Isaiah 7
Contemporary English Version
Isaiah Offers Hope to King Ahaz
7 (A) Ahaz, the son of Jotham and the grandson of Uzziah, was king of Judah when King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel went to attack Jerusalem. But they were not able to do what they had planned.[a] 2 When news reached the royal palace that Syria had joined forces with Israel, King Ahaz and everyone in Judah were so terrified that they shook like trees in a windstorm.
3 Then the Lord said to me:
Take your son Shearjashub[b] and go see King Ahaz. You will find him on the road near the cloth makers' shops at the end of the canal that brings water from the upper pool. 4 Tell Ahaz to stop worrying. There's no need for him to be afraid of King Rezin and King Pekah. They are very angry, but they are nothing more than a dying fire. Ahaz doesn't need to fear 5 their evil threats 6 to invade and defeat Judah and Jerusalem and to let the son of Tabeel be king in his place.
7 I, the Lord, promise that this will never happen. 8-9 Damascus is just the capital of Syria, and King Rezin rules only in Damascus. Samaria is just the capital of Israel, and King Pekah rules only in Samaria. But in less than 65 years, Israel will be destroyed. And if Ahaz and his officials don't trust me, they will be defeated.
A Son Named Immanuel
10 Once again the Lord God spoke to King Ahaz. This time he said, 11 “Ask me for proof that my promise will come true. Ask for something to happen deep in the world of the dead or high in the heavens above.”
12 “No, Lord,” Ahaz answered. “I won't test you!”
13 Then I said:
Listen, every one of you in the royal family of David. You have already tried my patience. Now you are trying God's patience by refusing to ask for proof. 14 (B) But the Lord will still give you proof. A virgin[c] is pregnant; she will have a son and will name him Immanuel.[d] 15-16 Even before the boy is old enough to know how to choose between right and wrong, he will eat yogurt and honey,[e] and the countries of the two kings you fear will be destroyed. 17 But the Lord will make more trouble for your people and your kingdom than any of you have known since Israel broke away from Judah. He will even bring the king of Assyria to attack you.
The Threat of an Invasion
18 When that time comes, the Lord will whistle, and armies will come from Egypt like flies and from Assyria like bees. 19 They will settle everywhere—in the deep valleys and between the rocks, on every thornbush and all over the pastureland.
20 The Lord will pay the king of Assyria to bring a razor from across the Euphrates River and shave your head and every hair on your body, including your beard.[f]
21 Anyone who is able to save only one young cow and two sheep, 22 will have enough milk to make yogurt. In fact, everyone left in the land will eat yogurt and honey.[g]
23 Vineyards that had 1,000 vines and were worth 1,000 pieces of silver will turn into thorn patches. 24 You will go there to hunt with your bow and arrows, because the whole country will be covered with thornbushes. 25 The hills where you once planted crops will be overgrown with thorns and thistles. You will be afraid to go there, and your cattle, sheep, and goats will be turned loose on those hills.
Footnotes
- 7.1 went … had planned: Or “attacked Jerusalem, but could not capture it.”
- 7.3 Shearjashub: In Hebrew “Shearjashub” means “a few will return.”
- 7.14 virgin: Or “young woman.” In this context the difficult Hebrew word did not imply a virgin birth. However, in the Greek translation made about 200 b.c. and used by the early Christians, the word parthenos had a double meaning. While the translator took it to mean “young woman,” Matthew understood it to mean “virgin” and quoted the passage (Matthew 1.23) because it was the appropriate description of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
- 7.14 Immanuel: In Hebrew “Immanuel” means “God is with us.”
- 7.15,16 yogurt and honey: This may refer either to expensive foods eaten in a time of plenty or to a limited diet eaten in times of a food shortage.
- 7.20 shave … head … body … beard: This would have been a terrible insult.
- 7.22 yogurt and honey: See the note at 7.15,16.
