TORAH

FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES

NEVI'IM

PROPHETS

KETUVIM

WRITINGS

Chapter 7

Translation and Transliteration of

Listen to this chapter in Hebrew:

1In the reign of Achaz son of Yotam son of Uzziyahu, king of Yehuda, King Rezin of Aram and King Pekach son of Remaliah of Yisrael marched upon Yerushalayim to attack it; but they were not able to attack it.

אוַיְהִי בִּימֵי אָחָז בֶּן־יוֹתָם בֶּן־עֻזִּיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה עָלָה רְצִין מֶלֶךְ־אֲרָם וּפֶקַח בֶּן־רְמַלְיָהוּ מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל יְרוּשָׁלַ ִם לַמִּלְחָמָה עָלֶיהָ וְלֹא יָכֹל לְהִלָּחֵם עָלֶיהָ׃

2Now, when it was reported to the House of David that Aram had allied itself with Efraim, their hearts and the hearts of their people trembled as trees of the forest sway before a wind.

בוַיֻּגַּד לְבֵית דָּוִד לֵאמֹר נָחָה אֲרָם עַל־אֶפְרָיִם וַיָּנַע לְבָבוֹ וּלְבַב עַמּוֹ כְּנוֹעַ עֲצֵי־יַעַר מִפְּנֵי־רוּחַ׃

3But Hashem said to Yeshayahu, “Go out with your son Shear Yashuv to meet Achaz at the end of the conduit of the Upper Pool, by the road of the Fuller's Field.

va-YO-mer a-do-NAI el y'-sha-YA-hu tzay NA lik-RAT a-KHAZ a-TAH ush-AR ya-SHUV b'-NE-kha el k'-TZAY t'-a-LAT ha-b'-ray-KHAH ha-el-yo-NAH el m'-si-LAT s'-DAY kho-VAYS

גוַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל־יְשַׁעְיָהוּ צֵא־נָא לִקְרַאת אָחָז אַתָּה וּשְׁאָר יָשׁוּב בְּנֶךָ אֶל־קְצֵה תְּעָלַת הַבְּרֵכָה הָעֶלְיוֹנָה אֶל־מְסִלַּת שְׂדֵה כוֹבֵס׃

7:3 At the end of the conduit of the Upper Pool

Yeshayahu and his son Shear-Yashuv confront Achaz, then king of Yehuda, who was facing an invasion from Aram (Syria) and the northern kingdom of Israel. While Achaz fearfully refers to them as two powerful princes, Yeshayahu tries to assure him that they are only tails of smoking firebrands, meaning two kingdoms on their deathbeds. Therefore, says Yeshayahu, Yehuda has only to trust in Hashem, and nothing to fear. This meeting — a paradigmatic demonstration of faith in God — occurred at the Launderer’s Pool. This pool of water is mentioned two other times in the Bible, and there are various opinions with regard to its exact location. One opinion is a location in the northeast of Yerushalayim, close to today’s Lions’ Gate, where a dam forms a pool carved into a riverbed. Another opinion suggests the pool was in the northwest of the city, where a channel of a riverbed was discovered. While it is unclear if one of these is the pool referred to in this verse, we do know that both of these pools were within the city limits during the time of the Second Temple, and were used by tens of thousands of pilgrims each year for drinking, cleaning and purification in preparation for their visit to the nearby Beit Hamikdash.

4And say to him: Be firm and be calm. Do not be afraid and do not lose heart on account of those two smoking stubs of firebrands, on account of the raging of Rezin and his Arameans and the son of Remaliah.

דוְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו הִשָּׁמֵר וְהַשְׁקֵט אַל־תִּירָא וּלְבָבְךָ אַל־יֵרַךְ מִשְּׁנֵי זַנְבוֹת הָאוּדִים הָעֲשֵׁנִים הָאֵלֶּה בָּחֳרִי־אַף רְצִין וַאֲרָם וּבֶן־רְמַלְיָהוּ׃

5Because the Arameans—with Efraim and the son of Remaliah—have plotted against you, saying,

היַעַן כִּי־יָעַץ עָלֶיךָ אֲרָם רָעָה אֶפְרַיִם וּבֶן־רְמַלְיָהוּ לֵאמֹר׃

6‘We will march against Yehuda and invade and conquer it, and we will set up as king in it the son of Tabeel,'

ונַעֲלֶה בִיהוּדָה וּנְקִיצֶנָּה וְנַבְקִעֶנָּה אֵלֵינוּ וְנַמְלִיךְ מֶלֶךְ בְּתוֹכָהּ אֵת בֶּן־טָבְאַל׃

7thus said my God: It shall not succeed, It shall not come to pass.

זכֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה לֹא תָקוּם וְלֹא תִהְיֶה׃

8For the chief city of Aram is Damascus, And the chief of Damascus is Rezin;

חכִּי רֹאשׁ אֲרָם דַּמֶּשֶׂק וְרֹאשׁ דַּמֶּשֶׂק רְצִין וּבְעוֹד שִׁשִּׁים וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנָה יֵחַת אֶפְרַיִם מֵעָם׃

9The chief city of Efraim is Shomron, And the chief of Shomron is the son of Remaliah. And in another sixty-five years, Efraim shall be shattered as a people.* If you will not believe, for you cannot be trusted…”

טוְרֹאשׁ אֶפְרַיִם שֹׁמְרוֹן וְרֹאשׁ שֹׁמְרוֹן בֶּן־רְמַלְיָהוּ אִם לֹא תַאֲמִינוּ כִּי לֹא תֵאָמֵנוּ׃

10Hashem spoke further to Achaz:

יוַיּוֹסֶף יְהֹוָה דַּבֵּר אֶל־אָחָז לֵאמֹר׃

11“Ask for a sign from Hashem your God, anywhere down to Sheol or up to the sky.”

