| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Now in the days that Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, Rezin king of Aram marched up to wage war against Jerusalem. He was accompanied by Pekah son of Remaliah the king of Israel, but he could not overpower the city. | 1When Ahaz, son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, set out to attack Jerusalem. However, they were unable to carry out their plan. |
| 2When it was reported to the house of David that Aram was in league with Ephraim, the hearts of Ahaz and his people trembled like trees in the forest shaken by the wind. | 2The news had come to the royal court of Judah: “Syria is allied with Israel against us!” So the hearts of the king and his people trembled with fear, like trees shaking in a storm. |
| 3Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-jashub to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct that feeds the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field, | 3Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Take your son Shear-jashub and go out to meet King Ahaz. You will find him at the end of the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool, near the road leading to the field where cloth is washed. |
| 4and say to him: Calm down and be quiet. Do not be afraid or disheartened over these two smoldering stubs of firewood—over the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. | 4Tell him to stop worrying. Tell him he doesn’t need to fear the fierce anger of those two burned-out embers, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah. |
| 5For Aram, along with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has plotted your ruin, saying: | 5Yes, the kings of Syria and Israel are plotting against him, saying, |
| 6‘Let us invade Judah, terrorize it, and divide it among ourselves. Then we can install the son of Tabeal over it as king.’ | 6‘We will attack Judah and capture it for ourselves. Then we will install the son of Tabeel as Judah’s king.’ |
| 7But this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘It will not arise; it will not happen. | 7But this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “This invasion will never happen; it will never take place; |
| 8For the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered as a people. | 8for Syria is no stronger than its capital, Damascus, and Damascus is no stronger than its king, Rezin. As for Israel, within sixty-five years it will be crushed and completely destroyed. |
| 9The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all.’ ” | 9Israel is no stronger than its capital, Samaria, and Samaria is no stronger than its king, Pekah son of Remaliah. Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.” The Sign of Immanuel |
| 10Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying, | 10Later, the LORD sent this message to King Ahaz: |
| 11“Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.” | 11“Ask the LORD your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead. ” |
| 12But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask; I will not test the LORD.” | 12But the king refused. “No,” he said, “I will not test the LORD like that.” |
| 13Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God as well? | 13Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? |
| 14Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel. | 14All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). |
| 15By the time He knows enough to reject evil and choose good, He will be eating curds and honey. | 15By the time this child is old enough to choose what is right and reject what is wrong, he will be eating yogurt and honey. |
| 16For before the boy knows enough to reject evil and choose good, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. | 16For before the child is that old, the lands of the two kings you fear so much will both be deserted. |
| 17The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since the day Ephraim separated from Judah—He will bring the king of Assyria.” | 17“Then the LORD will bring things on you, your nation, and your family unlike anything since Israel broke away from Judah. He will bring the king of Assyria upon you!” |
| 18On that day the LORD will whistle to the flies at the farthest streams of the Nile and to the bees in the land of Assyria. | 18In that day the LORD will whistle for the army of southern Egypt and for the army of Assyria. They will swarm around you like flies and bees. |
| 19And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines and clefts of the rocks, in all the thornbushes and watering holes. | 19They will come in vast hordes and settle in the fertile areas and also in the desolate valleys, caves, and thorny places. |
| 20On that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates—the king of Assyria—to shave your head and the hair of your legs, and to remove your beard as well. | 20In that day the Lord will hire a “razor” from beyond the Euphrates River —the king of Assyria—and use it to shave off everything: your land, your crops, and your people. |
| 21On that day a man will raise a young cow and two sheep, | 21In that day a farmer will be fortunate to have a cow and two sheep or goats left. |
| 22and from the abundance of milk they give, he will eat curds; for all who remain in the land will eat curds and honey. | 22Nevertheless, there will be enough milk for everyone because so few people will be left in the land. They will eat their fill of yogurt and honey. |
| 23And on that day, in every place that had a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, only briers and thorns will be found. | 23In that day the lush vineyards, now worth 1,000 pieces of silver, will become patches of briers and thorns. |
| 24Men will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns. | 24The entire land will become a vast expanse of briers and thorns, a hunting ground overrun by wildlife. |
| 25For fear of the briers and thorns, you will no longer traverse the hills once tilled by the hoe; they will become places for oxen to graze and sheep to trample. | 25No one will go to the fertile hillsides where the gardens once grew, for briers and thorns will cover them. Cattle, sheep, and goats will graze there. |
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