Isaiah 7
New King James Version
Isaiah Sent to King Ahaz(A)
7 Now it came to pass in the days of (B)Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against (C)it, but could not [a]prevail against it. 2 And it was told to the house of David, saying, “Syria’s forces are [b]deployed in Ephraim.” So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.
3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and [c]Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field, 4 and say to him: [d]‘Take heed, and [e]be (D)quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah. 5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying, 6 “Let us go up against Judah and [f]trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel”— 7 thus says the Lord God:
(E)“It shall not stand,
Nor shall it come to pass.
8 (F)For the head of Syria is Damascus,
And the head of Damascus is Rezin.
Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be [g]broken,
So that it will not be a people.
9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
And the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son.
(G)If you will not believe,
Surely you shall not be established.” ’ ”
The Immanuel Prophecy
10 Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 (H)“Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; [h]ask it either in the depth or in the height above.”
12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!”
13 Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: (I)Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear (J)a Son, and shall call His name (K)Immanuel.[i] 15 Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 (L)For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by (M)both her kings. 17 (N)The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father’s house—days that have not come since the day that (O)Ephraim departed from Judah.”
18 And it shall come to pass in that day
That the Lord (P)will whistle for the fly
That is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt,
And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
19 They will come, and all of them will rest
In the desolate valleys and in (Q)the clefts of the rocks,
And on all thorns and in all pastures.
20 In the same day the Lord will shave with a (R)hired (S)razor,
With those from beyond [j]the River, with the king of Assyria,
The head and the hair of the legs,
And will also remove the beard.
21 It shall be in that day
That a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep;
22 So it shall be, from the abundance of milk they give,
That he will eat curds;
For curds and honey everyone will eat who is left in the land.
23 It shall happen in that day,
That wherever there could be a thousand vines
Worth a thousand shekels of silver,
(T)It will be for briers and thorns.
24 With arrows and bows men will come there,
Because all the land will become briers and thorns.
25 And to any hill which could be dug with the hoe,
You will not go there for fear of briers and thorns;
But it will become a range for oxen
And a place for sheep to roam.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 7:1 conquer it
- Isaiah 7:2 Lit. settled upon
- Isaiah 7:3 Lit. A Remnant Shall Return
- Isaiah 7:4 Be careful
- Isaiah 7:4 be calm
- Isaiah 7:6 cause a sickening dread
- Isaiah 7:8 Lit. shattered
- Isaiah 7:11 Lit. make the request deep or make it high above
- Isaiah 7:14 Lit. God-With-Us
- Isaiah 7:20 The Euphrates
Isaiah 7
Wycliffe Bible
7 And it was done in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, (that) Rezin, the king of Syria, and Pekah, the son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, ascended to Jerusalem, for to fight against it; and they might not overcome it. (And it was done in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, the king of Judah, that Rezin, the king of Syria, and Pekah, the son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, came to Jerusalem, to fight against it; but they could not overcome it.)
2 And they told to the house of David, and said, Syria hath rested on Ephraim, that is, the king of Syria and the king of Israel be confederated, to come together against the realm of Judah, and the heart of him and of his people was moved together, as the trees of woods be moved of the face of the wind (and his heart and those of his people were altogether moved, or shaken, like the trees in the woods by the wind).
3 And the Lord said to Isaiah, Go thou out, and Jashub, thy son, which is left, into the meeting of Ahaz, at the last end of the water conduit of the higher cistern, in the way of the field of the fuller. (And the Lord said to Isaiah, Thou, and thy son Shearjashub, go out to meet with Ahaz, at the far end of the water conduit of the Upper Pool, on the way to the Fuller’s Field.)
4 And thou shalt say to him, See thou, that thou be still; do not thou dread, and thine heart be not afeared of the two tails of these brands smoking, in the wrath of the strong vengeance of Rezin, king of Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. (And thou shalt say to him, See thou, that thou stay calm; do not thou fear, and do not let thy heart be afraid of the two tails of these smoking firebrands, that is, of the anger of the strong vengeance of Rezin, the king of Syria, and that of the son of Remaliah.)
