A Coalition against King Ahaz of Judah

Isaiah 7:1–16

ca. 1200–332 BCE

¹In the reign of Ahaz son of Jotham son of Uzziah, king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel marched upon Jerusalem to attack it; but they were not able to attack it.

²Now, when it was reported to the House of David that Aram had allied itself with Ephraim, their hearts and the hearts of their people trembled as trees of the forest sway before a wind. ³But the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-jashub^a to meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the Upper Pool, by the road of the Fuller’s Field. ⁴And say to him: Be firm and be calm. Do not be afraid and do not lose heart on account of those two smoking stubs of firebrands, on account of the raging of Rezin and his Arameans and the son of Remaliah.^b ⁵Because the Arameans—with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah—have plotted against you, saying, ⁶‘We will march against Judah and invade and conquer it, and we will set up as king in it the son of Tabeel,’^b ⁷thus said my Lord God:

It shall not succeed,

It shall not come to pass.

⁸For the chief city of Aram is Damascus,

And the chief of Damascus is Rezin;

⁹The chief city of Ephraim is Samaria,

And the chief of Samaria is the son of Remaliah.^c

^dAnd in another sixty-five years,

Ephraim shall be shattered as a people.^d

If you will not believe, for you cannot be trusted . . .”

¹⁰The Lord spoke further to Ahaz: ¹¹“Ask for a sign from the Lord your God, anywhere down to Sheol or up to the sky.” ¹²But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask, and I will not test the Lord.” ¹³“Listen, House of David,” [Isaiah] retorted, “is it not enough for you to treat men as helpless that you also treat my God as helpless? ^e ¹⁴Assuredly, my Lord will give you a sign of His own accord! Look, the young woman is with child and about to give birth to a son. Let her name him Immanuel.^f ¹⁵(By the time he learns to reject the bad and choose the good, people will be feeding on curds and honey.) ¹⁶For before the lad knows to reject the bad and choose the good, the ground whose two kings you dread shall be abandoned.