Isaiah 7:1-14

Contemporary English Version

Isaiah Offers Hope to King Ahaz

7 ^(A) Ahaz, the son of Jotham and the grandson of Uzziah, was king of Judah when King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel went to attack Jerusalem. But they were not able to do what they had planned.^[a] ²When news reached the royal palace that Syria had joined forces with Israel, King Ahaz and everyone in Judah were so terrified that they shook like trees in a windstorm.

³Then the Lord said to me:

Take your son Shearjashub^[b] and go see King Ahaz. You will find him on the road near the cloth makers' shops at the end of the canal that brings water from the upper pool. ⁴Tell Ahaz to stop worrying. There's no need for him to be afraid of King Rezin and King Pekah. They are very angry, but they are nothing more than a dying fire. Ahaz doesn't need to fear ⁵their evil threats ⁶to invade and defeat Judah and Jerusalem and to let the son of Tabeel be king in his place.

⁷I, the Lord, promise that this will never happen. ^8-9Damascus is just the capital of Syria, and King Rezin rules only in Damascus. Samaria is just the capital of Israel, and King Pekah rules only in Samaria. But in less than 65 years, Israel will be destroyed. And if Ahaz and his officials don't trust me, they will be defeated.

A Son Named Immanuel

¹⁰Once again the Lord God spoke to King Ahaz. This time he said, ¹¹“Ask me for proof that my promise will come true. Ask for something to happen deep in the world of the dead or high in the heavens above.”

¹²“No, Lord,” Ahaz answered. “I won't test you!”

¹³Then I said:

Listen, every one of you in the royal family of David. You have already tried my patience. Now you are trying God's patience by refusing to ask for proof. ¹⁴^(B) But the Lord will still give you proof. A virgin^[c] is pregnant; she will have a son and will name him Immanuel.^[d]

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Footnotes

7.1 went … had planned: Or “attacked Jerusalem, but could not capture it.”
7.3 Shearjashub: In Hebrew “Shearjashub” means “a few will return.”
7.14 virgin: Or “young woman.” In this context the difficult Hebrew word did not imply a virgin birth. However, in the Greek translation made about 200 b.c. and used by the early Christians, the word parthenos had a double meaning. While the translator took it to mean “young woman,” Matthew understood it to mean “virgin” and quoted the passage (Matthew 1.23) because it was the appropriate description of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
7.14 Immanuel: In Hebrew “Immanuel” means “God is with us.”