5 For Syria, and Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have begun evil counsel against thee, and say,
6 Go we up to Judah, and raise we him, and draw we him out to us; and set we a king in the midst thereof, the son of Tabeal.
7 The Lord God saith these things, This shall not be, and it shall not stand;
8 but Damascus shall be the head of Syria, and Rezin shall be the head of Damascus; and yet sixty years and five, and Ephraim shall fail to be a people (and yet within sixty-five years, Ephraim shall cease to be a nation);
9 and Samaria shall fail to be the head of Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah to be [the] head of Samaria. Forsooth if ye shall not believe, ye shall not (still) dwell (But if ye do not believe this, ye shall not endure).
10 And the Lord added to speak to Ahaz, and said,
11 Ask thou to thee a sign of thy Lord God, into the depth of hell, either into [the] height above. (Ask thou for a sign from the Lord thy God for thee, yea, from the depths of hell/from the lowest part of Sheol, or from the heights above.)
12 And Ahaz said, I shall not ask, and I shall not tempt the Lord.
13 And Isaiah said, Therefore the house of David, hear ye; whether it is (too) little to you to be dis-easeful to men, for ye be dis-easeful also to my God? (And Isaiah said, And so, hear ye, the house of David; is it not enough for you to make men weary? must ye also make my God weary as well?)
14 For this thing the Lord himself shall give a sign to you. Lo! a virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a son; and his name shall be called Immanuel. [Lo! a maid(en) shall conceive, and bare a son; and thou shalt call his name Immanuel.]
15 He shall eat butter and honey, that he know how to reprove evil, and choose good. (He shall eat butter and honey, and he shall know how to rebuke, or to reject, evil, and to choose good.)
16 For why before the child know how to reprove evil, and choose good, the land, which thou loathest, shall be forsaken of the face of their two kings. (And before that the child know how to rebuke, or to reject, evil, and to choose good, the lands of these two kings, whom thou fearest, shall be deserted.)
17 The Lord shall bring on thee, and on thy people, and on the house of thy father, days that came not from the days of [the] departing of Ephraim from Judah, with the king of Assyrians. (The Lord shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon the house of thy father, such days that came not since the days of the separating of Ephraim from Judah, yea, by the hand, or by the power, of the king of Assyria.)
18 And it shall be, in that day the Lord shall hiss to a fly, which is in the last part of the floods of Egypt; and to a bee, which is in the land of Assur; (And it shall be, on that day the Lord shall whistle for the fly, which is at the ends of the rivers of Egypt; and for the bee, which is in the land of Assyria;)
19 and all those shall come, and shall rest in the strands of valleys, and in the caves of stones, and in all [the] places of bushes, and in all holes. (and they all shall come, and shall rest by the streams in the valleys, and in the caves of stone, and in all the places of bushes, and in all the holes.)
20 And in that day the Lord shall shave with a sharp razor in these men, that be beyond the flood, of the king of Assyrians, the head, and the hairs of the feet, and all the beard. (And on that day the Lord shall shave with a sharp razor the hair on the heads, and on the feet, and all the beards, of your young men, by the hand, or by the power, of the king of Assyria, who is beyond the river.)
21 And it shall be, in that day (And it shall be, on that day), a man shall nourish a cow of oxes, and two sheep,
22 and for the plenty of milk he shall eat butter; for why each man that shall be left in the midst of the land, shall eat butter and honey.
23 And it shall be, in that day each place where a thousand vineries shall be worth a thousand pieces of silver, and shall be into thorns and briars, (And it shall be, on that day each place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand pieces of silver, shall be given over to thorns and briars,)
24 (and) men shall enter thither with bows and arrows; for why briars and thorns shall be in all the land.
