In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.
When it was reported to the house of David, saying, “Syria is allied with Ephraim,” his heart trembled, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest tremble with the wind.
Then Yahweh said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son, at the end of the channel from the upper pool on the highway to the Launderer’s Field.
Tell him, ‘Make sure you stay calm. Do not be afraid, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two stubs of smoldering firewood; because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and of the son of Remaliah.
Because Syria, along with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, have plotted evil against you, saying,
“Let’s go up against Judah and terrorize it, and let’s break it open and set up a king in its midst, even the son of Tabeel.”
But this is what the Lord Yahweh says: “It will not take place; it will not happen.”
For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin, and within 65 years Ephraim will be broken in pieces so that it will not be a people;
and the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If you are not firm in your trust, you will not be firm in life.’”
The Sign of Immanuel
Yahweh spoke again to Ahaz, saying,
“Ask a sign of Yahweh your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.”
But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I tempt Yahweh.”
And he said, “Listen now, house of David. Is it not enough for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God also?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you all a sign. Behold, the young woman is pregnant and about to bear a son, and you, young woman, will call his name Immanuel.
He will eat butter and honey when he knows to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
For before the child knows to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you abhor will be forsaken.
Yahweh will bring on you, on your people and on your father’s house, days that have not come from the day that Ephraim separated from Judah—the king of Assyria.
It will happen in that day that Yahweh will whistle for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the streams of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
They will come and will all rest in the steep ravines, and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all thornbushes, and in all the water holes.
In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired in the parts beyond the River, even with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the feet, and it will also sweep away the beard.
In that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep,
and because of the abundance of milk that they will give he will eat butter, for everyone that is left in the midst of the land will eat butter and honey.
It will happen in that day that every place where there used to be 1,000 vines, valued at 1,000 shekels of silver, will become briars and thorns.
A person will go there with arrows and with bow because all the land will be briars and thorns.
And all the hills that had been cultivated with the hoe, you will not go there for fear of briars and thorns; but it will be for cattle to roam and for sheep to tread.”