Et factum est in diebus Achaz, filii Joathan, filii Oziæ, regis Juda, ascendit Rasin, rex Syriæ, et Phacee, filius Romeliæ, rex Israël, in Jerusalem, ad præliandum contra eam: et non potuerunt

And it came to pass in the days of Achaz the son of Joathan, the son of Ozias, king of Juda, that Rasin king of Syria, and Phacee the son of Romelia king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem, to fight against it: but they could not prevail over it.

Afterwards, in the reign of Achaz, whose father was Ozias’ son Joathan, an attack was made upon Jerusalem by Rasin, king of Syria, and Phacee, son of Romelia, king of Israel. As it proved, they were not strong enough to take it;

debellare eam. Et nuntiaverunt domui David, dicentes: Requievit Syria super Ephraim. Et commotum est cor ejus, et cor populi ejus, sicut moventur ligna silvarum a facie venti.

And they told the house of David, saying: Syria hath rested upon Ephraim, and his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.

but when the news reached David’s palace that Syria had gained a footing in Ephraim, the hearts of Achaz and his people trembled like forest trees before the wind.

Et dixit Dominus ad Isaiam: Egredere in occursum Achaz, tu et qui derelictus est Jasub, filius tuus, ad extremum aquæductus piscinæ superioris in via agri Fullonis;

And the Lord said to Isaias: Go forth to meet Achaz, thou and Jasub thy son that is left, to the conduit of the upper pool, in the way of the fuller’s field.

Then it was that the Lord said to Isaias, Take with thee thy son, Jashub the Survivor, and go out to the end of the aqueduct that feeds the upper pool in the Fuller’s Ground. There thou wilt meet Achaz,

et dices ad eum: Vide ut sileas; noli timere, et cor tuum ne formidet a duabus caudis titionum fumigantium istorum, in ira furoris Rasin, regis Syriæ, et filii Romeliæ;

And thou shalt say to him: See thou be quiet: fear not, and let not thy heart be afraid of the two tails of these firebrands, smoking with the wrath of the fury of Rasin king of Syria, and of the son of Romelia.

and this shall be thy message to him, Shew a calm front, do not be afraid. Must thy heart fail thee because Rasin king of Syria and the son of Romelia are thy sworn enemies? What is either of them but the smouldering stump of a fire-brand?

eo quod consilium inierit contra te Syria in malum, Ephraim, et filius Romeliæ, dicentes:

Because Syria hath taken counsel against thee, unto the evil of Ephraim and the son of Romelia, saying:

What if Syria, what if Ephraim and the son of Romelia are plotting to do thee an injury?

Ascendamus ad Judam, et suscitemus eum, et avellamus eum ad nos, et ponamus regem in medio ejus filium Tabeel.

Let us go up to Juda, and rouse it up, and draw it away to us, and make the son of Tabeel king in the midst thereof.

They think to invade Juda and strike terror into it, so that they can bring it into their power, and set up the son of Tabeel as its ruler;

Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Non stabit, et non erit istud;

Thus saith the Lord God: It shall not stand, and this shall not be.

a vain errand, the Lord says; it shall not be.

sed caput Syriæ Damascus, et caput Damasci Rasin; et adhuc sexaginta et quinque anni, et desinet Ephraim esse populus;

But the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rasin: and within threescore and five years, Ephraim shall cease to be a people:

As surely as Damascus rules Syria, and Rasin rules Damascus, within sixty-five years Ephraim will be a people no longer.

et caput Ephraim Samaria, et caput Samariæ filius Romeliæ. Si non credideritis, non permanebitis.

And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria the son of Romelia. If you will not believe, you shall not continue.

As surely as Samaria rules Ephraim, and the son of Romelia rules Samaria, if you lose courage, your cause is lost.

Et adjecit Dominus loqui ad Achaz, dicens:

And the Lord spoke again to Achaz, saying:

The Lord sent, besides, this message to Achaz,

Pete tibi signum a Domino Deo tuo, in profundum inferni, sive in excelsum supra.

Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God, either unto the depth of hell, or unto the height above.

Ask the Lord thy God to give thee a sign, in the depths beneath thee, or in the height above thee.

Et dixit Achaz: Non petam, et non tentabo Dominum.

And Achaz said: I will not ask, and I will not tempt the Lord.

But Achaz said, Nay, I will not ask for a sign; I will not put the Lord to the test.