25 And all hills that shall be purged with a briar hook, the dread of thorns and of briars shall not come thither; and it shall be into pasture of oxen, and into the treading of sheep. (And on all the hills that were once planted, now for fear of thorns and briars, no one shall go there; and they shall only be used for the pasture of oxen, and for the treading of sheep.)
Isaiah 7
King James Version
7 And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.
2 And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.
3 Then said the Lord unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field;
4 And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.
5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying,
6 Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal:
7 Thus saith the Lord God, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.
8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people.
9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.
10 Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying,
11 Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.
12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.
13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?
14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
17 The Lord shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father's house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria.
18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
19 And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes.
20 In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, namely, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet: and it shall also consume the beard.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall nourish a young cow, and two sheep;
22 And it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk that they shall give he shall eat butter: for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the land.
23 And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place shall be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, it shall even be for briers and thorns.
24 With arrows and with bows shall men come thither; because all the land shall become briers and thorns.
25 And on all hills that shall be digged with the mattock, there shall not come thither the fear of briers and thorns: but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and for the treading of lesser cattle.
Isaiah 7
English Standard Version
Isaiah Sent to King Ahaz
7 In the days of (A)Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, (B)Rezin the king of Syria and (C)Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. 2 When the house of David was told, (D)“Syria is in league with[a] (E)Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz[b] and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.
3 And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and (F)Shear-jashub[c] your son, at the end of (G)the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer's Field. 4 And say to him, (H)‘Be careful, (I)be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two (J)smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and (K)the son of Remaliah. 5 Because Syria, with Ephraim and (L)the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, 6 “Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it[d] for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” 7 thus says the Lord God:
(M)“‘It shall not stand,
and it shall not come to pass.
8 For the head of Syria is (N)Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is Rezin.
And within sixty-five years
Ephraim will be shattered from being a people.
9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is (O)the son of Remaliah.
(P)If you[e] are not firm in faith,
you will not be firm at all.’”
The Sign of Immanuel
10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask (Q)a sign of the Lord your[f] God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” 13 And he[g] said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you (R)weary my God also? 14 Therefore the (S)Lord himself will give you a sign. (T)Behold, the (U)virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name (V)Immanuel.[h] 15 He shall eat (W)curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 (X)For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be (Y)deserted. 17 (Z)The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father's house such days as have not come since the day that (AA)Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!”
18 In that day the Lord will (AB)whistle for the fly that is at the end of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19 And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines, and (AC)in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thornbushes, and on all the pastures.[i]
20 In that day (AD)the Lord will (AE)shave with a razor that is (AF)hired beyond (AG)the River[j]—with the king of Assyria—the head and the hair of the feet, and it will sweep away the beard also.
21 (AH)In that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep, 22 and because of the abundance of milk that they give, he will eat curds, for everyone who is left in the land will eat (AI)curds and honey.
23 In that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand shekels[k] of silver, will become (AJ)briers and thorns. 24 (AK)With bow and arrows a man will come there, for all the land will be briers and thorns. 25 (AL)And as for all the hills that used to be hoed with a hoe, you will not come there for fear (AM)of briers and thorns, but they will become a place where cattle are let loose and where sheep tread.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 7:2 Hebrew Syria has rested upon
- Isaiah 7:2 Hebrew his heart
- Isaiah 7:3 Shear-jashub means A remnant shall return
- Isaiah 7:6 Hebrew let us split it open
- Isaiah 7:9 The Hebrew for you is plural in verses 9, 13, 14
- Isaiah 7:11 The Hebrew for you and your is singular in verses 11, 16, 17
- Isaiah 7:13 That is, Isaiah
- Isaiah 7:14 Immanuel means God is with us
- Isaiah 7:19 Or watering holes, or brambles
- Isaiah 7:20 That is, the Euphrates
- Isaiah 7:23 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
2001 by Terence P. Noble
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.

