Immanuel: a sign to Ahaz and Matthew's reading

¹ In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.

² David’s house was told, “Syria is allied with Ephraim.” His heart trembled, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest tremble with the wind.

³ Then Yahweh said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you, and Shearjashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway of the fuller’s field.

⁴ Tell him, ‘Be careful, and keep calm. Don’t be afraid, neither let your heart be faint because of these two tails of smoking torches, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.

⁵ Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have plotted evil against you, saying,

⁶ “Let’s go up against Judah, and tear it apart, and let’s divide it among ourselves, and set up a king within it, even the son of Tabeel.”

⁷ This is what the Lord Yahweh says: “It shall not stand, neither shall it happen.”

⁸ For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim shall be broken in pieces, so that it shall not be a people.

⁹ The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.’ ”

¹⁰ Yahweh spoke again to Ahaz, saying,

¹¹ “Ask a sign of Yahweh your God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.”

¹² But Ahaz said, “I won’t ask. I won’t tempt Yahweh.”

¹³ He said, “Listen now, house of David. Is it not enough for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God also?

¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

¹⁵ He shall eat butter and honey when he knows to refuse the evil and choose the good.

¹⁶ For before the child knows to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you abhor shall be forsaken.

¹⁷ Yahweh will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah, even the king of Assyria.

¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was like this: After his mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found pregnant by the Holy Spirit.

¹⁹ Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, intended to put her away secretly.

²⁰ But when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take to yourself Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

²¹ She shall give birth to a son. You shall name him Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins.”

²² Now all this has happened that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,

²³ “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall give birth to a son. They shall call his name Immanuel;” which is, being interpreted, “God with us.”

²⁴ Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took his wife to himself;

²⁵ and didn’t know her sexually until she had given birth to her firstborn son. He named him Jesus.