² Now the house of David^(A) was told, “Aram has allied itself with^[a] Ephraim^(B)”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken,^(C) 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](D) to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.^{(E) 4} Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm^(F) and don’t be afraid.^(G) Do not lose heart^(H) because of these two smoldering stubs^(I) of firewood—because of the fierce anger^(J) of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah.^{(K) 5} Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s^(L) son have plotted^(M) 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:^(N)

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

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

¹³ Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David!^(Z) Is it not enough^(AA) to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience^(AB) of my God^(AC) also? ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you^[c] a sign:^(AD) The virgin^[d](AE) will conceive and give birth to a son,^(AF) and^[e] will call him Immanuel.^{[f](AG) 15} He will be eating curds^(AH) and honey^(AI) when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, ¹⁶ for before the boy knows^(AJ) enough to reject the wrong and choose the right,^(AK) the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.^(AL)

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about^[a]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.^{(A) 19} Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet^[b] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce^(B) her quietly.

²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel^(C) of the Lord appeared to him in a dream^(D) and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,^[c](E) because he will save his people from their sins.”^(F)

²² All this took place to fulfill^(G) what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”^[d](H) (which means “God with us”).

²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel^(I) of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.^(J)