Old/New Testament
Trouble with Aram
7 ·When [L In the days of] Ahaz, son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah, was king of Judah [C 735–715 bc], Rezin king of Aram [C 740–733 bc; Aram is the Hebrew name for Syria] and Pekah son of Remaliah, the king of Israel [C 752–732 bc], went up to Jerusalem to fight against it [C in about 735–734 bc]. But they were not able to ·defeat [or mount an attack against] the city [2 Kin. 16:5–18; 2 Chr. 28:16–21].
2 ·Ahaz king of Judah received a message [L It was reported to the house of David; C the reigning dynasty] saying, “The armies of ·Aram [Syria] and ·Israel [L Ephraim; C influential northern tribe of Israel, used here to refer to the whole northern kingdom] have joined together [C in an alliance against the Assyrian empire].”
When Ahaz heard this, ·he [L his heart] and the ·people [L heart of his people] were ·frightened [L shaken]. They shook with fear like trees of the forest blown by the wind.
3 Then the Lord told Isaiah, “You and your son Shear-Jashub [C the name means “a remnant will return”] should go and meet Ahaz at the ·place where the water flows into [end of the aqueduct/conduit of] the upper pool, on the road ·to the field where people do their laundry [or that goes to Launderer’s Field/T the fuller’s field]. 4 Tell Ahaz, ‘Be careful. Be ·calm [quiet] and don’t ·worry [fear]. Don’t be afraid of the ·fierce [burning] anger of Rezin and Aram and the son of Remaliah [C Pekah; v. 1], because they are like two ·barely burning sticks that are ready to go out [L smoldering stubs of firewood; C their power would soon be extinguished; Damascus and Israel suffered defeat by the Assyrians in 732 bc; Israel went into exile in 722 bc]. 5 [L Because] Aram has ·plotted [planned evil] with ·Israel [L Ephraim; v. 2] and the son of Remaliah against you, saying, 6 “Let’s ·fight against [invade; attack] Judah and ·tear it apart [or terrorize it]. We will ·divide the land [or conquer it; or breach its walls; L break it open] for ourselves and make the son of Tabeel the new king of Judah [C replacing the legitimate king from David’s dynasty with a usurper].” 7 But I, the Lord God, say,
“‘·Their plan will not succeed [L It will not stand];
it will not happen,
8 because ·Aram is led by the city of Damascus [L the head of Aram/Syria is Damascus; C its capital],
and ·Damascus is led by its weak king, [L the head of Damascus is] Rezin.
Within sixty-five years ·Israel [L Ephraim; v. 2] will no longer be a nation [C probably 670 bc, when Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, brought foreign settlers into Israel; their intermarriage with the remaining Israelites produced the Samaritans].
9 ·Israel is led by the city of Samaria [L The head of Ephraim is Samaria; C its capital],
and ·Samaria is led by its weak king, [L the head of Samaria is] the son of Remaliah [C these human kings were no match for God].
If ·your faith is not strong [you do not stand firm in faith],
you will not ·have strength enough to last [endure/stand firm at all; C the words translated “your faith is strong” and “have strength enough to last” are related in Hebrew].’”
Immanuel—God Is with Us
10 Then the Lord spoke to Ahaz again, saying, 11 “Ask for a sign from the Lord your God [C to confirm the truth of this prophecy; Deut. 18:21–22]. It may be a sign from as deep as ·the place of the dead [or the grave; L Sheol] or ·as high as the heavens [L to the heights above].”
12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ·ask for a sign [L ask] or test the Lord [Deut. 6:16; C probably a statement of false piety].”
