Isaiah 7-11

New International Version

The Sign of Immanuel

7 When Ahaz^(A) son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin^(B) of Aram^(C) and Pekah^(D) son of Remaliah^(E) king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.

²Now the house of David^(F) was told, “Aram has allied itself with^[a] Ephraim^(G)”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken,^(H) 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,^[b]^(I) to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.^(J) ⁴Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm^(K) and don’t be afraid.^(L) Do not lose heart^(M) because of these two smoldering stubs^(N) of firewood—because of the fierce anger^(O) of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah.^(P) ⁵Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s^(Q) son have plotted^(R) 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:^(S)

“‘It will not take place,
    it will not happen,^(T)
⁸for the head of Aram is Damascus,^(U)
    and the head of Damascus is only Rezin.^(V)
Within sixty-five years
    Ephraim will be too shattered^(W) to be a people.
⁹The head of Ephraim is Samaria,^(X)
    and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son.
If you do not stand^(Y) firm in your faith,^(Z)
    you will not stand at all.’”^(AA)

¹⁰Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, ¹¹“Ask the Lord your God for a sign,^(AB) whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.^(AC)”

¹²But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.^(AD)”

¹³Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David!^(AE) Is it not enough^(AF) to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience^(AG) of my God^(AH) also? ¹⁴Therefore the Lord himself will give you^[c] a sign:^(AI) The virgin^[d]^(AJ) will conceive and give birth to a son,^(AK) and^[e] will call him Immanuel.^[f]^(AL) ¹⁵He will be eating curds^(AM) and honey^(AN) when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, ¹⁶for before the boy knows^(AO) enough to reject the wrong and choose the right,^(AP) the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.^(AQ) 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^(AR) from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.^(AS)”

Assyria, the Lord’s Instrument

¹⁸In that day^(AT) the Lord will whistle^(AU) for flies from the Nile delta in Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria.^(AV) ¹⁹They will all come and settle in the steep ravines and in the crevices^(AW) in the rocks, on all the thornbushes^(AX) and at all the water holes. ²⁰In that day^(AY) the Lord will use^(AZ) a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River^(BA)—the king of Assyria^(BB)—to shave your head and private parts, and to cut off your beard^(BC) also.^(BD) ²¹In that day,^(BE) a person will keep alive a young cow and two goats.^(BF) 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^(BG) and honey.^(BH) ²³In that day,^(BI) in every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels,^[g]^(BJ) there will be only briers and thorns.^(BK) ²⁴Hunters will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers^(BL) and thorns. ²⁵As for all the hills^(BM) once cultivated by the hoe, you will no longer go there for fear of the briers and thorns;^(BN) they will become places where cattle are turned loose and where sheep run.^(BO)

Isaiah and His Children as Signs

8 The Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll^(BP) and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.”^[h]^(BQ) ²So I called in Uriah^(BR) the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses^(BS) for me. ³Then I made love to the prophetess,^(BT) and she conceived and gave birth to a son.^(BU) And the Lord said to me, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.^(BV) ⁴For before the boy knows^(BW) how to say ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus^(BX) and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.^(BY)”

⁵The Lord spoke to me again:

⁶“Because this people has rejected^(BZ)
    the gently flowing waters of Shiloah^(CA)
and rejoices over Rezin
    and the son of Remaliah,^(CB)
⁷therefore the Lord is about to bring against them
    the mighty floodwaters^(CC) of the Euphrates—
    the king of Assyria^(CD) with all his pomp.^(CE)
It will overflow all its channels,
    run over all its banks^(CF)
⁸and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it,^(CG)
    passing through it and reaching up to the neck.
Its outspread wings^(CH) will cover the breadth of your land,
    Immanuel^[i]!”^(CI)

⁹Raise the war cry,^[j]^(CJ) you nations, and be shattered!^(CK)
    Listen, all you distant lands.
Prepare^(CL) for battle, and be shattered!
    Prepare for battle, and be shattered!
¹⁰Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted;^(CM)
    propose your plan, but it will not stand,^(CN)
    for God is with us.^[k]^(CO)

¹¹This is what the Lord says to me with his strong hand upon me,^(CP) warning me not to follow^(CQ) the way of this people:

¹²“Do not call conspiracy^(CR)
    everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,^(CS)
    and do not dread it.^(CT)
¹³The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,^(CU)
    he is the one you are to fear,^(CV)
    he is the one you are to dread.^(CW)
¹⁴He will be a holy place;^(CX)
    for both Israel and Judah he will be
a stone^(CY) that causes people to stumble^(CZ)
    and a rock that makes them fall.^(DA)
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
    a trap and a snare.^(DB)
¹⁵Many of them will stumble;^(DC)
    they will fall and be broken,
    they will be snared and captured.”

