in ordinary letters: [u](AQ)Maher-shalal-hash-baz. 2 And [v]I will take to Myself faithful witnesses for testimony, (AR)Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.” 3 So I approached the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Name him [w](AS)Maher-shalal-hash-baz; 4 for (AT)before the boy knows how to cry out ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of (AU)Damascus and the spoils of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.”
5 Again the Lord spoke to me further, saying,
6 “Inasmuch as these people have (AV)rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah
And rejoice in (AW)Rezin and the son of Remaliah;
7 Now therefore, behold, the Lord is about to bring on them the (AX)strong and abundant waters of the (AY)Euphrates River,
That is, the (AZ)king of Assyria and all his glory;
And it will (BA)rise over all its channels and go over all its banks.
8 Then (BB)it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass through,
It will (BC)reach as far as the neck;
And the spread of its wings will [x]fill the expanse of [y]your land, (BD)Immanuel.
A Believing Remnant
9 “(BE)Be broken, you peoples, and be [z](BF)shattered;
And listen, all remote places of the earth.
[aa]Get ready, yet be [ab]shattered;
[ac]Get ready, yet be [ad]shattered.
10 (BG)Devise a plan, but it will fail;
State a [ae]proposal, but (BH)it will not stand,
For [af](BI)God is with us.”
11 For so the Lord spoke to me [ag]with (BJ)mighty power and instructed me (BK)not to walk in the way of this people, saying,
12 “You are not to say, ‘It is a (BL)conspiracy!’
Regarding everything that this people call a conspiracy,
And (BM)you are not to fear [ah]what they fear or be in dread of it.
13 It is the (BN)Lord of armies (BO)whom you are to regard as holy.
And He shall be your fear,
And He shall be your dread.
14 Then He will become a (BP)sanctuary;
But to both houses of Israel, He will be a (BQ)stone of stumbling and a rock [ai]of offense,
And a snare and a (BR)trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 Many (BS)will stumble over them,
Then they will fall and be broken;
They will be snared and caught.”
16 (BT)Bind up the testimony, (BU)seal the [aj]Law among (BV)my disciples. 17 And I will (BW)wait for the Lord (BX)who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; I will wait eagerly for Him. 18 (BY)Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are for (BZ)signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of armies, who (CA)dwells on Mount Zion.
19 When they say to you, “(CB)Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,” should a people not (CC)consult their God? Should they (CD)consult the dead in behalf of the living? 20 To the [ak](CE)Law and to the testimony! If they do not speak in accordance with this word, it is because (CF)they have no dawn. 21 They will pass through [al]the land (CG)dejected and hungry, and it will turn out that when they are hungry, they will become enraged and curse [am]their king and their God as they face upward. 22 Then they will (CH)look to the earth, and behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be (CI)driven away into darkness.
Birth and Reign of the Prince of Peace
9 [an]But there will be no more (CJ)gloom for her who was in anguish. In earlier times He (CK)treated the (CL)land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He will make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the [ao]Gentiles.
2 [ap](CM)The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land,
The light will shine on them.
3 (CN)You will multiply the nation,
You (CO)will [aq]increase [ar]their joy;
They will rejoice in Your presence
As with the joy [as]of harvest,
As people (CP)rejoice when they divide the spoils.
4 For (CQ)You will break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,
The rod of their (CR)oppressor, as [at]at the battle of (CS)Midian.
5 For every boot of the marching warrior in the roar of battle,
And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
6 For a (CT)Child will be born to us, a (CU)Son will be given to us;
And the (CV)government will [au]rest (CW)on His shoulders;
And His name will be called (CX)Wonderful Counselor, (CY)Mighty God,
Eternal (CZ)Father, Prince of (DA)Peace.
7 There will be (DB)no end to the increase of His government or of peace
On the (DC)throne of David and over [av]his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with (DD)justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
(DE)The zeal of the Lord of armies will accomplish this.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 7:1 Lit fight against
- Isaiah 7:3 I.e., a remnant shall return
- Isaiah 7:3 I.e., launderer’s
- Isaiah 7:6 Or demolish
- Isaiah 7:7 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 7:9 Or endure
- Isaiah 7:11 As in most ancient versions; MT make the request deep or high
- Isaiah 7:11 Lit heights
- Isaiah 7:13 Lit make men weary
- Isaiah 7:13 Lit make my God weary
- Isaiah 7:14 As in LXX; MT young unmarried woman
- Isaiah 7:14 I.e., God is with us
- Isaiah 7:15 Possibly butter
- Isaiah 7:15 Lit with respect to his knowing
- Isaiah 7:18 Or mouth of the rivers; i.e., the Nile Delta
- Isaiah 7:19 Or wadis
- Isaiah 7:22 Possibly butter
- Isaiah 7:22 Possibly butter
- Isaiah 7:25 Lit pastureland of
- Isaiah 8:1 Lit with the stylus of man
- Isaiah 8:1 I.e., swift is the plunder, speedy is the prey
- Isaiah 8:2 Another reading is take for me
- Isaiah 8:3 I.e., swift is the plunder, speedy is the prey
- Isaiah 8:8 Lit be the fullness of
- Isaiah 8:8 Or Your
- Isaiah 8:9 Or dismayed
- Isaiah 8:9 Lit Belt up your waist
- Isaiah 8:9 Or dismayed
- Isaiah 8:9 Lit Belt up your waist
- Isaiah 8:9 Or dismayed
- Isaiah 8:10 Lit word
- Isaiah 8:10 Heb Immanu-el
- Isaiah 8:11 Lit according to the strength of hand
- Isaiah 8:12 Lit their fear
- Isaiah 8:14 Or to trip on
- Isaiah 8:16 Or teaching
- Isaiah 8:20 Or teaching
- Isaiah 8:21 Lit it
- Isaiah 8:21 Or by their king
- Isaiah 9:1 Ch 8:23 in Heb
- Isaiah 9:1 Or nations
- Isaiah 9:2 Ch 9:1 in Heb
- Isaiah 9:3 Another reading is not increase
- Isaiah 9:3 Lit the
- Isaiah 9:3 Lit in
- Isaiah 9:4 Lit in the day of Midian
- Isaiah 9:6 Lit be
- Isaiah 9:7 I.e., David’s
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
