A Message to Ahaz

¹Now in the days that Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, Rezin king of Arammarched 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.

²When it was reported to the house of David that Aram was in league with Ephraim,the hearts of Ahaz and his people trembled like trees in the forest shaken by the wind.

³Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-jashubto meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct that feeds the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field,

⁴and 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.

⁵For Aram, along with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has plotted your ruin, saying:

⁶‘Let us invade Judah, terrorize it, and divide itamong ourselves. Then we can install the son of Tabeal over it as king.’

⁷But this is what the Lord GOD says:‘It will not arise;it will not happen.

⁸For the head of Aram is Damascus,and the head of Damascus is Rezin.Within sixty-five yearsEphraim will be shattered as a people.

⁹The 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.’”

The Sign of Immanuel

¹⁰Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying,

¹¹“Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.”

¹²But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask; I will not test the LORD.”

¹³Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God as well?

¹⁴Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virginwill be with child and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.

¹⁵By the time He knows enough to reject evil and choose good, He will be eating curds and honey.

¹⁶For before the boy knows enough to reject evil and choose good, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.

Judgment to Come

¹⁷The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since the day Ephraim separated from Judah—He will bring the king of Assyria.”

¹⁸On that day the LORD will whistle to the flies at the farthest streams of the Nile and to the bees in the land of Assyria.

¹⁹And they will all come and settlein the steep ravines and clefts of the rocks,in all the thornbushes and watering holes.

²⁰On that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates—the king of Assyria—to shave your head and the hair of your legs, and to remove your beard as well.

²¹On that day a man will raise a young cow and two sheep,

²²and from the abundance of milk they give, he will eat curds; for all who remain in the land will eat curds and honey.

²³And on that day, in every place that had a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver,only briers and thorns will be found.

²⁴Men will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns.

²⁵For fear of the briers and thorns, you will no longer traverse the hills once tilled by the hoe; they will become places for oxen to graze and sheep to trample.

Where Can Wisdom Be Found?

¹“Surely there is a mine for silverand a place where gold is refined.

²Iron is taken from the earth,and copper is smelted from ore.

³Man puts an end to the darkness;he probes the farthest recessesfor ore in deepest darkness.

⁴Far from human habitation he cuts a shaftin places forgotten by the foot of man.Far from men he dangles and sways.

⁵Food may come from the earth,but from below it is transformed as by fire.

⁶Its rocks are the source of sapphires,containing flecks of gold.

⁷No bird of prey knows that path;no falcon’s eye has seen it.

⁸Proud beasts have never trodden it;no lion has ever prowled over it.

⁹The miner strikes the flint;he overturns mountains at their base.

¹⁰He hews out channels in the rocks,and his eyes spot every treasure.

¹¹He stops upthe sources of the streamsto bring what is hidden to light.

¹²But where can wisdom be found,and where does understanding dwell?

¹³No man can know its value,nor is it found in the land of the living.

¹⁴The ocean depths say, ‘It is not in me,’while the sea declares, ‘It is not with me.’

¹⁵It cannot be bought with gold,nor can its price be weighed out in silver.

¹⁶It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,in precious onyx or sapphire.

¹⁷Neither gold nor crystal can compare to it,nor jewels of fine gold be exchanged for it.

¹⁸Coral and quartz are unworthy of mention;the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.

¹⁹Topaz from Cushcannot compare to it,nor can it be valued in pure gold.

²⁰From where, then, does wisdom come,and where does understanding dwell?

²¹It is hidden from the eyes of every living thingand concealed from the birds of the air.

²²Abaddonand Death say,‘We have heard a rumor about it.’

²³But God understands its way,and He knows its place.

²⁴For He looks to the ends of the earthand sees everything under the heavens.

²⁵When God fixed the weight of the windand measured out the waters,

²⁶when He set a limit for the rainand a path for the thunderbolt,

²⁷then He looked at wisdom and appraised it;He established it and searched it out.

²⁸And He said to man, ‘Behold,the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

Zephaniah Prophesies Judgment on Judah

¹This is the word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:

²“I will completely sweep awayeverything from the face of the earth,”declares the LORD.

³“I will sweep away man and beast;I will sweep away the birds of the air,and the fish of the sea,and the idols with their wicked worshipers.I will cut off mankindfrom the face of the earth,”declares the LORD.

