¶ The syryans moue ha••ayle agaynst Ierusalem, I vyr∣gyn shall beare a chylde.
CAPI. VII.
IT HAPPENED i the tyme of Ahaz [unspec A] the sonne of Iothan / whiche was the sonne of Uziah King of Iuda: that Razin the Kynge of Siria, and Prekeh the sonne of Romelyah, Kynge of Israell: wente vp towarde Ierusalem to besege it, but wanne it nat. Nowe when the the house of Dauid (that is Ahaz) herde worde therof, that Si∣ria and Ephraim were confederate toge∣ther hys herte quaked (yee and the hertes also of his people (lyke as whan a tre in the felde is moued with the wynde.
Then sayde God vnto Esaye: go mete Ahaz (thou and thy sonne Seat Iasub) at the head of the ouer pole, in the fore path by [unspec B] the fullers groūde, and saye vnto hym, take hede to thy selfe and be styll, but feare nat / nether be faynt harted, for these two tales: that is: for these two smokynge fyre bran∣des, the wrath and furyousnes of Razin the Syrian and Romelies sonne: because that the Kynge of Syria Ephraim and Rome∣lies sonne haue wyckedly cōspyred against the saying: We wyll go vp agaynst Iuda, vexe them, and brynge them vnder vs and set a kynge there, euen the sonne of Tabeel. For thus sayeth the Lorde God therto, It shall nat so go forth, nether come so to passe for ☞ the head cytie of the Strians is Da¦mascus, but the head of Damasc{us} is Rayin And after fyue and threscore yeare, shall Ephraim be no more a peple. And the chefe cytie of Ephraim is Samaria, but the head of Samaria is Romelyes sonne. Yf ye bele∣ue nat / it commeth of your owne vnsted∣fastnesse.
Moreouer / God spake vnto Ahaz, say∣ynge requyre a token of the Lorde thy God whether it be towarde the depthe beneth, or [unspec C] towarde the height aboue. Thē sayd Ahaz: I wyll requyre none, nether wyll I tempte the Lorde. The Lorde answered: Then hea∣re now / ye of the house of Dauyd: Is it nat ynough for you, y• ye be greupus vnto men, but ye muste greue my God also? And ther∣fore the Lord shal geue you a tokē: Behold, a vyrgin shal conceaue and beare a sonne, & shall call hys name ☞ Emanuel. Butter and hony shall he eate, that he maye knowe to refuse the euel, and chose the good. For or euer the child come to knowledge, to eschue the euyl and chose the good. The land (that thou arte so afrayde for) shalbe desolate of both her kynges.
The Lorde also shall sende a tyme vpon the / vpon thy people, and vpon thy fathers house (such as neuer came sence y• tyme that Ephraim departed from Iuda) thorow the Kynge of the Assirians. For at the same tyme shall the Lorde whystle for the flyes that are about the water of Egypte, and for the Bees in the Assirians lande. These shal come, and shall lyghte all in the valeyes / in the vawtes of stones, vpon all grene thyn∣ges and in all corners.
At the same tyme shall the Lorde ☞ shaue the heare of the heade and the fete and the beerd cleane of, with the rasour that he shal paye them withall beyonde the water: na∣mely, with the Kynge of the Assirians. At [unspec D] the same time shal a man lyue with a cowe, and two shepe. Then, because of the aboun¦daunce of mylcke, he shall make butter and eate it. So that euery one whiche remay∣neth in the lande, shal eate butter and hony. At the same tyme all vyneyardes (though there be a thousande vynes in one, and were solde for a thousande syluerlynges) shalbe turned to brears and thornes. Lyke as they shall come in to the lande with arowes and bowes, so shall all the lande be come brears and thornes. And as for all hylles that are hewen downe, ther shall nat come vpon them any feare of brears and thornes. But the catell shall be dryuen thyther, and the shepe shall fede there.