War against Jerusalem

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. 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.

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, 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. Because (N)Aram, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has planned evil against you, saying, “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,” this is what the Lord [e]God says: “(O)It shall not stand nor shall it come to pass. 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), 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

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. And [v]I will take to Myself faithful witnesses for testimony, (AR)Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.” 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; 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.”

Again the Lord spoke to me further, saying,

“Inasmuch as these people have (AV)rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah
And rejoice in (AW)Rezin and the son of Remaliah;
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.
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

(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

[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.

[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.
(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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

God’s Anger with Israel’s Arrogance

The Lord sends a [aw]message against Jacob,
And it falls on Israel.
And all the people know it,
That is, (DF)Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
Asserting in pride and in (DG)arrogance of heart:
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
But we will (DH)rebuild with smooth stones;
The sycamores have been cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars.”
11 Therefore the Lord raises superior adversaries against them from (DI)Rezin
And provokes their enemies,
12 The Arameans from the east and the (DJ)Philistines from the west;
And they (DK)devour Israel with [ax]gaping jaws.
(DL)In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away,
And His hand is still stretched out.

13 Yet the people (DM)do not turn back to Him who struck them,
Nor do they (DN)seek the Lord of armies.
14 So the Lord cuts off (DO)head and tail from Israel,
Both palm branch and bulrush (DP)in a single day.
15 The head is (DQ)the elder and esteemed man,
And the prophet who teaches (DR)falsehood is the tail.
16 (DS)For those who guide this people are leading them astray;
And those who are guided by them are [ay]confused.
17 Therefore the Lord does (DT)not rejoice over their young men,
(DU)Nor does He have compassion on their [az]orphans or their widows;
For every one of them is (DV)godless and an (DW)evildoer,
And every (DX)mouth is speaking foolishness.
(DY)In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away,
And His hand is still stretched out.

18 (DZ)For wickedness burns like a fire;
It consumes briars and thorns;
It also sets the thickets of the forest aflame
And they roll upward in a column of smoke.
19 By the (EA)wrath of the Lord of armies the (EB)land is burned,
And the (EC)people are like fuel for the fire;
No (ED)one spares his brother.
20 [ba]They devour what is on the right hand but are still (EE)hungry,
And [bb]they eat what is on the left hand, but they are not satisfied;
Each of them eats the (EF)flesh of his own arm.
21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh,
(EG)And together they are against Judah.
(EH)In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away
And His hand is still stretched out.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 7:1 Lit fight against
  2. Isaiah 7:3 I.e., a remnant shall return
  3. Isaiah 7:3 I.e., launderer’s
  4. Isaiah 7:6 Or demolish
  5. Isaiah 7:7 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  6. Isaiah 7:9 Or endure
  7. Isaiah 7:11 As in most ancient versions; MT make the request deep or high
  8. Isaiah 7:11 Lit heights
  9. Isaiah 7:13 Lit make men weary
  10. Isaiah 7:13 Lit make my God weary
  11. Isaiah 7:14 As in LXX; MT young unmarried woman
  12. Isaiah 7:14 I.e., God is with us
  13. Isaiah 7:15 Possibly butter
  14. Isaiah 7:15 Lit with respect to his knowing
  15. Isaiah 7:18 Or mouth of the rivers; i.e., the Nile Delta
  16. Isaiah 7:19 Or wadis
  17. Isaiah 7:22 Possibly butter
  18. Isaiah 7:22 Possibly butter
  19. Isaiah 7:25 Lit pastureland of
  20. Isaiah 8:1 Lit with the stylus of man
  21. Isaiah 8:1 I.e., swift is the plunder, speedy is the prey
  22. Isaiah 8:2 Another reading is take for me
  23. Isaiah 8:3 I.e., swift is the plunder, speedy is the prey
  24. Isaiah 8:8 Lit be the fullness of
  25. Isaiah 8:8 Or Your
  26. Isaiah 8:9 Or dismayed
  27. Isaiah 8:9 Lit Belt up your waist
  28. Isaiah 8:9 Or dismayed
  29. Isaiah 8:9 Lit Belt up your waist
  30. Isaiah 8:9 Or dismayed
  31. Isaiah 8:10 Lit word
  32. Isaiah 8:10 Heb Immanu-el
  33. Isaiah 8:11 Lit according to the strength of hand
  34. Isaiah 8:12 Lit their fear
  35. Isaiah 8:14 Or to trip on
  36. Isaiah 8:16 Or teaching
  37. Isaiah 8:20 Or teaching
  38. Isaiah 8:21 Lit it
  39. Isaiah 8:21 Or by their king
  40. Isaiah 9:1 Ch 8:23 in Heb
  41. Isaiah 9:1 Or nations
  42. Isaiah 9:2 Ch 9:1 in Heb
  43. Isaiah 9:3 Another reading is not increase
  44. Isaiah 9:3 Lit the
  45. Isaiah 9:3 Lit in
  46. Isaiah 9:4 Lit in the day of Midian
  47. Isaiah 9:6 Lit be
  48. Isaiah 9:7 I.e., David’s
  49. Isaiah 9:8 Lit word
  50. Isaiah 9:12 Lit the whole mouth
  51. Isaiah 9:16 Or swallowed up
  52. Isaiah 9:17 Or fatherless
  53. Isaiah 9:20 Lit And he slices
  54. Isaiah 9:20 Lit he eats