יאשְׁאַל־לְךָ אוֹת מֵעִם יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ הַעְמֵק שְׁאָלָה אוֹ הַגְבֵּהַּ לְמָעְלָה׃

12But Achaz replied, “I will not ask, and I will not test Hashem.”

יבוַיֹּאמֶר אָחָז לֹא־אֶשְׁאַל וְלֹא־אֲנַסֶּה אֶת־יְהֹוָה׃

13“Listen, House of David,” [Yeshayahu] retorted, “is it not enough for you to treat men as helpless that you also treat my God as helpless?

יגוַיֹּאמֶר שִׁמְעוּ־נָא בֵּית דָּוִד הַמְעַט מִכֶּם הַלְאוֹת אֲנָשִׁים כִּי תַלְאוּ גַּם אֶת־אֱלֹהָי׃

14Assuredly, my Lord will give you a sign of His own accord! Look, the young woman is with child and about to give birth to a son. Let her name him Imanu-El.

ידלָכֵן יִתֵּן אֲדֹנָי הוּא לָכֶם אוֹת הִנֵּה הָעַלְמָה הָרָה וְיֹלֶדֶת בֵּן וְקָרָאת שְׁמוֹ עִמָּנוּ אֵל׃

15(By the time he learns to reject the bad and choose the good, people will be feeding on curds and honey.)

טוחֶמְאָה וּדְבַשׁ יֹאכֵל לְדַעְתּוֹ מָאוֹס בָּרָע וּבָחוֹר בַּטּוֹב׃

16For before the lad knows to reject the bad and choose the good, the ground whose two kings you dread shall be abandoned.

טזכִּי בְּטֶרֶם יֵדַע הַנַּעַר מָאֹס בָּרָע וּבָחֹר בַּטּוֹב תֵּעָזֵב הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה קָץ מִפְּנֵי שְׁנֵי מְלָכֶיהָ׃

17Hashem will cause to come upon you and your people and your ancestral house such days as never have come since Efraim turned away from Yehuda—that selfsame king of Assyria!

יזיָבִיא יְהֹוָה עָלֶיךָ וְעַל־עַמְּךָ וְעַל־בֵּית אָבִיךָ יָמִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא־בָאוּ לְמִיּוֹם סוּר־אֶפְרַיִם מֵעַל יְהוּדָה אֵת מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר׃

18“In that day, Hashem will whistle to the flies at the ends of the water channels of Egypt and to the bees in the land of Assyria;

יחוְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִשְׁרֹק יְהֹוָה לַזְּבוּב אֲשֶׁר בִּקְצֵה יְאֹרֵי מִצְרָיִם וְלַדְּבוֹרָה אֲשֶׁר בְּאֶרֶץ אַשּׁוּר׃

19and they shall all come and alight in the rugged wadis, and in the clefts of the rocks, and in all the thornbrakes, and in all the watering places.

יטוּבָאוּ וְנָחוּ כֻלָּם בְּנַחֲלֵי הַבַּתּוֹת וּבִנְקִיקֵי הַסְּלָעִים וּבְכֹל הַנַּעֲצוּצִים וּבְכֹל הַנַּהֲלֹלִים׃

20“In that day, my Lord will cut away with the razor that is hired beyond the Euphrates—with the king of Assyria—the hair of the head and the hair of the legs, and it shall clip off the beard as well.

כבַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יְגַלַּח אֲדֹנָי בְּתַעַר הַשְּׂכִירָה בְּעֶבְרֵי נָהָר בְּמֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר אֶת־הָרֹאשׁ וְשַׂעַר הָרַגְלָיִם וְגַם אֶת־הַזָּקָן תִּסְפֶּה׃

21And in that day, each man shall save alive a heifer of the herd and two animals of the flock.

כאוְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יְחַיֶּה־אִישׁ עֶגְלַת בָּקָר וּשְׁתֵּי־צֹאן׃

22(And he shall obtain so much milk that he shall eat curds.) Thus everyone who is left in the land shall feed on curds and honey.

כבוְהָיָה מֵרֹב עֲשׂוֹת חָלָב יֹאכַל חֶמְאָה כִּי־חֶמְאָה וּדְבַשׁ יֹאכֵל כָּל־הַנּוֹתָר בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ׃

23“For in that day, every spot where there could stand a thousand vines worth a thousand shekalim of silver shall become a wilderness of thornbush and thistle.

כגוְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה כָל־מָקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה־שָּׁם אֶלֶף גֶּפֶן בְּאֶלֶף כָּסֶף לַשָּׁמִיר וְלַשַּׁיִת יִהְיֶה׃

24One will have to go there with bow and arrows, for the country shall be all thornbushes and thistles.

כדבַּחִצִּים וּבַקֶּשֶׁת יָבוֹא שָׁמָּה כִּי־שָׁמִיר וָשַׁיִת תִּהְיֶה כָל־הָאָרֶץ׃

25But the perils of thornbush and thistle shall not spread to any of the hills that could only be tilled with a hoe; and here cattle shall be let loose, and sheep and goats shall tramp about.”

כהוְכֹל הֶהָרִים אֲשֶׁר בַּמַּעְדֵּר יֵעָדֵרוּן לֹא־תָבוֹא שָׁמָּה יִרְאַת שָׁמִיר וָשָׁיִת וְהָיָה לְמִשְׁלַח שׁוֹר וּלְמִרְמַס שֶׂה׃