A Message to Ahaz

Now in the days that Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, [was] king of Judah, Rezin king of Aram[fn] marched up to [wage] war against Jerusalem. He was accompanied by Pekah son of Remaliah the king of Israel, but he could not overpower [the city].

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When it was reported to the house of David that Aram was in league with Ephraim,[fn] the hearts of Ahaz and his people trembled like trees in the forest shaken by the wind.

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Then the LORD said to Isaiah,“Go out with your son vvv Shear-jashub[fn] to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct [that feeds] the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field, 4 and say to him: Calm down and be quiet. Do not be afraid or disheartened over these two smoldering stubs of firewood— over the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. 5 For Aram, along with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has plotted your ruin saying: 6 ‘Let us invade Judah, terrorize it, and divide it[fn] among ourselves. Then we can install the son of Tabeal over it as king.’ 7 But this is what the Lord GOD says:

‘It will not arise;

it will not happen.

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For the head of Aram is Damascus,

[and] the head of Damascus is Rezin.

Within sixty-five years

Ephraim will be shattered as a people.

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The head of Ephraim is Samaria,

and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah.

If you do not stand firm in your faith,

then you will not stand at all.’ ”

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