New International Version

New King James Version

The Sign of Immanuel

When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.

1

Isaiah Sent to King Ahaz

Now it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against it, but could not [a]prevail against it.

2

Now the house of David was told, “Aram has allied itself witha Ephraim”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.

2

And it was told to the house of David, saying, “Syria’s forces are [b]deployed in Ephraim.” So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.

3

Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub,b to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.

3

Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and [c]Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field,

4

Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood — because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah.

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and say to him: [d]‘Take heed, and [e]be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah.

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Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s son have plotted your ruin, saying,

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Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying,

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“Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.”

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“Let us go up against Judah and [f]trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel” —

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Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“ ‘It will not take place,
it will not happen,

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thus says the Lord God:
“It shall not stand,
Nor shall it come to pass.

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for the head of Aram is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is only Rezin.
Within sixty-five years
Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people.

8

For the head of Syria is Damascus,
And the head of Damascus is Rezin.
Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be [g]broken,
So that it will not be a people.

9

The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son.
If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you will not stand at all.’ ”

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The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
And the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son.
If you will not believe,
Surely you shall not be established.” ’ ”

10

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz,

10

The Immanuel Prophecy

Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying,

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“Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”

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“Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; [h]ask it either in the depth or in the height above.”

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But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.”

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But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!”

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Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also?

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Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also?

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Therefore the Lord himself will give youc a sign: The virgind will conceive and give birth to a son, ande will call him Immanuel.f

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Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.[i]

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He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right,

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Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.

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for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.

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For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings.

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The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah — he will bring the king of Assyria.”

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The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father’s house — days that have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah.”

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Assyria, the Lord’s Instrument

In that day the Lord will whistle for flies from the Nile delta in Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria.

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And it shall come to pass in that day
That the Lord will whistle for the fly
That is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt,
And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.

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They will all come and settle in the steep ravines and in the crevices in the rocks, on all the thornbushes and at all the water holes.

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They will come, and all of them will rest
In the desolate valleys and in the clefts of the rocks,
And on all thorns and in all pastures.

20

In that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River — the king of Assyria — to shave your heads and private parts, and to cut off your beards also.

20

In the same day the Lord will shave with a hired razor,
With those from beyond [j]the River, with the king of Assyria,
The head and the hair of the legs,
And will also remove the beard.

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In that day, a person will keep alive a young cow and two goats.

21

It shall be in that day
That a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep;

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And because of the abundance of the milk they give, there will be curds to eat. All who remain in the land will eat curds and honey.

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So it shall be, from the abundance of milk they give,
That he will eat curds;
For curds and honey everyone will eat who is left in the land.

23

In that day, in every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels,g there will be only briers and thorns.

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It shall happen in that day,
That wherever there could be a thousand vines
Worth a thousand shekels of silver,
It will be for briers and thorns.

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Hunters will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns.

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With arrows and bows men will come there,
Because all the land will become briers and thorns.

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As for all the hills once cultivated by the hoe, you will no longer go there for fear of the briers and thorns; they will become places where cattle are turned loose and where sheep run.

25

And to any hill which could be dug with the hoe,
You will not go there for fear of briers and thorns;
But it will become a range for oxen
And a place for sheep to roam.

Parallel

New International Version

New King James Version

Isaiah 7

Isaiah 7