Isaiah 7

Isaiah Sent to King Ahaz

1In the days of aAhaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, bRezin the king of Syria and cPekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. 2When the house of David was told, dSyria is in league with
Hebrew  Syria has rested upon
fEphraim,” the heart of Ahaz
Hebrew his heart
and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.

3And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and hShear-jashub
 Shear-jashub means A remnant shall return
your son, at the end of jthe conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer’s Field.
4And say to him, k‘Be careful, lbe quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two msmoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and nthe son of Remaliah. 5Because Syria, with Ephraim and othe son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, 6“Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it
Hebrew  let us split it open
for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,”
7thus says the Lord God:

q“‘It shall not stand,
and it shall not come to pass.
8For the head of Syria is rDamascus,
and the head of Damascus is Rezin.
And within sixty-five years
Ephraim will be shattered from being a people.
9And the head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is sthe son of Remaliah.
tIf you
The Hebrew for  you is plural in verses 9, 13, 14
are not firm in faith,
you will not be firm at all.’”

The Sign of Immanuel

10Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: 11Ask va sign of the Lord your
The Hebrew for you and  your is singular in verses 11, 16, 17
God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”
12But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” 13And he
That is, Isaiah
said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you yweary my God also?
14Therefore the zLord himself will give you a sign. aaBehold, the abvirgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name acImmanuel.
 Immanuel means God is with us
15He shall eat aecurds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 afFor before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be agdeserted. 17 ahThe Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that aiEphraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!”

18In that day the Lord will ajwhistle for the fly that is at the end of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines, and akin the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thornbushes, and on all the pastures.
Or watering holes, or brambles


20In that day amthe Lord will anshave with a razor that is aohired beyond apthe River—with the king of Assyria—the head and the hair of the feet, and it will sweep away the beard also.

21 aqIn that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep, 22and because of the abundance of milk that they give, he will eat curds, for everyone who is left in the land will eat arcurds and honey.

23In that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand shekels
A  shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
of silver, will become atbriers and thorns.
24 auWith bow and arrows a man will come there, for all the land will be briers and thorns. 25 avAnd as for all the hills that used to be hoed with a hoe, you will not come there for fear awof briers and thorns, but they will become a place where cattle are let loose and where sheep tread.

Isaiah 8

The Coming Assyrian Invasion

1Then the Lord said to me, “Take a large tablet axand write on it in common characters,
Hebrew with a man’s stylus
‘Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz.’
 Maher-shalal-hash-baz means The spoil speeds, the prey hastens
2And baI will get reliable witnesses, bbUriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah, to attest for me.”

3And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, bcCall his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz; 4 bdfor before the boy knows how to cry ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the bewealth of bfDamascus and the spoil of bgSamaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.”

5The Lord spoke to me again: 6Because this people has refused the waters of bhShiloah that flow gently, and rejoice over biRezin and the son of Remaliah, 7therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up against them bjthe waters of bkthe River, mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it blwill rise over all its channels and go over all its banks, 8and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, bmreaching even to the neck, and its bnoutspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, boO Immanuel.”

9 Be broken,
Or  Be evil
you peoples, and bqbe shattered;
Or dismayed

give ear, all you far countries;
strap on your armor and be shattered;
strap on your armor and be shattered.
10Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing;
speak a word, bsbut it will not stand,
for God btis with us.
The Hebrew for  God is with us is Immanuel

Fear God, Wait for the Lord

11For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and bvwarned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 12“Do not call bwconspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and bxdo not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13But the Lord of hosts, byhim you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14And he will become a bzsanctuary and caa stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15And many cbshall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”

16Bind up ccthe testimony; cdseal the teaching
Or law; also verse 20
among my disciples.
17I will cfwait for the Lord, who is cghiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. 18 chBehold, I and cithe children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion. 19And when they say to you, “Inquire of the cjmediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of ckthe dead on behalf of the living? 20 clTo the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no cmdawn. 21They will pass through the land,
Hebrew it
greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against
Or  speak contemptuously by
their king and their God, and turn their faces upward.
22 cpAnd they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into cqthick darkness.

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