The Sign of Immanuel

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.

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.

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) 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) Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s(Q) son have plotted(R) your ruin, saying, “Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.” Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says:(S)

“‘It will not take place,
    it will not happen,(T)
for the head of Aram is Damascus,(U)
    and the head of Damascus is only Rezin.(V)
Within sixty-five years
    Ephraim will be too shattered(W) to be a people.
The head of Ephraim is Samaria,(X)
    and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son.
If you do not stand(Y) firm in your faith,(Z)
    you will not stand at all.’”(AA)

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)

13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David!(AE) Is it not enough(AF) to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience(AG) of my God(AH) also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you[c] a sign:(AI) The virgin[d](AJ) will conceive and give birth to a son,(AK) and[e] will call him Immanuel.[f](AL) 15 He will be eating curds(AM) and honey(AN) when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 16 for before the boy knows(AO) enough to reject the wrong and choose the right,(AP) the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.(AQ) 17 The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away(AR) from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.(AS)

Assyria, the Lord’s Instrument

18 In that day(AT) the Lord will whistle(AU) for flies from the Nile delta in Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria.(AV) 19 They will all come and settle in the steep ravines and in the crevices(AW) in the rocks, on all the thornbushes(AX) and at all the water holes. 20 In that day(AY) the Lord will use(AZ) a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River(BA)—the king of Assyria(BB)—to shave your head and private parts, and to cut off your beard(BC) also.(BD) 21 In that day,(BE) a person will keep alive a young cow and two goats.(BF) 22 And because of the abundance of the milk they give, there will be curds to eat. All who remain in the land will eat curds(BG) and honey.(BH) 23 In that day,(BI) in every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels,[g](BJ) there will be only briers and thorns.(BK) 24 Hunters will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers(BL) and thorns. 25 As for all the hills(BM) once cultivated by the hoe, you will no longer go there for fear of the briers and thorns;(BN) they will become places where cattle are turned loose and where sheep run.(BO)

Isaiah and His Children as Signs

The Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll(BP) and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.”[h](BQ) So I called in Uriah(BR) the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses(BS) for me. Then I made love to the prophetess,(BT) and she conceived and gave birth to a son.(BU) And the Lord said to me, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.(BV) For before the boy knows(BW) how to say ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus(BX) and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.(BY)

The Lord spoke to me again:

“Because this people has rejected(BZ)
    the gently flowing waters of Shiloah(CA)
and rejoices over Rezin
    and the son of Remaliah,(CB)
therefore the Lord is about to bring against them
    the mighty floodwaters(CC) of the Euphrates—
    the king of Assyria(CD) with all his pomp.(CE)
It will overflow all its channels,
    run over all its banks(CF)
and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it,(CG)
    passing through it and reaching up to the neck.
Its outspread wings(CH) will cover the breadth of your land,
    Immanuel[i]!”(CI)

Raise the war cry,[j](CJ) you nations, and be shattered!(CK)
    Listen, all you distant lands.
Prepare(CL) for battle, and be shattered!
    Prepare for battle, and be shattered!
10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted;(CM)
    propose your plan, but it will not stand,(CN)
    for God is with us.[k](CO)

11 This is what the Lord says to me with his strong hand upon me,(CP) warning me not to follow(CQ) the way of this people:

12 “Do not call conspiracy(CR)
    everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,(CS)
    and do not dread it.(CT)
13 The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,(CU)
    he is the one you are to fear,(CV)
    he is the one you are to dread.(CW)
14 He will be a holy place;(CX)
    for both Israel and Judah he will be
a stone(CY) that causes people to stumble(CZ)
    and a rock that makes them fall.(DA)
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
    a trap and a snare.(DB)
15 Many of them will stumble;(DC)
    they will fall and be broken,
    they will be snared and captured.”

