Ahaz King of Judah

1Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. 2He followed the ways of the kings of Israel and also made idols for worshiping the Baals. 3He burned sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and sacrificed his children in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 4He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.

5Therefore the Lord his God delivered him into the hands of the king of Aram. The Arameans defeated him and took many of his people as prisoners and brought them to Damascus.

He was also given into the hands of the king of Israel, who inflicted heavy casualties on him. 6In one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed a hundred and twenty thousand soldiers in Judah—because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 7Zikri, an Ephraimite warrior, killed Maaseiah the king’s son, Azrikam the officer in charge of the palace, and Elkanah, second to the king. 8The men of Israel took captive from their fellow Israelites who were from Judah two hundred thousand wives, sons and daughters. They also took a great deal of plunder, which they carried back to Samaria.

9But a prophet of the Lord named Oded was there, and he went out to meet the army when it returned to Samaria. He said to them, “Because the Lord, the God of your ancestors, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand. But you have slaughtered them in a rage that reaches to heaven. 10And now you intend to make the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem your slaves. But aren’t you also guilty of sins against the Lord your God? 11Now listen to me! Send back your fellow Israelites you have taken as prisoners, for the Lord’s fierce anger rests on you.”

12Then some of the leaders in Ephraim—Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berekiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai—confronted those who were arriving from the war. 13“You must not bring those prisoners here,” they said, “or we will be guilty before the Lord. Do you intend to add to our sin and guilt? For our guilt is already great, and his fierce anger rests on Israel.”

14So the soldiers gave up the prisoners and plunder in the presence of the officials and all the assembly. 15The men designated by name took the prisoners, and from the plunder they clothed all who were naked. They provided them with clothes and sandals, food and drink, and healing balm. All those who were weak they put on donkeys. So they took them back to their fellow Israelites at Jericho, the City of Palms, and returned to Samaria.

16At that time King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria for help. 17The Edomites had again come and attacked Judah and carried away prisoners, 18while the Philistines had raided towns in the foothills and in the Negev of Judah. They captured and occupied Beth Shemesh, Aijalon and Gederoth, as well as Soko, Timnah and Gimzo, with their surrounding villages. 19The Lord had humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had promoted wickedness in Judah and had been most unfaithful to the Lord. 20Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came to him, but he gave him trouble instead of help. 21Ahaz took some of the things from the temple of the Lord and from the royal palace and from the officials and presented them to the king of Assyria, but that did not help him.

22In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the Lord. 23He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him; for he thought, “Since the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.” But they were his downfall and the downfall of all Israel.

24Ahaz gathered together the furnishings from the temple of God and cut them in pieces. He shut the doors of the Lord’s temple and set up altars at every street corner in Jerusalem. 25In every town in Judah he built high places to burn sacrifices to other gods and aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of his ancestors.

26The other events of his reign and all his ways, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 27Ahaz rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but he was not placed in the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son succeeded him as king.

Israel’s Misery

1What misery is mine!

I am like one who gathers summer fruit

at the gleaning of the vineyard;

there is no cluster of grapes to eat,

none of the early figs that I crave.

2The faithful have been swept from the land;

not one upright person remains.

Everyone lies in wait to shed blood;

they hunt each other with nets.

3Both hands are skilled in doing evil;

the ruler demands gifts,

the judge accepts bribes,

the powerful dictate what they desire—

they all conspire together.

4The best of them is like a brier,

the most upright worse than a thorn hedge.

The day God visits you has come,

the day your watchmen sound the alarm.

Now is the time of your confusion.

5Do not trust a neighbor;

put no confidence in a friend.

Even with the woman who lies in your embrace

guard the words of your lips.

6For a son dishonors his father,

a daughter rises up against her mother,

a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—

a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.

7But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,

I wait for God my Savior;

my God will hear me.

Israel Will Rise

8Do not gloat over me, my enemy!

Though I have fallen, I will rise.

Though I sit in darkness,

the Lord will be my light.

9Because I have sinned against him,

I will bear the Lord’s wrath,

until he pleads my case

and upholds my cause.

He will bring me out into the light;

I will see his righteousness.

10Then my enemy will see it

and will be covered with shame,

she who said to me,

“Where is the Lord your God?”

My eyes will see her downfall;

even now she will be trampled underfoot

like mire in the streets.

11The day for building your walls will come,

the day for extending your boundaries.

12In that day people will come to you

from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,

even from Egypt to the Euphrates

and from sea to sea

and from mountain to mountain.