¹⁶Bind up this testimony of warning^(DD)
and seal^(DE) up God’s instruction among my disciples.
¹⁷I will wait^(DF) for the Lord,
who is hiding^(DG) his face from the descendants of Jacob.
I will put my trust in him.^(DH)

¹⁸Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me.^(DI) We are signs^(DJ) and symbols^(DK) in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.^(DL)

The Darkness Turns to Light

¹⁹When someone tells you to consult^(DM) mediums and spiritists,^(DN) who whisper and mutter,^(DO) should not a people inquire^(DP) of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? ²⁰Consult God’s instruction^(DQ) and the testimony of warning.^(DR) If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light^(DS) of dawn. ²¹Distressed and hungry,^(DT) they will roam through the land;^(DU) when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse^(DV) their king and their God. ²²Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom,^(DW) and they will be thrust into utter darkness.^(DX)

9 ^[l]Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom^(DY) for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,^(DZ) but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

²The people walking in darkness^(EA)
    have seen a great light;^(EB)
on those living in the land of deep darkness^(EC)
    a light has dawned.^(ED)
³You have enlarged the nation^(EE)
    and increased their joy;^(EF)
they rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
    when dividing the plunder.^(EG)
⁴For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,^(EH)
    you have shattered^(EI)
the yoke^(EJ) that burdens them,
    the bar across their shoulders,^(EK)
    the rod of their oppressor.^(EL)
⁵Every warrior’s boot used in battle
    and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,^(EM)
    will be fuel for the fire.
⁶For to us a child is born,^(EN)
    to us a son is given,^(EO)
    and the government^(EP) will be on his shoulders.^(EQ)
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor,^(ER) Mighty God,^(ES)
    Everlasting^(ET) Father,^(EU) Prince of Peace.^(EV)
⁷Of the greatness of his government^(EW) and peace^(EX)
    there will be no end.^(EY)
He will reign^(EZ) on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice^(FA) and righteousness^(FB)
    from that time on and forever.^(FC)
The zeal^(FD) of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

The Lord’s Anger Against Israel

⁸The Lord has sent a message^(FE) against Jacob;
    it will fall on Israel.
⁹All the people will know it—
    Ephraim^(FF) and the inhabitants of Samaria^(FG)—
who say with pride
    and arrogance^(FH) of heart,
¹⁰“The bricks have fallen down,
    but we will rebuild with dressed stone;^(FI)
the fig^(FJ) trees have been felled,
    but we will replace them with cedars.^(FK)”
¹¹But the Lord has strengthened Rezin’s^(FL) foes against them
    and has spurred their enemies on.
¹²Arameans^(FM) from the east and Philistines^(FN) from the west
    have devoured^(FO) Israel with open mouth.

Yet for all this, his anger^(FP) is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.^(FQ)

¹³But the people have not returned^(FR) to him who struck^(FS) them,
    nor have they sought^(FT) the Lord Almighty.
¹⁴So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail,
    both palm branch and reed^(FU) in a single day;^(FV)
¹⁵the elders^(FW) and dignitaries^(FX) are the head,
    the prophets^(FY) who teach lies^(FZ) are the tail.
¹⁶Those who guide^(GA) this people mislead them,
    and those who are guided are led astray.^(GB)
¹⁷Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men,^(GC)
    nor will he pity^(GD) the fatherless and widows,
for everyone is ungodly^(GE) and wicked,^(GF)
    every mouth speaks folly.^(GG)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.^(GH)

¹⁸Surely wickedness burns like a fire;^(GI)
    it consumes briers and thorns,^(GJ)
it sets the forest thickets ablaze,^(GK)
    so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.
¹⁹By the wrath^(GL) of the Lord Almighty
    the land will be scorched^(GM)
and the people will be fuel for the fire;^(GN)
    they will not spare one another.^(GO)
²⁰On the right they will devour,
    but still be hungry;^(GP)
on the left they will eat,^(GQ)
    but not be satisfied.
Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring^[m]:
²¹    Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh;^(GR)
    together they will turn against Judah.^(GS)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.^(GT)

10 Woe^(GU) to those who make unjust laws,
    to those who issue oppressive decrees,^(GV)
²to deprive^(GW) the poor of their rights
    and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,^(GX)
making widows their prey
    and robbing the fatherless.^(GY)
³What will you do on the day of reckoning,^(GZ)
    when disaster^(HA) comes from afar?
To whom will you run for help?^(HB)
    Where will you leave your riches?
⁴Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives^(HC)
    or fall among the slain.^(HD)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,^(HE)
his hand is still upraised.

