Trouble with Aram

7 ·When [^LIn the days of] Ahaz, son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah, was king of Judah [^C735–715 bc], Rezin king of Aram [^C740–733 bc; Aram is the Hebrew name for Syria] and Pekah son of Remaliah, the king of Israel [^C752–732 bc], went up to Jerusalem to fight against it [^Cin about 735–734 bc]. But they were not able to ·defeat [or mount an attack against] the city [2 Kin. 16:5–18; 2 Chr. 28:16–21].

² ·Ahaz king of Judah received a message [^LIt was reported to the house of David; ^Cthe reigning dynasty] saying, “The armies of ·Aram [Syria] and ·Israel [^LEphraim; ^Cinfluential northern tribe of Israel, used here to refer to the whole northern kingdom] have joined together [^Cin an alliance against the Assyrian empire].”

When Ahaz heard this, ·he [^Lhis heart] and the ·people [^Lheart of his people] were ·frightened [^Lshaken]. They shook with fear like trees of the forest blown by the wind.

³ Then the Lord told Isaiah, “You and your son Shear-Jashub [^Cthe name means “a remnant will return”] should go and meet Ahaz at the ·place where the water flows into [end of the aqueduct/conduit of] the upper pool, on the road ·to the field where people do their laundry [or that goes to Launderer’s Field/^Tthe fuller’s field]. ⁴ Tell Ahaz, ‘Be careful. Be ·calm [quiet] and don’t ·worry [fear]. Don’t be afraid of the ·fierce [burning] anger of Rezin and Aram and the son of Remaliah [^CPekah; v. 1], because they are like two ·barely burning sticks that are ready to go out [^Lsmoldering stubs of firewood; ^Ctheir power would soon be extinguished; Damascus and Israel suffered defeat by the Assyrians in 732 bc; Israel went into exile in 722 bc]. ⁵ [^LBecause] Aram has ·plotted [planned evil] with ·Israel [^LEphraim; v. 2] and the son of Remaliah against you, saying, ⁶ “Let’s ·fight against [invade; attack] Judah and ·tear it apart [or terrorize it]. We will ·divide the land [or conquer it; or breach its walls; ^Lbreak it open] for ourselves and make the son of Tabeel the new king of Judah [^Creplacing the legitimate king from David’s dynasty with a usurper].” ⁷ But I, the Lord God, say,

Immanuel—God Is with Us

¹⁰ Then the Lord spoke to Ahaz again, saying, ¹¹ “Ask for a sign from the Lord your God [^Cto confirm the truth of this prophecy; Deut. 18:21–22]. It may be a sign from as deep as ·the place of the dead [or the grave; ^LSheol] or ·as high as the heavens [^Lto the heights above].”

¹² But Ahaz said, “I will not ·ask for a sign [^Lask] or test the Lord [Deut. 6:16; ^Cprobably a statement of false piety].”

¹³ Then Isaiah said, “·Ahaz, descendant of David, listen carefully [^LHear now, house of David]! Isn’t it bad enough that you ·wear out the patience of [^Lweary] people? Do you also have to ·wear out the patience of [^Lweary] my God? ¹⁴ The Lord himself will give you a sign: The ·virgin [or young woman] will ·be pregnant [conceive] and will have a son, and she will name him Immanuel [“God is with us”]. ¹⁵ He will be eating milk curds and honey [^Cprobably because the crops have been destroyed in the invasion] ·when he learns [by the time he learns; or so that he will learn] to reject what is evil and to choose what is good [^Cprobably ages twelve or thirteen, when he would be accountable to the law; the destruction of Israel would occur in twelve or thirteen years: 722 bc]. ¹⁶ ·But [or For] before the child ·learns [knows] to choose good and reject evil, the lands of the two kings you fear [^CIsrael and Aram/Syria] will be ·empty [desolate; laid waste]. ¹⁷ The Lord will bring ·troubled times to [^Lupon] you, your people, and to ·the people of your father’s family [^Lyour father’s house; ^CDavid’s dynasty]. ·They will be worse than […days unlike] anything that has happened since Israel separated from Judah [^Cthe civil war dividing Israel into north (Israel) and south (Judah) after David’s son Solomon died, two centuries earlier]. ·The Lord will bring the king of Assyria to fight against you [^L…—the king of Assyria].

¹⁸ “·At that time [^LIn that day] the Lord will whistle for ·the Egyptians, and they will come like flies from Egypt’s faraway streams [^Lthe fly that is at the farthest streams of Egypt]. ·He will call for the Assyrians, and they will come like bees [^L… and for bees from the land of Assyria; ^CIsrael and Judah were caught in a tug-of-war between these two great powers]. ¹⁹ ·These enemies will camp [^LThey will rest/settle] in the deep ravines and in the ·cliffs [^Lcrevices/clefts of the rocks], by the thornbushes and ·watering holes [or pastures]. ²⁰ [In that day] The Lord will ·hire Assyria and use it like a razor to punish Judah [^Lshave with a razor hired beyond the River (Euphrates)—the king of Assyria]. ·It will be as if the Lord is shaving the hair from Judah’s head and body and beard [^L…—the head, the hair of the feet and cutting away the beard; ^C“hair of the feet” is likely a euphemism for pubic hair; such shaving was an act of humiliation].

²¹ “·At that time [^LIn that day] a person will be ·able to keep alive only [fortunate to have left] ·one young cow [a heifer] and two sheep. ²² ·There will be only enough milk for that person to eat milk curds [or Because of the abundance of milk, he will have curds to eat]. All who remain in the land will ·go back to eating just [or have enough to eat from] milk curds and honey. ²³ [In that day] In every ·vineyard [^Lplace] where there were a thousand grapevines worth ·twenty-five pounds [^La thousand pieces] of silver, there will be only ·weeds [briers] and thorns. ²⁴ People will ·come there only to hunt [^Lcome] with bow and arrow, since the land will be covered with nothing but ·weeds [briers] and thorns [^Cwith no crops, the land will be useful only for hunting]. ²⁵ People once ·worked and grew food on [^Lhoed with a hoe] these hills, but at that time people will not go there, ·because the land will be filled with [^Lfor fear of] ·weeds [briers] and thorns. ·Only sheep and cattle will go to those places [^LIt will become a pasture for cattle/oxen and a trampling place for sheep].”