13 Then Isaiah said, “·Ahaz, descendant of David, listen carefully [L Hear now, house of David]! Isn’t it bad enough that you ·wear out the patience of [L weary] people? Do you also have to ·wear out the patience of [L weary] my God? 14 The Lord himself will give you a sign: The ·virgin [or young woman] will ·be pregnant [conceive] and will have a son, and she will name him Immanuel [“God is with us”]. 15 He will be eating milk curds and honey [C probably because the crops have been destroyed in the invasion] ·when he learns [by the time he learns; or so that he will learn] to reject what is evil and to choose what is good [C probably ages twelve or thirteen, when he would be accountable to the law; the destruction of Israel would occur in twelve or thirteen years: 722 bc]. 16 ·But [or For] before the child ·learns [knows] to choose good and reject evil, the lands of the two kings you fear [C Israel and Aram/Syria] will be ·empty [desolate; laid waste]. 17 The Lord will bring ·troubled times to [L upon] you, your people, and to ·the people of your father’s family [L your father’s house; C David’s dynasty]. ·They will be worse than […days unlike] anything that has happened since Israel separated from Judah [C the civil war dividing Israel into north (Israel) and south (Judah) after David’s son Solomon died, two centuries earlier]. ·The Lord will bring the king of Assyria to fight against you [L …—the king of Assyria].
18 “·At that time [L In that day] the Lord will whistle for ·the Egyptians, and they will come like flies from Egypt’s faraway streams [L the fly that is at the farthest streams of Egypt]. ·He will call for the Assyrians, and they will come like bees [L … and for bees from the land of Assyria; C Israel and Judah were caught in a tug-of-war between these two great powers]. 19 ·These enemies will camp [L They will rest/settle] in the deep ravines and in the ·cliffs [L crevices/clefts of the rocks], by the thornbushes and ·watering holes [or pastures]. 20 [In that day] The Lord will ·hire Assyria and use it like a razor to punish Judah [L shave with a razor hired beyond the River (Euphrates)—the king of Assyria]. ·It will be as if the Lord is shaving the hair from Judah’s head and body and beard [L …—the head, the hair of the feet and cutting away the beard; C “hair of the feet” is likely a euphemism for pubic hair; such shaving was an act of humiliation].
21 “·At that time [L In that day] a person will be ·able to keep alive only [fortunate to have left] ·one young cow [a heifer] and two sheep. 22 ·There will be only enough milk for that person to eat milk curds [or Because of the abundance of milk, he will have curds to eat]. All who remain in the land will ·go back to eating just [or have enough to eat from] milk curds and honey. 23 [In that day] In every ·vineyard [L place] where there were a thousand grapevines worth ·twenty-five pounds [L a thousand pieces] of silver, there will be only ·weeds [briers] and thorns. 24 People will ·come there only to hunt [L come] with bow and arrow, since the land will be covered with nothing but ·weeds [briers] and thorns [C with no crops, the land will be useful only for hunting]. 25 People once ·worked and grew food on [L hoed with a hoe] these hills, but at that time people will not go there, ·because the land will be filled with [L for fear of] ·weeds [briers] and thorns. ·Only sheep and cattle will go to those places [L It will become a pasture for cattle/oxen and a trampling place for sheep].”
Assyria Will Come Soon
8 The Lord told me, “Take a large ·scroll [or tablet] and write on it with ·an ordinary pen [or ordinary letters/script; L the stylus of a man]: ‘Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz [C “quick to the plunder; swift to the spoil”].’ 2 ·I will call [or So I called; or Call…!] some men to be reliable witnesses: Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah.”
3 Then I ·went to [C euphemism for sexual relations] the prophetess, and she became ·pregnant [conceived] and had a son. The Lord told me, “Name the boy Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz [v. 1], 4 because the king of Assyria will ·take away [carry off] the wealth of Damascus and the ·possessions [spoil; plunder] of Samaria before the boy learns to say ‘my father’ or ‘my mother’ [C about age two; the first stage of the destruction, which culminated in 722 bc; see 7:15–16].”
5 Again the Lord spoke to me, saying,
6 “[L Because] These people refuse to accept
the ·slow-moving [gently flowing] waters of the pool of Shiloah [C probably the stream flowing from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam (John 9:7); God’s gentle influence is contrasted with the “flood” of the Assyrian invasion; v. 7]
and ·are terrified of [or rejoice over] Rezin
and the son of Remaliah [C Pekah; 7:1, 4–5].