13The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants,

as the result of their deeds.

Prayer and Praise

14Shepherd your people with your staff,

the flock of your inheritance,

which lives by itself in a forest,

in fertile pasturelands.

Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead

as in days long ago.

15“As in the days when you came out of Egypt,

I will show them my wonders.”

16Nations will see and be ashamed,

deprived of all their power.

They will put their hands over their mouths

and their ears will become deaf.

17They will lick dust like a snake,

like creatures that crawl on the ground.

They will come trembling out of their dens;

they will turn in fear to the Lord our God

and will be afraid of you.

18Who is a God like you,

who pardons sin and forgives the transgression

of the remnant of his inheritance?

You do not stay angry forever

but delight to show mercy.

19You will again have compassion on us;

you will tread our sins underfoot

and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

20You will be faithful to Jacob,

and show love to Abraham,

as you pledged on oath to our ancestors

in days long ago.

The Lord’s Case Against Israel

1Listen to what the Lord says:

“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;

let the hills hear what you have to say.

2“Hear, you mountains, the Lord’s accusation;

listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.

For the Lord has a case against his people;

he is lodging a charge against Israel.

3“My people, what have I done to you?

How have I burdened you? Answer me.

4I brought you up out of Egypt

and redeemed you from the land of slavery.

I sent Moses to lead you,

also Aaron and Miriam.

5My people, remember

what Balak king of Moab plotted

and what Balaam son of Beor answered.

Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal,

that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”

6With what shall I come before the Lord

and bow down before the exalted God?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,

with calves a year old?

7Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,

with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?

Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,

the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

8He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.

Israel’s Guilt and Punishment

9Listen! The Lord is calling to the city—

and to fear your name is wisdom—

“Heed the rod and the One who appointed it.

10Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house,

and the short ephah, which is accursed?

11Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales,

with a bag of false weights?

12Your rich people are violent;

your inhabitants are liars

and their tongues speak deceitfully.

13Therefore, I have begun to destroy you,

to ruin you because of your sins.

14You will eat but not be satisfied;

your stomach will still be empty.

You will store up but save nothing,

because what you saveI will give to the sword.

15You will plant but not harvest;

you will press olives but not use the oil,

you will crush grapes but not drink the wine.

16You have observed the statutes of Omri

and all the practices of Ahab’s house;

you have followed their traditions.

Therefore I will give you over to ruin

and your people to derision;

you will bear the scorn of the nations.”

A Promised Ruler From Bethlehem

1Marshal your troops now, city of troops,

for a siege is laid against us.

They will strike Israel’s ruler

on the cheek with a rod.

2“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

though you are small among the clans of Judah,

out of you will come for me

one who will be ruler over Israel,

whose origins are from of old,

from ancient times.”

3Therefore Israel will be abandoned

until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,

and the rest of his brothers return

to join the Israelites.

4He will stand and shepherd his flock

in the strength of the Lord,

in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.

And they will live securely, for then his greatness

will reach to the ends of the earth.

5And he will be our peace

when the Assyrians invade our land

and march through our fortresses.

We will raise against them seven shepherds,

even eight commanders,

6who will rule the land of Assyria with the sword,

the land of Nimrod with drawn sword.

He will deliver us from the Assyrians

when they invade our land

and march across our borders.

7The remnant of Jacob will be

in the midst of many peoples

like dew from the Lord,

like showers on the grass,

which do not wait for anyone

or depend on man.

8The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,

in the midst of many peoples,

like a lion among the beasts of the forest,

like a young lion among flocks of sheep,

which mauls and mangles as it goes,

and no one can rescue.

9Your hand will be lifted up in triumph over your enemies,

and all your foes will be destroyed.

10“In that day,” declares the Lord,

“I will destroy your horses from among you

and demolish your chariots.

11I will destroy the cities of your land

and tear down all your strongholds.

12I will destroy your witchcraft

and you will no longer cast spells.

13I will destroy your idols

and your sacred stones from among you;

you will no longer bow down

to the work of your hands.

14I will uproot from among you your Asherah poles

when I demolish your cities.

15I will take vengeance in anger and wrath

on the nations that have not obeyed me.”

The Mountain of the Lord

1In the last days

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established

as the highest of the mountains;

it will be exalted above the hills,

and peoples will stream to it.

2Many nations will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

to the temple of the God of Jacob.

He will teach us his ways,

so that we may walk in his paths.”

The law will go out from Zion,

the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

3He will judge between many peoples

and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.

