Old/New Testament
Ahaz Receives a Sign
7 During[a] the reign of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel marched up to Jerusalem to do battle, but they were unable to prevail against it.[b]
2 It was reported to the family[c] of David, “Syria has allied with[d] Ephraim.” They and their people were emotionally shaken, just as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.[e] 3 So the Lord told Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear Jashub[f] and meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool that is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth.[g] 4 Tell him, ‘Make sure you stay calm![h] Don’t be afraid. Don’t be intimidated[i] by these two stubs of smoking logs,[j] or by the raging anger of Rezin, Syria, and the son of Remaliah. 5 Syria has plotted with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah to bring about your demise.[k] 6 They say, “Let’s attack Judah, terrorize it, and conquer it.[l] Then we’ll set up the son of Tabeel as its king.”[m] 7 For this reason the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘It will not take place;
it will not happen.
8 For Syria’s leader is Damascus,
and the leader of Damascus is Rezin.
Within sixty-five years Ephraim will no longer exist as a nation.[n]
9 Ephraim’s leader is Samaria,
and Samaria’s leader is the son of Remaliah.
If your faith does not remain firm,
then you will not remain secure.’”[o]
10 The Lord again spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask for a confirming sign from the Lord your God. You can even ask for something miraculous.”[p] 12 But Ahaz responded, “I don’t want to ask; I don’t want to put the Lord to a test.”[q] 13 So Isaiah replied,[r] “Pay attention,[s] family[t] of David.[u] Do you consider it too insignificant to try the patience of men? Is that why you are also trying the patience of my God? 14 For this reason the Lord himself will give you a confirming sign.[v] Look, this[w] young woman[x] is about to conceive[y] and will give birth to a son. You, young woman, will name him[z] Immanuel.[aa] 15 He will eat sour milk[ab] and honey, which will help him know how[ac] to reject evil and choose what is right. 16 Here is why this will be so:[ad] Before the child knows how to reject evil and choose what is right, the land[ae] whose two kings you fear will be desolate.[af] 17 The Lord will bring on you, your people, and your father’s family a time[ag] unlike any since Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!”[ah]
18 At that time[ai] the Lord will whistle for flies from the distant streams of Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria.[aj] 19 All of them will come and make their home[ak] in the ravines between the cliffs and in the crevices of the cliffs, in all the thorn bushes, and in all the watering holes.[al] 20 At that time[am] the Lord will use a razor hired from the banks of the Euphrates River,[an] the king of Assyria, to shave the hair off the head and private parts;[ao] it will also shave off the beard. 21 At that time[ap] a man will keep alive a young cow from the herd and a couple of goats. 22 From the abundance of milk they produce,[aq] he will have sour milk for his meals. Indeed, everyone left in the heart of the land will eat sour milk and honey. 23 At that time[ar] every place where there had been 1,000 vines worth 1,000 silver shekels will be overrun[as] with thorns and briers. 24 With bow and arrow[at] people will hunt[au] there, for the whole land will be covered[av] with thorns and briers. 25 They will stay away from all the hills that were cultivated for fear of the thorns and briers.[aw] Cattle will graze there, and sheep will trample on them.[ax]
A Child is Born for a Sign
8 The Lord told me, “Take a large tablet[ay] and inscribe these words[az] on it with an ordinary stylus:[ba] ‘Maher Shalal Hash Baz.’[bb] 2 Then I will summon[bc] as my reliable witnesses Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah.” 3 I then approached the prophetess for marital relations;[bd] she conceived and gave birth to a son. The Lord told me, “Name him Maher Shalal Hash Baz, 4 for before the child knows how to cry out ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.”[be]
5 The Lord spoke to me again: 6 “These people[bf] have rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah[bg] and melt in fear over Rezin and the son of Remaliah.[bh] 7 So look, the Lord[bi] is bringing up against them the turbulent and mighty waters of the Euphrates River[bj]—the king of Assyria and all his majestic power. It will reach flood stage and overflow its banks.[bk] 8 It will spill into Judah, flooding and engulfing, as it reaches to the necks of its victims. He will spread his wings out over your entire land,[bl] O Immanuel.”[bm]
9 You will be broken,[bn] O nations;
you will be shattered![bo]
Pay attention, all you distant lands of the earth.
Get ready for battle, and you will be shattered!
Get ready for battle, and you will be shattered![bp]
10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted.
Issue your orders, but they will not be executed![bq]
For God is with us![br]
The Lord Encourages Isaiah
11 Indeed this is what the Lord told me quite forcefully.[bs] He warned me not to act like these people:[bt]
12 “Do not say, ‘Conspiracy,’ every time these people say the word.[bu]
Don’t be afraid of what scares them; don’t be terrified.
13 You must recognize the authority of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.[bv]
He is the one you must respect;
he is the one you must fear.[bw]
14 He will become a sanctuary,[bx]
but a stone that makes a person trip,
and a rock that makes one stumble—
to the two houses of Israel.[by]
He will become[bz] a trap and a snare
to the residents of Jerusalem.
15 Many will stumble over the stone and the rock,[ca]
and will fall and be seriously injured,
and will be ensnared and captured.”
16 Tie up the scroll as legal evidence,[cb]
seal the official record of God’s instructions and give it to my followers.[cc]
17 I will wait patiently for the Lord,
who has rejected the family of Jacob;[cd]
I will wait for him.
18 Look, I and the sons whom the Lord has given me[ce] are reminders and object lessons[cf] in Israel, sent from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who lives on Mount Zion.
Darkness Turns to Light as an Ideal King Arrives
19 [cg] They will say to you, “Seek oracles at the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, from the magicians who chirp and mutter incantations.[ch] Should people not seek oracles from their gods, by asking the dead about the destiny of the living?”[ci] 20 Then you must recall the Lord’s instructions and the prophetic testimony of what would happen.[cj] Certainly they say such things because their minds are spiritually darkened.[ck] 21 They will pass through the land[cl] destitute and starving. Their hunger will make them angry,[cm] and they will curse their king and their God[cn] as they look upward. 22 When one looks out over the land, he sees[co] distress and darkness, gloom[cp] and anxiety, darkness and people forced from the land.[cq]
New Life Individually
2 And although you were[a] dead[b] in your offenses and sins, 2 in which[c] you formerly lived[d] according to this world’s present path,[e] according to the ruler of the domain[f] of the air, the ruler of[g] the spirit[h] that is now energizing[i] the sons of disobedience,[j] 3 among whom[k] all of us[l] also[m] formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath[n] even as the rest…[o]
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, 5 even though we were dead in offenses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you are saved![p]— 6 and he raised us up together with him and seated us together with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 to demonstrate in the coming ages[q] the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward[r] us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you are saved[s] through faith,[t] and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 it is not from[u] works, so that no one can boast.[v] 10 For we are his creative work, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we can do them.[w]
New Life Corporately
11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh—who are called “uncircumcision” by the so-called “circumcision” that is performed on the body[x] by human hands— 12 that you were at that time without the Messiah,[y] alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise,[z] having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who used to be far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.[aa] 14 For he is our peace, the one who made both groups into one[ab] and who destroyed the middle wall of partition, the hostility, 15 when he nullified[ac] in his flesh the law of commandments in decrees. He did this to create in himself one new man[ad] out of two,[ae] thus making peace, 16 and to reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by which the hostility has been killed.[af] 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, 18 so that[ag] through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer foreigners and noncitizens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, 20 because you have been built[ah] on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,[ai] with Christ Jesus himself as[aj] the cornerstone.[ak] 21 In him[al] the whole building,[am] being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
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