God’s Judgment on Assyria

⁵“Woe^(HF) to the Assyrian,^(HG) the rod^(HH) of my anger,
    in whose hand is the club^(HI) of my wrath!^(HJ)
⁶I send him against a godless^(HK) nation,
    I dispatch^(HL) him against a people who anger me,^(HM)
to seize loot and snatch plunder,^(HN)
    and to trample^(HO) them down like mud in the streets.
⁷But this is not what he intends,^(HP)
    this is not what he has in mind;
his purpose is to destroy,
    to put an end to many nations.
⁸‘Are not my commanders^(HQ) all kings?’ he says.
⁹    ‘Has not Kalno^(HR) fared like Carchemish?^(HS)
Is not Hamath^(HT) like Arpad,^(HU)
    and Samaria^(HV) like Damascus?^(HW)
¹⁰As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols,^(HX)
    kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria—
¹¹shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images
    as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?^(HY)’”

¹²When the Lord has finished all his work^(HZ) against Mount Zion^(IA) and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria^(IB) for the willful pride^(IC) of his heart and the haughty look^(ID) in his eyes. ¹³For he says:

“‘By the strength of my hand^(IE) I have done this,^(IF)
    and by my wisdom, because I have understanding.
I removed the boundaries of nations,
    I plundered their treasures;^(IG)
    like a mighty one I subdued^[n] their kings.^(IH)
¹⁴As one reaches into a nest,^(II)
    so my hand reached for the wealth^(IJ) of the nations;
as people gather abandoned eggs,
    so I gathered all the countries;^(IK)
not one flapped a wing,
    or opened its mouth to chirp.^(IL)’”

¹⁵Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it,
    or the saw boast against the one who uses it?^(IM)
As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up,
    or a club^(IN) brandish the one who is not wood!
¹⁶Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    will send a wasting disease^(IO) upon his sturdy warriors;^(IP)
under his pomp^(IQ) a fire^(IR) will be kindled
    like a blazing flame.
¹⁷The Light of Israel will become a fire,^(IS)
    their Holy One^(IT) a flame;
in a single day it will burn and consume
    his thorns^(IU) and his briers.^(IV)
¹⁸The splendor of his forests^(IW) and fertile fields
    it will completely destroy,^(IX)
    as when a sick person wastes away.
¹⁹And the remaining trees of his forests^(IY) will be so few^(IZ)
    that a child could write them down.

The Remnant of Israel

²⁰In that day^(JA) the remnant of Israel,
    the survivors^(JB) of Jacob,
will no longer rely^(JC) on him
    who struck them down^(JD)
but will truly rely^(JE) on the Lord,
    the Holy One of Israel.^(JF)
²¹A remnant^(JG) will return,^[o]^(JH) a remnant of Jacob
    will return to the Mighty God.^(JI)
²²Though your people be like the sand^(JJ) by the sea, Israel,
    only a remnant will return.^(JK)
Destruction has been decreed,^(JL)
    overwhelming and righteous.
²³The Lord, the Lord Almighty, will carry out
    the destruction decreed^(JM) upon the whole land.^(JN)

²⁴Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says:

“My people who live in Zion,^(JO)
    do not be afraid^(JP) of the Assyrians,
who beat^(JQ) you with a rod^(JR)
    and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did.
²⁵Very soon^(JS) my anger against you will end
    and my wrath^(JT) will be directed to their destruction.^(JU)”

²⁶The Lord Almighty will lash^(JV) them with a whip,
    as when he struck down Midian^(JW) at the rock of Oreb;
and he will raise his staff^(JX) over the waters,^(JY)
    as he did in Egypt.
²⁷In that day^(JZ) their burden^(KA) will be lifted from your shoulders,
    their yoke^(KB) from your neck;^(KC)
the yoke^(KD) will be broken
    because you have grown so fat.^[p]

²⁸They enter Aiath;
    they pass through Migron;^(KE)
    they store supplies^(KF) at Mikmash.^(KG)
²⁹They go over the pass, and say,
    “We will camp overnight at Geba.^(KH)”
Ramah^(KI) trembles;
    Gibeah^(KJ) of Saul flees.^(KK)
³⁰Cry out, Daughter Gallim!^(KL)
    Listen, Laishah!
    Poor Anathoth!^(KM)
³¹Madmenah is in flight;
    the people of Gebim take cover.
³²This day they will halt at Nob;^(KN)
    they will shake their fist^(KO)
at the mount of Daughter Zion,^(KP)
    at the hill of Jerusalem.

