¹⁶ At that time King Ahaz sent to the kings^[a] of Assyria^(A) for help.

⁷ Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser^(A) king of Assyria, “I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save^(B) me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.” ⁸ And Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as a gift^(C) to the king of Assyria. ⁹ The king of Assyria complied by attacking Damascus^(D) and capturing it. He deported its inhabitants to Kir^(E) and put Rezin to death.

The Sign of Immanuel

7 When Ahaz^(A) son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin^(B) of Aram^(C) and Pekah^(D) son of Remaliah^(E) king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.

² Now the house of David^(F) was told, “Aram has allied itself with^[a] Ephraim^(G)”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken,^(H) as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.

³ Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub,^[b](I) to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.^{(J) 4} Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm^(K) and don’t be afraid.^(L) Do not lose heart^(M) because of these two smoldering stubs^(N) of firewood—because of the fierce anger^(O) of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah.^{(P) 5} Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s^(Q) son have plotted^(R) your ruin, saying, ⁶ “Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.” ⁷ Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says:^(S)

¹⁰ Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, ¹¹ “Ask the Lord your God for a sign,^(AB) whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.^(AC)”

¹² But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.^(AD)”

²⁰ Tiglath-Pileser^[a](A) king of Assyria^(B) came to him, but he gave him trouble^(C) instead of help.^(D)

²¹ Ahaz^(A) took some of the things from the temple of the Lord and from the royal palace and from the officials and presented them to the king of Assyria, but that did not help him.^(B)