7 So ·I, the Lord, [L look/behold, the Lord] will bring against them
a powerful flood of water from the ·Euphrates River [L River]—
the king of Assyria and all his ·power [glory].
·The Assyrians will be like water rising [L It will rise] over ·the banks of the river [its channels],
flowing over ·the land [its banks].
8 That water will ·flow [sweep] into Judah and pass through it,
rising to ·Judah’s throat [L the neck].
·This army [L It] will spread its wings like a bird
until it covers ·your whole country [the breadth of our land], ·Immanuel [or God is with us].”
9 ·Be broken [or You will be broken], all you nations,
and [L you will] be ·smashed to pieces [shattered].
Listen, all you faraway ·countries [lands].
·Prepare for battle [T Gird yourselves] and [you will] be ·smashed to pieces [shattered]!
·Prepare for battle [T Gird yourselves] and [you will] be ·smashed to pieces [shattered]!
10 ·Make your plans for the fight [Devise your strategy],
but ·they will be defeated [it will be thwarted].
·Give orders to your armies [L Speak a command/word],
but ·they will be useless [L it will not stand],
because ·God is with us [L Immanuel].
Warnings to Isaiah
11 [L For] The Lord spoke to me with his ·great power [L strong hand] and warned me not to ·follow the lead [L walk in the way] of ·the rest of the [L this] people. He said,
12 “·People are saying that others make plans against them,
but you should not believe them [L Don’t call ‘conspiracy’ everything this people calls ‘conspiracy’].
Don’t be afraid of what they fear;
do not dread those things.
13 But remember that the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] is holy.
He is ·the one you should [L your] fear;
he is ·the one you should [L your] dread.
14 Then he will be a ·place of safety for you [sanctuary; holy place; or snare].
·But [or And] for the two ·families [houses] of Israel [C Israel and Judah],
he will be like a stone that causes people to stumble,
like a rock that makes them fall [Rom. 9:33; 1 Pet. 2:6–8].
He will be like a trap for the ·people [inhabitants] of Jerusalem,
and he will catch them in his ·trap [snare].
15 Many people will ·fall over this rock [L stumble over them].
They will fall and be broken;
they will be ·trapped [snared] and caught.”
16 ·Make an agreement [or Preserve this prophecy; L Bind up this testimony].
Seal up the teaching ·while my followers are watching [or and entrust it to my followers/disciples; L among my followers/disciples].
17 I will ·wait for [patiently trust] the Lord [C for his help],
the Lord who is ·ashamed of [L hiding his face from] the ·family of Israel [L house of Jacob].
I will ·wait for [hope in; trust in] him.
18 ·I am here, and with me are [L Look/T Behold, I and] the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and ·proofs [symbols; warnings; omens] for the people of Israel from the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], who ·lives [dwells] on Mount Zion.
19 Some people say, “Ask the mediums and ·fortune-tellers [necromancers; spiritists], who ·whisper [or chirp] and mutter [C using incantations to call up spirits; 1 Sam. 28:8–11], what to do.” ·But I tell you that people should ask their God for help. Why should people who are still alive ask something from the dead? [or “Should not a nation consult their gods, asking the dead on behalf of the living?”; C in this interpretation the quotation continues to the end of the verse]. 20 ·You should follow the teachings and the agreement with the Lord [L (Look) to the law/instruction and to the testimony]. ·The mediums and fortune-tellers do not [L Those who do not; or If they do not] speak ·the word of the Lord [L according to this word], ·so their words are worth nothing [or they are spiritually blinded; L they have no dawn].
21 ·People will wander through the land [L They will pass through] ·troubled [or destitute] and hungry. When they become hungry, they will become angry and will look up and curse their king and their God. 22 They will look around them at their land and see only ·trouble [distress], darkness, and awful gloom. And they will be forced into the darkness.
