The Sign of Immanuel
1When 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.
2Now the house of David was told, “Aram has allied itself with7:2 Or has set up camp in Ephraim”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.
3Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub,7:3 Shear-Jashub means a remnant will return. to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field. 4Say 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. 5Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s son have plotted your ruin, saying, 6“Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.” 7Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“ ‘It will not take place,
it will not happen,
8for 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.
9The 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.’ ”
10Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, 11“Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”
12But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.”
13Then 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? 14Therefore the Lord himself will give you7:14 The Hebrew is plural. a sign: The virgin7:14 Or young woman will conceive and give birth to a son, and7:14 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls son, and he or son, and they will call him Immanuel.7:14 Immanuel means God with us. 15He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 16for 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. 17The 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.”
Assyria, the Lord’s Instrument
18In that day the Lord will whistle for flies from the Nile delta in Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria. 19They 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. 20In 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. 21In that day, a person will keep alive a young cow and two goats. 22And 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. 23In that day, in every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels,7:23 That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms there will be only briers and thorns. 24Hunters will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns. 25As 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.
給亞哈斯王的信息
1烏西雅的孫子、約坦的兒子亞哈斯做猶大王時，亞蘭王利汛和利瑪利的兒子以色列王比加來攻打耶路撒冷，卻無法攻破。 2亞蘭和以色列結盟的消息傳到猶大王那裡，舉國上下都嚇得膽戰心驚，好像林中被風吹動的樹木。 3耶和華對以賽亞說：「你帶著兒子施亞雅述出去，到上池水溝的盡頭、在通往漂布場的路上迎見亞哈斯， 4告訴他要謹慎鎮定，不要害怕，不要因亞蘭王利汛和利瑪利的兒子的怒氣而膽怯，他們不過是兩個冒煙的火把頭。 5亞蘭王和以法蓮及利瑪利的兒子陰謀毀滅他， 6企圖攻打並瓜分猶大，改立他比勒的兒子為王。 7但主耶和華說，
「『這陰謀休想得逞，
休想成功。
8亞蘭的都城是大馬士革，
大馬士革的首領是利汛。
六十五年之內，
以法蓮必亡國滅族。
9以法蓮的都城是撒瑪利亞，
撒瑪利亞的首領是利瑪利的兒子。
你們信心若不堅定，
必無法堅立。』」
10耶和華又對亞哈斯說： 11「向你的上帝耶和華求個徵兆吧，或顯在天上，或顯在陰間。」 12但亞哈斯說：「我不求，我不要試探耶和華。」 13以賽亞說：「大衛家啊，你們聽著！你們使人厭煩還不夠嗎？還要使我的上帝厭煩嗎？ 14所以，主會親自給你們一個徵兆，必有童貞女7·14 「童貞女」或譯「女子」。懷孕生子並給他取名叫以馬內利7·14 「以馬內利」意思是「上帝與我們同在」。。 15他將吃乳酪和蜂蜜，一直到他能棄惡擇善之時。 16因為在他能明辨是非之前，你所懼怕的這二王的國土必荒廢。
17「之後，耶和華必讓亞述王來攻擊你、你的人民和你全家，這是自以法蓮與猶大分裂以來從未有過的日子。 18那時，耶和華必用哨聲從埃及的尼羅河口召來蒼蠅，從亞述召來黃蜂。 19牠們必蜂擁而來，落在險峻的山谷、巖穴、一切荊棘叢和草場。 20那時，主必使用從幼發拉底河那邊租來的剃刀，就是亞述王，來剃光你們的頭髮、體毛和鬍鬚。 21那時，一個人將養活一頭小母牛和兩隻羊。 22因出產的奶豐富，他就有乳酪吃，境內剩下的人都將吃乳酪和蜂蜜。 23那時，本來有千株葡萄、價值千金的各園子都必長滿荊棘和蒺藜， 24人們必帶著弓箭去那裡打獵，因為遍地長滿了荊棘和蒺藜。 25你因懼怕荊棘和蒺藜，將不再去從前用鋤頭開墾的山地，那裡將成為牧放牛羊的地方。」