³³See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    will lop off^(KQ) the boughs with great power.
The lofty trees will be felled,^(KR)
    the tall^(KS) ones will be brought low.^(KT)
³⁴He will cut down^(KU) the forest thickets with an ax;
    Lebanon^(KV) will fall before the Mighty One.^(KW)

The Branch From Jesse

11 A shoot^(KX) will come up from the stump^(KY) of Jesse;^(KZ)
    from his roots a Branch^(LA) will bear fruit.^(LB)
²The Spirit^(LC) of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom^(LD) and of understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and of might,^(LE)
    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
³and he will delight in the fear^(LF) of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,^(LG)
    or decide by what he hears with his ears;^(LH)
⁴but with righteousness^(LI) he will judge the needy,^(LJ)
    with justice^(LK) he will give decisions for the poor^(LL) of the earth.
He will strike^(LM) the earth with the rod of his mouth;^(LN)
    with the breath^(LO) of his lips he will slay the wicked.^(LP)
⁵Righteousness will be his belt^(LQ)
    and faithfulness^(LR) the sash around his waist.^(LS)

⁶The wolf will live with the lamb,^(LT)
    the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling^[q] together;
    and a little child will lead them.
⁷The cow will feed with the bear,
    their young will lie down together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox.^(LU)
⁸The infant^(LV) will play near the cobra’s den,
    and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s^(LW) nest.
⁹They will neither harm nor destroy^(LX)
    on all my holy mountain,^(LY)
for the earth^(LZ) will be filled with the knowledge^(MA) of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

¹⁰In that day^(MB) the Root of Jesse^(MC) will stand as a banner^(MD) for the peoples; the nations^(ME) will rally to him,^(MF) and his resting place^(MG) will be glorious.^(MH) ¹¹In that day^(MI) the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant^(MJ) of his people from Assyria,^(MK) from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt,^(ML) from Cush,^[r]^(MM) from Elam,^(MN) from Babylonia,^[s] from Hamath^(MO) and from the islands^(MP) of the Mediterranean.^(MQ)

¹²He will raise a banner^(MR) for the nations
    and gather^(MS) the exiles of Israel;^(MT)
he will assemble the scattered people^(MU) of Judah
    from the four quarters of the earth.^(MV)
¹³Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish,
    and Judah’s enemies^[t] will be destroyed;
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
    nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.^(MW)
¹⁴They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia^(MX) to the west;
    together they will plunder the people to the east.^(MY)
They will subdue Edom^(MZ) and Moab,^(NA)
    and the Ammonites^(NB) will be subject to them.^(NC)
¹⁵The Lord will dry up^(ND)
    the gulf of the Egyptian sea;
with a scorching wind^(NE) he will sweep his hand^(NF)
    over the Euphrates River.^(NG)
He will break it up into seven streams
    so that anyone can cross over in sandals.^(NH)
¹⁶There will be a highway^(NI) for the remnant^(NJ) of his people
    that is left from Assyria,^(NK)
as there was for Israel
    when they came up from Egypt.^(NL)

Footnotes

Isaiah 7:2 Or has set up camp in
Isaiah 7:3 Shear-Jashub means a remnant will return.
Isaiah 7:14 The Hebrew is plural.
Isaiah 7:14 Or young woman
Isaiah 7:14 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls son, and he or son, and they
Isaiah 7:14 Immanuel means God with us.
Isaiah 7:23 That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms
Isaiah 8:1 Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz means quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil; also in verse 3.
Isaiah 8:8 Immanuel means God with us.
Isaiah 8:9 Or Do your worst
Isaiah 8:10 Hebrew Immanuel
Isaiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-21 is numbered 9:1-20.
Isaiah 9:20 Or arm
Isaiah 10:13 Or treasures; / I subdued the mighty,
Isaiah 10:21 Hebrew shear-jashub (see 7:3 and note); also in verse 22
Isaiah 10:27 Hebrew; Septuagint broken / from your shoulders
Isaiah 11:6 Hebrew; Septuagint lion will feed
Isaiah 11:11 That is, the upper Nile region
Isaiah 11:11 Hebrew Shinar
Isaiah 11:13 Or hostility