Et dixit: Audite ergo, domus David. Numquid parum vobis est molestos esse hominibus, quia molesti estis et Deo meo?

And he said: Hear ye therefore, O house of David: Is it a small thing for you to be grievous to men, that you are grievous to my God also?

Why then, said Isaias, listen to me, you that are of David’s race. Cannot you be content with trying the patience of men? Must you try my God’s patience too?

Propter hoc dabit Dominus ipse vobis signum: ecce virgo concipiet, et pariet filium, et vocabitur nomen ejus Emmanuel.

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel.

Sign you ask none, but sign the Lord will give you. Maid shall be with child, and shall bear a son, that shall be called Emmanuel.

Butyrum et mel comedet, ut sciat reprobare malum, et eligere bonum.

He shall eat butter and honey, that he may know to refuse the evil, and to choose the good.

On butter and honey shall be his thriving, till he is of age to know good from harm;

Quia antequam sciat puer reprobare malum et eligere bonum, derelinquetur terra quam tu detestaris a facie duorum regum suorum.

For before the child know to refuse the evil, and to choose the good, the land which thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of the face of her two kings.

already, before he can tell this from that, king they shall have none, the two kingdoms that are thy rivals.

Adducet Dominus super te, et super populum tuum, et super domum patris tui, dies qui non venerunt a diebus separationis Ephraim a Juda, cum rege Assyriorum.

The Lord shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon the house of thy father, days that have not come since the time of the separation of Ephraim from Juda with the king of the Assyrians.

As for thee, and for thy people, and for thy father’s house, the Lord means to bring upon thee such days of trouble as have not been seen since Ephraim parted from Juda, with the coming of the king of Assyria.

Et erit in die illa: sibilabit Dominus muscæ quæ est in extremo fluminum Ægypti, et api quæ est in terra Assur;

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall hiss for the fly, that is in the uttermost parts of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.

Days when the Lord will whistle up those plagues of his, yonder flies that hatch by the last rivers of Egypt; yonder bees, that hive in the land of Assur.

et venient, et requiescent omnes in torrentibus vallium, et in cavernis petrarum, et in omnibus frutetis, et in universis foraminibus.

And they shall come, and shall all of them rest in the torrents of the valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all places set with shrubs, and in all hollow places.

Invading swarms, that settle even upon mountain, gully and rock, cavern; thicket is none, nor underground pit, shall be safe from them.

In die illa radet Dominus in novacula conducta in his qui trans flumen sunt, in rege Assyriorum, caput et pilos pedum, et barbam universam.

In that day the Lord shall shave with a razor that is hired by them that are beyond the river, by the king of the Assyrians, the head and the hairs of the feet, and the whole beard.

Hard times, when the Lord will be hiring mercenaries from beyond Euphrates, the king of Assyria’s men, and will leave you quite bare, hair of head and legs shaved close with this hired rasor of his, and the beard too!

Et erit in die illa: nutriet homo vaccam boum, et duas oves,

And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall nourish a young cow, and two sheep.

Hard times, when one heifer and a pair of sheep are all the stock a man has;

et præ ubertate lactis comedet butyrum; butyrum enim et mel manducabit omnis qui relictus fuerit in medio terræ.

And for the abundance of milk he shall eat butter: for butter and honey shall every one eat that shall be left in the midst of the land.

milk plentiful, so that he has butter to eat; of butter and honey the survivors will have no lack;

Et erit in die illa: omnis locus ubi fuerint mille vites, mille argenteis, in spinas et in vepres erunt.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place where there were a thousand vines, at a thousand pieces of silver, shall become thorns and briers.

but where once a thousand vines grew, each worth a silver piece, all will be thorns and brushwood.

Cum sagittis et arcu ingredientur illuc: vepres enim et spinæ erunt in universa terra.

With arrows and with bows they shall go in thither: for briers and thorns shall be in all the land.

Covert of thorns and brushwood, where men go armed with bow and arrows;

Et omnes montes qui in sarculo sarrientur, non veniet illuc terror spinarum et veprium: et erit in pascua bovis, et in conculcationem pecoris.

And as for all the hills that shall be raked with a rake, the fear of thorns and briers shall not come thither, but they shall be for the ox to feed on, and the lesser cattle to tread upon.

only the hill-sides, that have felt the hoe, shall be free from the terrors of the covert, and these the cattle shall graze, the sheep trample under foot.