They will beat their swords into plowshares

and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation will not take up sword against nation,

nor will they train for war anymore.

4Everyone will sit under their own vine

and under their own fig tree,

and no one will make them afraid,

for the LordAlmighty has spoken.

5All the nations may walk

in the name of their gods,

but we will walk in the name of the Lord

our God for ever and ever.

The Lord’s Plan

6“In that day,” declares the Lord,

“I will gather the lame;

I will assemble the exiles

and those I have brought to grief.

7I will make the lame my remnant,

those driven away a strong nation.

The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion

from that day and forever.

8As for you, watchtower of the flock,

strong hold of Daughter Zion,

the former dominion will be restored to you;

kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.”

9Why do you now cry aloud—

have you no king?

Has your ruler perished,

that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labor?

10Writhe in agony, Daughter Zion,

like a woman in labor,

for now you must leave the city

to camp in the open field.

You will go to Babylon;

there you will be rescued.

There the Lord will redeem you

out of the hand of your enemies.

11But now many nations

are gathered against you.

They say, “Let her be defiled,

let our eyes gloat over Zion!”

12But they do not know

the thoughts of the Lord;

they do not understand his plan,

that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.

13“Rise and thresh, Daughter Zion,

for I will give you horns of iron;

I will give you hooves of bronze,

and you will break to pieces many nations.”

You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord,

their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

Leaders and Prophets Rebuked

1Then I said,

“Listen, you leaders of Jacob,

you rulers of Israel.

Should you not embrace justice,

2you who hate good and love evil;

who tear the skin from my people

and the flesh from their bones;

3who eat my people’s flesh,

strip off their skin

and break their bones in pieces;

who chop them up like meat for the pan,

like flesh for the pot?”

4Then they will cry out to the Lord,

but he will not answer them.

At that time he will hide his face from them

because of the evil they have done.

5This is what the Lord says:

“As for the prophets

who lead my people astray,

they proclaim ‘peace’

if they have something to eat,

but prepare to wage war against anyone

who refuses to feed them.

6Therefore night will come over you, without visions,

and darkness, without divination.

The sun will set for the prophets,

and the day will go dark for them.

7The seers will be ashamed

and the diviners disgraced.

They will all cover their faces

because there is no answer from God.”

8But as for me, I am filled with power,

with the Spirit of the Lord,

and with justice and might,

to declare to Jacob his transgression,

to Israel his sin.

9Hear this, you leaders of Jacob,

you rulers of Israel,

who despise justice

and distort all that is right;

10who build Zion with bloodshed,

and Jerusalem with wickedness.

11Her leaders judge for a bribe,

her priests teach for a price,

and her prophets tell fortunes for money.

Yet they look for the Lord’s support and say,

“Is not the Lord among us?

No disaster will come upon us.”

12Therefore because of you,

Zion will be plowed like a field,

Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,

the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.

Human Plans and God’s Plans

1Woe to those who plan iniquity,

to those who plot evil on their beds!

At morning’s light they carry it out

because it is in their power to do it.

2They covet fields and seize them,

and houses, and take them.

They defraud people of their homes,

they rob them of their inheritance.

3Therefore, the Lordsays:

“I am planning disaster against this people,

from which you cannot save yourselves.

You will no longer walk proudly,

for it will be a time of calamity.

4In that day people will ridicule you;

they will taunt you with this mournful song:

‘We are utterly ruined;

my people’s possession is divided up.

He takes it from me!

He assigns our fields to traitors.’ ”

5Therefore you will have no one in the assembly of the Lord

to divide the land by lot.

False Prophets

6“Do not prophesy,” their prophets say.

“Do not prophesy about these things;

disgrace will not overtake us.”

7You descendants of Jacob, should it be said,

“Does the Lordbecome impatient?

Does he do such things?”

“Do not my words do good

to the one whose ways are upright?

8Lately my people have risen up

like an enemy.

You strip off the rich robe

from those who pass by without a care,

like men returning from battle.

9You drive the women of my people

from their pleasant homes.

You take away my blessing

from their children forever.

10Get up, go away!

For this is not your resting place,

because it is defiled,

it is ruined, beyond all remedy.

11If a liar and deceiver comes and says,

‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’

that would be just the prophet for this people!

Deliverance Promised

12“I will surely gather all of you, Jacob;

I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel.

I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,

like a flock in its pasture;

the place will throng with people.

13The One who breaks open the way will go up before them;

they will break through the gate and go out.

Their King will pass through before them,

the Lord at their head.”