Isaiah 7

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 In the reign of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah king of Judah, Razon king of Aram advanced onJerusalem with Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, to attack it; but he was unable to attack it.	1 In the days of Ahaz, king of Judah, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, Rezin, king of Aram, and Pekah, king of Israel, son of Remaliah, went up to attack Jerusalem, but they were not able to conquer it.
2 The House of David was informed: 'Aram has halted in Ephraimite territory.' At this, his heart and hispeople's hearts shook like forest trees shaking in the wind.	2 When word came to the house of David that Aram was encamped in Ephraim, the heart of the king and heart of the people trembled, as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.
3 Yahweh then said to Isaiah, 'Go out with your son Shear-Jashub, and meet Ahaz at the end of theconduit of the upper pool, on the road to the Ful er's Field,	3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah: Go out to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway of the fuller's field,
4 and say to him, "Pay attention and keep calm. Do not be frightened or demoralised by these twosmouldering sticks of firewood, by the fierce anger of Razon, Aram and the son of Remaliah,	4 and say to him: Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear; let not your courage fail before these two stumps of smoldering brands (the blazing anger of Rezin and the Arameans, and of the son of Remaliah),
5 or because Aram, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah have been plotting against you and saying:	5 because of the mischief that Aram (Ephraim and the son of Remaliah) plots against you, saying,
6 Let us mount an attack on Judah, destroy it, force it onto our side and instal the son of Tabeel there asking.	6 "Let us go up and tear Judah asunder, make it our own by force, and appoint the son of Tabeel king there."
7 "Lord Yahweh says this: This wil not happen, it wil never occur,	7 Thus says the LORD: This shall not stand, it shall not be!
8 for the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Razon; another sixty-five years, andEphraim wil cease to be a people.	8 Damascus is the capital of Aram, and Rezin the head of Damascus; Samaria is the capital of Ephraim, and Remaliah's son the head of Samaria.
9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you wil not takeyour stand on me you wil not stand firm." '	9 But within sixty years and five, Ephraim shall be crushed, no longer a nation. Unless your faith is firm you shall not be firm!
10 Yahweh spoke to Ahaz again and said:	10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz:
11 Ask Yahweh your God for a sign, either in the depths of Sheol or in the heights above.	11 Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!
12 But Ahaz said, 'I wil not ask. I wil not put Yahweh to the test.'	12 But Ahaz answered, "I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!"
13 He then said: Listen now, House of David: are you not satisfied with trying human patience that youshould try my God's patience too?	13 Then he said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary men, must you also weary my God?
14 The Lord wil give you a sign in any case: It is this: the young woman is with child and wil give birth to ason whom she wil cal Immanuel.	14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.
15 On curds and honey wil he feed until he knows how to refuse the bad and choose the good.	15 He shall be living on curds and honey by the time he learns to reject the bad and choose the good.
16 Before the child knows how to refuse the bad and choose the good, the lands whose two kings arefrightening you will be deserted.	16 For before the child learns to reject the bad and choose the good, the land of those two kings whom you dread shall be deserted.
17 Yahweh wil bring times for you, your people and your ancestral House, such as have not been seensince Ephraim broke away from Judah (the king of Assyria).	17 The LORD shall bring upon you and your people and your father's house days worse than any since Ephraim seceded from Judah. (This means the king of Assyria.)
18 When that day comes, Yahweh wil whistle up mosquitoes from the distant streams of Egypt and beesfrom the land of Assyria,	18 On that day The LORD shall whistle for the fly that is in the farthest streams of Egypt, and for the bee in the land of Assyria.
19 and they wil al come and settle on the streams in the gul ies, in the holes in the rocks, on al the thorn-bushes and on all the water-points.	19 All of them shall come and settle in the steep ravines and in the rocky clefts, on all thornbushes and in all pastures.
20 That day the Lord wil shave, with a razor hired from the other side of the River (with the king ofAssyria), the head and the hair of the leg, and take off the beard, too.	20 On that day the LORD shall shave with the razor hired from across the River (with the king of Assyria) the head, and the hair between the legs. It shall also shave off the beard.
21 When that day comes, each man wil raise one heifer and two sheep,	21 On that day a man shall keep a heifer or a couple of sheep,
22 and because of the abundant milk they give (on curds will he feed) al who are left in the country wilfeed on curds and honey.	22 and from their abundant yield of milk he shall live on curds; curds and honey shall be the food of all who remain in the land.
23 When that day comes, wherever there used to be a thousand vines worth a thousand pieces of silver,al wil be brambles and thorn-bushes;	23 On that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand pieces of silver, shall be turned to briers and thorns.
24 to be ventured into only with arrows and bow, for the country wil be nothing but brambles and thorn-bushes.	24 Men shall go there with bow and arrows; for all the country shall be briers and thorns.
25 No more wil you venture on any hil side formerly under the hoe for fear of the brambles and thorn-bushes; it will be fit only for pasturing the cattle, a tramping-ground for sheep.	25 For fear of briers and thorns you shall not go upon any mountainside which used to be hoed with the mattock; they shall be grazing land for cattle and shall be trampled upon by sheep.