⁴“I will stretch out My hand against Judahand against all who dwell in Jerusalem.I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal,the names of the idolatrous and pagan priests—

⁵those who bow on the rooftopsto worship the host of heaven,those who bow down and swear by the LORDbut also swear by Milcom,

⁶and those who turn backfrom following the LORD,neither seeking the LORDnor inquiring of Him.”

The Day of the LORD

⁷Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD,for the Day of the LORD is near.Indeed, the LORD has prepared a sacrifice;He has consecrated His guests.

⁸“On the Day of the LORD’s sacrificeI will punish the princes,the sons of the king,and all who are dressed in foreign apparel.

⁹On that day I will punishall who leap over the threshold,who fill the house of their masterwith violence and deceit.

¹⁰On that day,” declares the LORD,“a cry will go up from the Fish Gate,a wail from the Second District,and a loud crashing from the hills.

¹¹Wail, O dwellers of the Hollow,for all your merchantswill be silenced;all who weigh out silver will be cut off.

¹²And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lampsand punish the men settled in complacency,who say to themselves,‘The LORD will do nothing,either good or bad.’

¹³Their wealth will be plunderedand their houses laid waste.They will build houses but not inhabit them,and plant vineyards but never drink their wine.

¹⁴The great Day of the LORD is near—near and coming quickly.Listen, the Day of the LORD!Then the cry of the mighty will be bitter.

¹⁵That day will bea day of wrath,a day of trouble and distress,a day of destruction and desolation,a day of darkness and gloom,a day of clouds and blackness,

¹⁶a day of horn blast and battle cryagainst the fortified cities,and against the high corner towers.

¹⁷I will bring such distress on mankindthat they will walk like the blind,because they have sinned against the LORD.Their blood will be poured out like dustand their flesh like dung.

¹⁸Neither their silver nor their goldwill be able to deliver themon the Day of the LORD’s wrath.The whole earth will be consumedby the fire of His jealousy.”For indeed, He will make a sudden endof all who dwell on the earth.

The Excellence of Wisdom

¹Does not wisdom call out,and understanding raise her voice?

²On the heights overlooking the road,at the crossroads she takes her stand.

³Beside the gates to the city,at the entrances she cries out:

⁴“To you, O men, I call out,and my cry is to the sons of men.

⁵O simple ones, learn to be shrewd;O fools, gain understanding.

⁶Listen, for I speak of noble things,and the opening of my lips will reveal right.

⁷For my mouth will speak the truth,and wickedness is detestable to my lips.

⁸All the words of my mouth are righteous;none are crooked or perverse.

⁹They are all plain to the discerning,and upright to those who find knowledge.

¹⁰Receive my instruction instead of silver,and knowledge rather than pure gold.

¹¹For wisdom is more precious than rubies,and nothing you desire compares with her.

¹²I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence,and I find knowledge and discretion.

¹³To fear the LORD is to hate evil;I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech.

¹⁴Counsel and sound judgment are mine;I have insight and strength.

¹⁵By me kings reign,and rulers enact just laws;

¹⁶By me princes rule,and all nobles who govern justly.

¹⁷I love those who love me,and those who seek me early shall find me.

¹⁸With me are riches and honor,enduring wealth and righteousness.

¹⁹My fruit is better than gold, pure gold,and my harvest surpasses choice silver.

²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness,along the paths of justice,

²¹bestowing wealth on those who love meand making their treasuries full.

²²The LORD created me as His first course,before His works of old.

²³From everlasting I was established,from the beginning, before the earth began.

²⁴When there were no watery depths, I was brought forth,when no springs were overflowing with water.

²⁵Before the mountains were settled,before the hills, I was brought forth,

²⁶before He made the land or fields,or any of the dust of the earth.

²⁷I was there when He established the heavens,when He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,

²⁸when He established the clouds above,when the fountains of the deep gushed forth,

²⁹when He set a boundary for the sea,so that the waters would not surpass His command,when He marked out the foundations of the earth.

³⁰Then I was a skilled craftsman at His side,and His delightday by day,rejoicing always in His presence.

³¹I was rejoicing in His whole world,delighting together in the sons of men.

³²Now therefore, my sons, listen to me,for blessed are those who keep my ways.

³³Listen to instruction and be wise;do not ignore it.

³⁴Blessed is the man who listens to me,watching daily at my doors,waiting at the posts of my doorway.

³⁵For whoever finds me finds lifeand obtains the favor of the LORD.

³⁶But he who fails to find me harms himself;all who hate me love death.”