We Now Have Life
2 In the past you were ·spiritually dead [L dead] ·because of [or in] your sins and ·the things you did against God [transgressions]. 2 Yes, in the past you ·lived [walked] ·the way the world lives [L according to the course/ways/age of this world], following the ruler [C Satan] of the ·evil powers that are above the earth [L dominion/authority of the air; C probably demonic forces]. That same spirit is now working in ·those who refuse to obey God [L the children/sons of disobedience]. 3 In the past all of us lived ·like [or among] them, ·trying to please [or giving in to the cravings of] our ·sinful selves [sinful nature; flesh] and doing all the things our ·bodies [flesh] and minds wanted. We ·should have suffered God’s anger because we were sinful by nature [L were by nature children/sons of wrath]. ·We were the same as all other people [L …just like the rest; C of mankind].
4 But ·God’s mercy is great [L God is rich in mercy], and he loved us very much. 5 Though we were spiritually dead because of ·the things we did against God [our transgressions], he ·gave us new life [brought us to life] with Christ. You have been saved by God’s grace. 6 And he raised us up with Christ and gave us a seat with him in the ·heavens [heavenly places/realms]. He did this for those in Christ Jesus 7 so that ·for all future time [L in the ages to come] he could show the ·very great [exceeding; overwhelming] riches of his grace by being kind to us in Christ Jesus. 8 ·I mean that [or For; Because] you have been saved by grace through ·believing [faith]. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. 9 It was not the result of ·your own efforts [works], so ·you cannot [no one can] ·brag about it [boast]. 10 ·God has made us what we are [L For we are his handiwork/workmanship/work of art]. In Christ Jesus, God ·made [created] us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing.
One in Christ
11 [L Therefore] Remember that you ·were born as Gentiles [are Gentiles in the flesh], the ones called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “circumcised.” (·Their circumcision is only something they themselves do on their bodies […L performed in the flesh by hands].) 12 Remember that ·in the past [at that time/season] you were without ·Christ [the Messiah]. You were ·not citizens [L excluded from the citizenship] of Israel, and you ·had no part in [L were aliens/strangers to] the ·agreements with the promise that God made to his people [L covenants of promise; C the Abrahamic (Gen. 12:1–3), Mosaic (Ex. 19—24), and Davidic (2 Sam. 7) covenants.] You had no hope, and you did not know God. 13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away from God are brought near through the blood of ·Christ’s death [L Christ; C blood symbolizing his sacrificial death]. 14 Christ himself is our peace. He made ·both Jews and Gentiles one people [L both one], and broke down the wall of ·hate [hostility; enmity] that divided them [C the wall beyond which Gentiles could not pass in the Jerusalem temple, or the law of Moses that distinguished Jew from Gentile (see v. 15)] ·by giving his own body [L in his flesh; C this phrase may go with the following sentence]. 15 He did this by ·ending [setting aside; nullifying] the law of commands and rules ·by giving his own body [L in his flesh; C this phrase may go with the previous sentence]. His purpose was to make the two groups of people become one new ·people [humanity; person; man] in him and in this way make peace. 16 It was also Christ’s purpose to ·end [L put to death; kill] the ·hatred [hostility; enmity] between the two groups, to make them into one body, and to ·bring them back [reconcile them] to God. ·Christ did all this with his death on the cross [L …through the cross]. 17 Christ came and ·preached [proclaimed the Good News of] peace [Is. 52:7] to you who were ·far away from God [L far away/off], and to those who were ·near to God [L near; Is. 57:19]. 18 ·Yes, it is [For; or So that] through Christ we all have ·the right to come [free access] to the Father ·in [by] one Spirit.
19 Now you Gentiles are not foreigners or strangers any longer, but are citizens together with ·God’s holy people [T the saints]. You belong to God’s ·family [household]. 20 ·You are like a building that was built […having been built] on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Christ Jesus himself is the ·most important stone [cornerstone; or capstone; Is. 28:16; 1 Cor. 3:11] in that building, 21 and that whole building is joined together in Christ. He makes it grow and become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in Christ you, too, are being ·built together with the Jews [L built together] into a place where God lives through the Spirit.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.