A Message for King Ahaz
1 When King Ahaz, the son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah, ruled Judah, war broke out. Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, attacked Jerusalem, but were unable to capture it.
2 When word reached the king of Judah that the armies of Syria were already in the territory of Israel, he and all his people were so terrified that they trembled like trees shaking in the wind.
3 The Lord said to Isaiah, “Take your son Shear Jashub, and go to meet King Ahaz. You will find him on the road where the cloth makers work, at the end of the ditch that brings water from the upper pool. 4 Tell him to keep alert, to stay calm, and not to be frightened or disturbed. The anger of King Rezin and his Syrians and of King Pekah is no more dangerous than the smoke from two smoldering sticks of wood. 5 Syria, together with Israel and its king, has made a plot. 6 They intend to invade Judah, terrify the people into joining their side, and then put Tabeel's son on the throne.
7 “But I, the Lord, declare that this will never happen. 8 Why? Because Syria is no stronger than Damascus, its capital city, and Damascus is no stronger than King Rezin. As for Israel, within sixty-five years it will be too shattered to survive as a nation. 9 Israel is no stronger than Samaria, its capital city, and Samaria is no stronger than King Pekah.
“If your faith is not enduring, you will not endure.”
The Sign of Immanuel
10 The Lord sent another message to Ahaz: 11 “Ask the Lord your God to give you a sign. It can be from deep in the world of the dead or from high up in heaven.”
12 Ahaz answered, “I will not ask for a sign. I refuse to put the Lord to the test.”
13 To that Isaiah replied, “Listen, now, descendants of King David. It's bad enough for you to wear out the patience of people—do you have to wear out God's patience too? 14 Well then, the Lord himself will give you a sign: a young woman who is pregnant will have a son and will name him ‘Immanuel.’ 15 By the time he is old enough to make his own decisions, people will be drinking milk and eating honey. 16 Even before that time comes, the lands of those two kings who terrify you will be deserted.
17 “The Lord is going to bring on you, on your people, and on the whole royal family, days of trouble worse than any that have come since the kingdom of Israel separated from Judah—he is going to bring the king of Assyria.
18 “When that time comes, the Lord will whistle as a signal for the Egyptians to come like flies from the farthest branches of the Nile, and for the Assyrians to come from their land like bees. 19 They will swarm in the rugged valleys and in the caves in the rocks, and they will cover every thorn bush and every pasture.
20 “When that time comes, the Lord will hire a barber from across the Euphrates—the emperor of Assyria!—and he will shave off your beards and the hair on your heads and your bodies.
21 “When that time comes, even if a farmer has been able to save only one young cow and two goats, 22 they will give so much milk that he will have all he needs. Yes, the few survivors left in the land will have milk and honey to eat.
23 “When that time comes, the fine vineyards, each with a thousand vines and each worth a thousand pieces of silver, will be overgrown with thorn bushes and briers. 24 People will go hunting there with bows and arrows. Yes, the whole country will be full of briers and thorn bushes. 25 All the hills where crops were once planted will be so overgrown with thorns that no one will go there. It will be a place where cattle and sheep graze.”
Ahas ta londodhwa
1 Omukwaniilwa Ahas yaJotam yaUsia sho a li ta pangele Juda, iita oya tukuluka. Rezin, omukwaniilwa gwaSiria, naPeka yaRemalia, omukwaniilwa gwaIsrael, oya matukile Jerusalem, ihe oya nyengwa oku shi teya po.
2 Elaka sho lya adha omukwaniilwa gwaJuda tali ti, omatangakwiita gaSiria oge li nale nokuli moshilongo shaIsrael, nena oye mwene naantu ye oya sholola noya kakama ya fa omiti tadhi shikashikwa kombepo.
