A Message to Ahaz

1And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that came up Rezin king of Aram,† and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, to Jerusalem to war against it. He was not able to fight against it.

2And it was declared to the house of David, saying, Aram has rested itself upon Ephraim.† His heart and the heart of his people was shaken, as are shaken the trees of the forest from the face of the wind.

3And YHWH said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub† your son, toward the end of the conduit of the upper pool, toward the road of the Field of the Washer. 4And say to him: Take heed and be quiet. Do not be afraid and do not be soft because of these two stubs of smoldering firebrands, with the burning of the anger of Rezin and Aram and the son of Remaliah, 5because indeed Aram has plotted evil against you, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, saying, 6‘Let us go up against Judah and treat it with contempt and split it apart unto ourselves,† and in its midst we will make the son of Tabeal reign as king.’ 7Thus says the Lord YHWH:

‘It will not stand,

and it will not come to pass.

8For the head of Aram is Damascus,

and the head of Damascus is Rezin,

and within sixty-five years

Ephraim will be shattered as a people.

9And the head of Ephraim is Samaria,

and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah.

If you⁺ do not stand firm in faith,

surely you⁺ will not stand firm.’”

The Sign of Immanuel
(Matthew 1:18–25)

10And YHWH continued to speak to Ahaz, saying, 11“Ask for yourself a sign from YHWH your God; make the request deep, or make it high above.”

12And Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not test YHWH.”

13And he said, “Hear now, O house of David: Is it a small thing for you⁺ to weary men, that you⁺ would also weary my God? 14Therefore the Lord Himself will give to you⁺ a sign: Behold the virgin† is conceiving and is bringing forth a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.† 15Curds and honey he will eat, when he knows to refuse the evil and to choose the good. 16For before the youth knows to reject the evil and to choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken because of the two of her kings.

Judgment to Come
(Micah 1:1–7)

17YHWH will bring upon you and upon your people and upon the house of your father days that have not come since the day of the turning away of Ephraim from Judah—the king of Assyria!”

18And it will come to pass in that day, that YHWH will whistle for the fly that is at the farthest of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.

19And they will come and all of them will rest

in the desolate valleys and in holes of the rocks,

and on all the thorns and on all the watering holes.

20In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired—with those beyond the River,† with the king of Assyria—the head and the hair of the legs and also the beard He will sweep away. 21And it will come to pass in that day, that a man will keep alive a young cow of the herd and two sheep. 22And it will come to pass from the abundance of producing milk, that he will eat curds—for everyone remaining in the land will eat curds and honey.

23And it will come to pass in that day that there will be in every place where there are a thousand vines at a thousand of silver†—there will be briers and thorns. 24He comes there with arrows and with the bow, for all the land will become briers and thorns. 25And all the hills that are kept in order with the hoe there, you will no longer go for fear of brier and thorn; and it will become for the sending forth of cattle and for the treading of sheep.