The Scriptures (ISR 1998) 1And it came to be in the days of Aḥaz son of Yotham, son of Uzziyahu, sovereign of Yehuḏah, that Retsin sovereign of Aram and Peqaḥ son of Remalyahu, sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, went up to Yerushalayim to fight against it, but could not prevail against it. 2And it was reported to the house of Dawiḏ, saying, “Aram has set up camp in Ephrayim.” And his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the forest are moved with the wind. 3And יהוה said to Yeshayahu, “Go out now to meet Aḥaz, you and She’ar-Yashuḇ your son, at the end of the channel of the upper pool, on the highway of the Launderer’s Field, 4and say to him, ‘Take heed, and be calm; do not fear or be faint-hearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce displeasure of Retsin and Aram, and the son of Remalyahu. 5‘Because Aram, Ephrayim, and the son of Remalyahu have plotted evil against you, saying, 6“Let us go up against Yehuḏah and tear it apart, and break it open for ourselves, and set a sovereign over them, the son of Taḇe’ĕl.” 7‘Thus said the Master יהוה, “It is not going to stand, nor shall it take place. 8“For the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Retsin. And within sixty-five years Ephrayim is to be broken as a people. 9“And the head of Ephrayim is Shomeron, and the head of Shomeron is the son of Remalyahu. If you do not believe, you are not steadfast.” ’ ” 10And יהוה spoke again to Aḥaz, saying, 11“Ask a sign for yourself from יהוה your Elohim; make deep the request or make it high.” 12But Aḥaz said, “I do not ask nor try יהוה!” 13And he said, “Hear now, O house of Dawiḏ! Is it not enough that you weary men, that you weary my Elohim also? 14“Therefore יהוה Himself gives you a sign: Look, the maiden conceives and gives birth to a Son, and shall call His Name Immanu’ĕla. 15“He eats curds and honey when He knows to refuse evil and choose the good. 16“For before the Child knows to refuse evil and choose the good, the land that you dread is to be forsaken by both her sovereigns. 17“יהוה brings on you and your people and your father’s house days that have not come since the day that Ephrayim turned away from Yehuḏah – the sovereign of Ashshur.” 18And it shall be in that day that יהוה whistles for the fly that is in the farthest part of the rivers of Mitsrayim, and for the bee that is in the land of Ashshur. 19And they shall come, and all of them shall rest in the steep ravines and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all weeds and in all pastures. 20In that day יהוה shall shave with a razor hired beyond the River – with the sovereign of Ashshur – the head and the hair of the legs, and also remove the beard. 21And it shall be in that day that a man keeps alive a young cow and two sheep. 22And it shall be, that he shall eat curds because of the plenty milk he gets, for everyone left in the land shall eat curds. 23And it shall be in that day, every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand sheqels of silver, let it be for thornbushes and weeds. 24With arrows and bows one shall go there, because all the land shall be thornbushes and weeds. 25And to all the hills which were tilled with the hoe, you do not go for fear of thornbushes and weeds; but it shall be for sending oxen to, and a place for sheep to roam. |