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
Isaías 7
Dios Habla Hoy
Primer mensaje de Isaías a Ahaz
7 El rey de Siria, Resín, y el rey de Israel, Pécah, hijo de Remalías, atacaron a Jerusalén y quisieron conquistarla, pero no pudieron. Esto sucedió cuando Ahaz, hijo de Jotam y nieto de Ozías, era rey de Judá. 2 En esa ocasión llevaron esta noticia al rey Ahaz y a su familia: «Los sirios se han aliado con Efraín.» El rey y el pueblo empezaron a temblar como tiemblan los árboles del bosque cuando sopla el viento.
3 Entonces el Señor dijo a Isaías: «Toma a tu hijo Sear-iasub y ve a encontrarte con el rey Ahaz en el extremo del canal del estanque superior, en el camino que va al campo del Lavador de Paños, 4 y dile:
“Ten cuidado, pero no te asustes;
no tengas miedo ni te acobardes
por esos dos tizones humeantes,
Resín con sus sirios, y el hijo de Remalías,
que están ardiendo en furor.
5 Los sirios, con el pueblo de Efraín y el hijo de Remalías,
han tramado hacerte mal.
Han dicho:
6 Invadamos Judá y metámosle miedo;
apoderémonos de ella
y pongamos por rey al hijo de Tabeel.
7 Pero el Señor dice:
¡Eso jamás sucederá!
8-9 Damasco es la capital de Siria,
y Resín es el rey de Damasco;
Samaria es la capital de Efraín,
y el hijo de Remalías es el rey de Samaria;
pero dentro de sesenta y cinco años
Efraín dejará de ser nación;
y si ustedes no tienen una fe firme,
tampoco quedarán firmemente en pie.”»
Segundo mensaje: el nacimiento de Emanuel
10 El Señor dijo también a Ahaz: 11 «Pide al Señor tu Dios que haga un milagro que te sirva de señal, ya sea abajo en lo más profundo o arriba en lo más alto.»
12 Ahaz contestó: «No, yo no voy a poner a prueba al Señor pidiéndole una señal.»
13 Entonces Isaías dijo:
«Escuchen ustedes, los de la casa real de David.
¿Les parece poco molestar a los hombres,
que quieren también molestar a mi Dios?
14 Pues el Señor mismo les va a dar una señal:
La joven está encinta
y va a tener un hijo,
al que pondrá por nombre Emanuel.
15 En los primeros años de vida del niño,
se comerá leche cuajada y miel.
16 Pero antes de que el niño tenga uso de razón,
el país de los dos reyes que te causan miedo
quedará abandonado.
17 »El Señor hará venir sobre ti,
sobre tu pueblo y la casa real,
días como no habían venido
desde que Efraín se separó de Judá.»
(Esto se refiere al rey de Asiria.)
18 En ese tiempo el Señor hará venir como moscas
a los que viven en los lejanos ríos de Egipto,
y hará venir como abejas
a los que viven en Asiria.
19 Todos ellos vendrán a instalarse
en las cañadas profundas
y en las cuevas de las rocas,
en todos los matorrales espinosos
y en los sitios donde bebe el ganado.
20 En ese día el Señor usará al rey de Asiria
como navaja alquilada más allá del río Éufrates,
y les afeitará a los israelitas
la cabeza, la barba y la parte inferior del cuerpo.
21 En ese tiempo, el que críe una vaca y dos ovejas 22 tendrá tanta leche que podrá comer leche cuajada. Y todos los que se salven de la destrucción en el país podrán comer leche cuajada y miel.
23 En ese tiempo, lo que antes era un viñedo con mil plantas y valía mil monedas de plata, quedará convertido en espinos y matorrales. 24 Sólo se podrá entrar allí con arco y flechas para cazar, porque todo el país quedará convertido en espinos y matorrales. 25 En las colinas que antes se cultivaban con azadón, habrá tantos espinos y matorrales que nadie irá a ellas. Sólo servirán como pastizal para los bueyes y las ovejas.
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