3 Omuwa okwa lombwele Jesaja a ti: “Kutha omumwoyemati Shear-Jashub, u ye u ka tsakaneke omukwaniilwa Ahas. Oto ke mu adha pondjila yaatungi yoonguwo pomukanka gwomeya ngoka tagu kutha omeya mondama yopombanda. 4 Mu lombwela a kale a kotoka, a ngungumane nokaa sholole nenge a piyagane. Ondjahi yomukwaniilwa Rezin nAasiria noyomukwaniilwa Peka oya fa owala olwithi talu tsinagala kiikuni iyali. 5 Siria, Israel nomuna gwaRemalia oye ku tsile ondumbo. 6 Oya dhiladhila okumatukila Juda, okuhalutha aantu ya game kuyo nokutula omuna gwaTabeel koshipundi.
7 “Ihe ngame, Omuwa, otandi popi te ti aawe, itaa tompola sha noitashi ningwa nando. 8 Omolwashike? Oshoka Siria kashi vule Damaskus, oshilandopangelo shamo, naDamasko kashi vule omukwaniilwa Rezin. Nonge pwa piti omimvo omilongo hamano nantano, Israel otashi kala sha teka po. 9 Oshilongo Israel kashi vule Samaria, oshilandopangelo shamo, naSamaria kashi vule omukwaniilwa Peka.
“Ngele itamu ikolelele meitaalo, itamu kala po.”
Endhindhiliko lyaImmanuel
10 Omuwa okwa lombwele Ahas ishewe a ti: 11 “Pula Omuwa Kalunga koye e ku pe endhindhiliko. Otashi vulika li ze mookandoli, muuyuni wokuusi nenge mookathele, megulu.”
12 Ahas okwa yamukula a ti: “Itandi pula endhindhiliko, opo ndaa hinde Omuwa.”
13 Jesaja okwa popi a ti: “Ne oluvalo lwaDavid, pulakeneni ngashingeyi. Inashi gwana tuu, sho hamu lolokitha aantu? Omwa hala mu lolokithe wo Kalunga kandje? 14 Eewa ano, Omuwa mwene te mu pe endhindhiliko: omukadhona ta ningi omusimba nota vala omumati, nedhina lye oImmanuel. 15 Ota ka lya omahini gomoosi nomagadhi goonyushi, sigo ta koko a tseye okuhogolola uuyuuki nokweetha uuwinayi. 16 Nokuli manga ethimbo ndyoka inaali ya, iilongo yaakwaniilwa mboka yaali mwe ya tila, otayi ningi omaputu gowala.
17 “Omuwa ota ka eta kombanda yoye, kombanda yaantu yoye nokombanda yegumbo lyoye iiponga yi kenyeneka yi vule ayihe ya li ko, hela Juda naIsrael ya topokele — ote eta omukwaniilwa gwaAssur.
18 “Uuna esiku ndyoka tali ya, Omuwa ota hikile Aayegipiti ohiya, ye ye ya fa oondhi tadhi zi kokule kiimpoko yaNiili, nAayassur, ye ye ya fa oonyushi tadhi zi kevi lyawo. 19 Otadhi ya tadhi kanyata omakolombongo goondundu nomakololo gomomamanya notadhi gumbakana iihwa niipemba ayihe.
20 “Uuna esiku ndyoka tali ya, Omuwa ota ka ithana omukululi handiyaka yomulonga gwEufrat. Oye omupangeli gwaAssur. Ote ke mu kulula omafufu komitse, noombenzi wo ote dhi kulula ko.
21 “Esiku otali ya, uuna omunahambo ta hupitha owala ongombe ondjelipa niikombo iyali, 22 otayi kandwa omahini ga gwana. Eeno, aakaliko taa ka hupa moshilongo, otaa ka kala ye na omahini nomagadhi goonyushi gokulya.
23 “Uuna esiku ndyoka nali ya, ehala kehe lya mena oomviinu eyuvi tadhi zi iimaliwa iisiliveli eyuvi, otali ka mena omano noondjoho. 24 Aantu oko taa ka weya ye na omatati niikuti, oshoka oshilongo ashihe otashi ka mena omano noondjoho. 25 Koondundu adhihe hoka kwa li haku kala iimeno ya kunwa ko, otaku ka mena omano, nokape na ngoka ta ka vula okuya ko. Otadhi ka ninga omahala gokunapa oongombe nokweendagulwa koonzi.”
