Isaiah Reassures King Ahaz

7 In the days of Ahaz son of Jotham son of Uzziah, king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel went up to attack Jerusalem but could not conquer it.^{(A) 2} When the house of David heard that Aram had allied itself with Ephraim, the heart of Ahaz^[a] and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.^(B)

³ Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub,^[b] at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the fuller’s field,^{(C) 4} and 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, because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and the son of Remaliah.^{(D) 5} Because Aram—with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah—has plotted evil against you, saying, ⁶ ‘Let us go up against Judah and terrify it^[c] and conquer it for ourselves and make the son of Tabeel king in it’; ⁷ therefore thus says the Lord God:

(Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered, no longer a people.)^(F)

Isaiah Gives Ahaz the Sign of Immanuel

¹⁰ Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, ¹¹ “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”^{(H) 12} But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” ¹³ Then Isaiah^[d] said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals that you weary my God also? ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel.^{[e](I) 15} He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.^{(J) 16} For 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.^{(K) 17} The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on your ancestral house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria.”^(L)

The Nature of Christian Freedom

² Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that, if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. ³ Once again I testify to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obliged to obey the entire law. ⁴ You who want to be reckoned as righteous^[a] by the law have cut yourselves off from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.^{(A) 5} For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.^{(B) 6} For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working^[b] through love.^(C)

⁷ You were running well; who prevented you from obeying the truth?^{(D) 8} Such persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. ⁹ A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough. ¹⁰ I am confident about you in the Lord that you will not think otherwise. But whoever it is that is confusing you will pay the penalty.^{(E) 11} But my brothers and sisters, why am I still being persecuted if I am still preaching circumcision? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. ¹² I wish those who unsettle you would castrate themselves!

¹³ For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters, only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence,^[c] but through love become enslaved to one another.^{(F) 14} For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”^{(G) 15} If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

The Works of the Flesh

¹⁶ Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.^{(H) 17} For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want.^{(I) 18} But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law.^{(J) 19} Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery,^{(K) 20} idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, ²¹ envy,^[d] drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.^(L)

The Fruit of the Spirit

²² By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,^{(M) 23} gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. ²⁴ And those who belong to Christ^[e] have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.^{(N) 25} If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.

Isaiah’s Son a Sign of the Assyrian Invasion

8 Then the Lord said to me, “Take a large tablet and write on it in common characters, ‘Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz,’^{[a](A) 2} and have it attested^[b] for me by reliable witnesses, the priest Uriah and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah.”^{(B) 3} And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz, ⁴ for before the child knows how to call ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away by the king of Assyria.”^(C)

⁵ The Lord spoke to me again: ⁶ “Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that flow gently and melt in fear before^[c] Rezin and the son of Remaliah,^{(D) 7} therefore the Lord is bringing up against it the mighty flood waters of the River, the king of Assyria and all his glory; it will rise above all its channels and overflow all its banks; ⁸ it will sweep on into Judah as a flood and, pouring over, will reach up to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.^(E)

¹¹ The Lord spoke thus to me while his hand was strong upon me and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying:^{(G) 12} “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what it fears or be in dread.^{(H) 13} But the Lord of hosts, him you shall regard as holy; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.^{(I) 14} He will become a sanctuary, a stone one strikes against; for both houses of Israel he will become a rock one stumbles over, a trap and a snare for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.^{(J) 15} And many among them shall stumble; they shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”^(K)

Disciples of Isaiah

¹⁶ Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching among my disciples.^{(L) 17} I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.^{(M) 18} See, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.^(N)

Jesus and John the Baptist

²² After this Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea, and he spent some time there with them and baptized. ²³ John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim because water was abundant there, and people kept coming and were being baptized. ²⁴ (John, of course, had not yet been thrown into prison.)^(A)

²⁵ Now a discussion about purification arose between John’s disciples and a Jew.^{[a] 26} They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him.”^{(B) 27} John answered, “No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven.^{(C) 28} You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah,^[b] but I have been sent ahead of him.’^{(D) 29} He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears him rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled.^{(E) 30} He must increase, but I must decrease.”^[c]

The One Who Comes from Heaven

³¹ The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all.^{(F) 32} He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony.^{(G) 33} Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified^[d] this, that God is true.^{(H) 34} He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.^{(I) 35} The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands.^{(J) 36} Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life but must endure God’s wrath.^(K)