16 Bind up this testimony of warning(DD)
    and seal(DE) up God’s instruction among my disciples.
17 I will wait(DF) for the Lord,
    who is hiding(DG) his face from the descendants of Jacob.
I will put my trust in him.(DH)

18 Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me.(DI) We are signs(DJ) and symbols(DK) in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.(DL)

The Darkness Turns to Light

19 When someone tells you to consult(DM) mediums and spiritists,(DN) who whisper and mutter,(DO) should not a people inquire(DP) of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Consult God’s instruction(DQ) and the testimony of warning.(DR) If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light(DS) of dawn. 21 Distressed and hungry,(DT) they will roam through the land;(DU) when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse(DV) their king and their God. 22 Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom,(DW) and they will be thrust into utter darkness.(DX)

[l]Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom(DY) for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,(DZ) but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

The people walking in darkness(EA)
    have seen a great light;(EB)
on those living in the land of deep darkness(EC)
    a light has dawned.(ED)
You have enlarged the nation(EE)
    and increased their joy;(EF)
they rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
    when dividing the plunder.(EG)
For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,(EH)
    you have shattered(EI)
the yoke(EJ) that burdens them,
    the bar across their shoulders,(EK)
    the rod of their oppressor.(EL)
Every warrior’s boot used in battle
    and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,(EM)
    will be fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born,(EN)
    to us a son is given,(EO)
    and the government(EP) will be on his shoulders.(EQ)
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor,(ER) Mighty God,(ES)
    Everlasting(ET) Father,(EU) Prince of Peace.(EV)
Of the greatness of his government(EW) and peace(EX)
    there will be no end.(EY)
He will reign(EZ) on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice(FA) and righteousness(FB)
    from that time on and forever.(FC)
The zeal(FD) of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

The Lord’s Anger Against Israel

The Lord has sent a message(FE) against Jacob;
    it will fall on Israel.
All the people will know it—
    Ephraim(FF) and the inhabitants of Samaria(FG)
who say with pride
    and arrogance(FH) of heart,
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
    but we will rebuild with dressed stone;(FI)
the fig(FJ) trees have been felled,
    but we will replace them with cedars.(FK)
11 But the Lord has strengthened Rezin’s(FL) foes against them
    and has spurred their enemies on.
12 Arameans(FM) from the east and Philistines(FN) from the west
    have devoured(FO) Israel with open mouth.

Yet for all this, his anger(FP) is not turned away,
    his hand is still upraised.(FQ)

13 But the people have not returned(FR) to him who struck(FS) them,
    nor have they sought(FT) the Lord Almighty.
14 So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail,
    both palm branch and reed(FU) in a single day;(FV)
15 the elders(FW) and dignitaries(FX) are the head,
    the prophets(FY) who teach lies(FZ) are the tail.
16 Those who guide(GA) this people mislead them,
    and those who are guided are led astray.(GB)
17 Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men,(GC)
    nor will he pity(GD) the fatherless and widows,
for everyone is ungodly(GE) and wicked,(GF)
    every mouth speaks folly.(GG)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
    his hand is still upraised.(GH)

18 Surely wickedness burns like a fire;(GI)
    it consumes briers and thorns,(GJ)
it sets the forest thickets ablaze,(GK)
    so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.
19 By the wrath(GL) of the Lord Almighty
    the land will be scorched(GM)
and the people will be fuel for the fire;(GN)
    they will not spare one another.(GO)
20 On the right they will devour,
    but still be hungry;(GP)
on the left they will eat,(GQ)
    but not be satisfied.
Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring[m]:
21     Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh;(GR)
    together they will turn against Judah.(GS)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
    his hand is still upraised.(GT)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 7:2 Or has set up camp in
  2. Isaiah 7:3 Shear-Jashub means a remnant will return.
  3. Isaiah 7:14 The Hebrew is plural.
  4. Isaiah 7:14 Or young woman
  5. Isaiah 7:14 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls son, and he or son, and they
  6. Isaiah 7:14 Immanuel means God with us.
  7. Isaiah 7:23 That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms
  8. Isaiah 8:1 Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz means quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil; also in verse 3.
  9. Isaiah 8:8 Immanuel means God with us.
  10. Isaiah 8:9 Or Do your worst
  11. Isaiah 8:10 Hebrew Immanuel
  12. Isaiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-21 is numbered 9:1-20.
  13. Isaiah 9:20 Or arm