This perek is a classic missionary "proof" that snares many Jews into their net.
א וַיְהִ֡י בִּימֵ֣י אָ֠חָז בֶּן־יוֹתָ֨ם בֶּן־עֻזִּיָּ֜הוּ מֶ֣לֶךְ יְהוּדָ֗ה עָלָ֣ה רְצִ֣ין מֶֽלֶךְ־אֲ֠רָם וּפֶ֨קַח בֶּן־רְמַלְיָ֚הוּ מֶֽלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם לַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה עָלֶ֑יהָ וְלֹ֥א יָכֹ֖ל לְהִלָּחֵ֥ם עָלֶֽיהָ:
ב וַיֻּגַּ֗ד לְבֵ֚ית דָּוִד֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר נָ֥חָה אֲרָ֖ם עַל־אֶפְרָ֑יִם וַיָּ֚נַע לְבָבוֹ֙ וּלְבַ֣ב עַמּ֔וֹ כְּנ֥וֹעַ עֲצֵי־יַ֖עַר מִפְּנֵי־רֽוּחַ:
ג וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהֹוָה֘ אֶל־יְשַׁעְיָהוּ֒ צֵא־נָא֙ לִקְרַ֣את אָחָ֔ז אַתָּ֕ה וּשְׁאָ֖ר יָשׁ֣וּב בְּנֶ֑ךָ אֶל־קְצֵ֗ה תְּעָלַת֙ הַבְּרֵכָ֣ה הָֽעֶלְיוֹנָ֔ה אֶל־מְסִלַּ֖ת שְׂדֵ֥ה כוֹבֵֽס:
דוְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֵ֠לָיו הִשָּׁמֵ֨ר וְהַשְׁקֵ֜ט אַל־תִּירָ֗א וּלְבָֽבְךָ֙ אַל־יֵרַ֔ךְ מִשְּׁנֵ֨י זַנְב֧וֹת הָֽאוּדִ֛ים הָֽעֲשֵׁנִ֖ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה בָּֽחֳרִי־אַ֛ף רְצִ֥ין וַֽאֲרָ֖ם וּבֶן־רְמַלְיָֽהוּ:
היַ֗עַן כִּֽי־יָעַ֥ץ עָלֶ֛יךָ אֲרָ֖ם רָעָ֑ה אֶפְרַ֥יִם וּבֶן־רְמַלְיָ֖הוּ לֵאמֹֽר:
ו נַֽעֲלֶ֚ה בִֽיהוּדָה֙ וּנְקִיצֶ֔נָּה וְנַבְקִעֶ֖נָּה אֵלֵ֑ינוּ וְנַמְלִ֥יךְ מֶ֙לֶךְ֙ בְּתוֹכָ֔הּ אֵ֖ת בֶּן־טָֽבְאַֽל:
ז כֹּ֥ה אָמַ֖ר אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֑ה לֹ֥א תָק֖וּם וְלֹ֥א תִֽהְיֶֽה:
ח כִּ֣י רֹ֚אשׁ אֲרָם֙ דַּמֶּ֔שֶׂק וְרֹ֥אשׁ דַּמֶּ֖שֶׂק רְצִ֑ין וּבְע֗וֹד שִׁשִּׁ֚ים וְחָמֵשׁ֙ שָׁנָ֔ה יֵחַ֥ת אֶפְרַ֖יִם מֵעָֽם:
ט וְרֹ֚אשׁ אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ שֹֽׁמְר֔וֹן וְרֹ֥אשׁ שֹֽׁמְר֖וֹן בֶּן־רְמַלְיָ֑הוּ אִם לֹ֣א תַֽאֲמִ֔ינוּ כִּ֖י לֹ֥א תֵֽאָמֵֽנוּ:
י וַיּ֣וֹסֶף יְהֹוָ֔ה דַּבֵּ֥ר אֶל־אָחָ֖ז לֵאמֹֽר:
יא שְׁאַל־לְךָ֣ א֔וֹת מֵעִ֖ם יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ הַֽעְמֵ֣ק שְׁאָ֔לָה א֖וֹ הַגְבֵּ֥הַּ לְמָֽעְלָה:
יב וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אָחָ֑ז לֹֽא־אֶשְׁאַ֥ל וְלֹֽא־אֲנַסֶּ֖ה אֶת־יְהֹוָֽה:
יג וַיֹּ֕אמֶר שִׁמְעוּ־נָ֖א בֵּ֣ית דָּוִ֑ד הַמְעַ֚ט מִכֶּם֙ הַלְא֣וֹת אֲנָשִׁ֔ים כִּ֥י תַלְא֖וּ גַּ֥ם אֶת־אֱלֹהָֽי:
יד לָ֠כֵן יִתֵּ֨ן אֲדֹנָ֥י ה֛וּא לָכֶ֖ם א֑וֹת הִנֵּ֣ה הָֽעַלְמָ֗ה הָרָה֙ וְיֹלֶ֣דֶת בֵּ֔ן וְקָרָ֥את שְׁמ֖וֹ עִמָּ֥נוּ אֵֽל:
טו חֶמְאָ֥ה וּדְבַ֖שׁ יֹאכֵ֑ל לְדַעְתּ֛וֹ מָא֥וֹס בָּרָ֖ע וּבָח֥וֹר בַּטּֽוֹב:
טז כִּ֠י בְּטֶ֨רֶם יֵדַ֥ע הַנַּ֛עַר מָא֥וֹס בָּרָ֖ע וּבָח֣וֹר בַּטּ֑וֹב תֵּֽעָזֵ֚ב הָֽאֲדָמָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אַתָּ֣ה קָ֔ץ מִפְּנֵ֖י שְׁנֵ֥י מְלָכֶֽיהָ:
1And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz son of Jotham son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin, king of Aram, and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, marched on Jerusalem to wage war against it, and he could not wage war against it.
2And it was told to the House of David, saying, "Aram has allied itself with Ephraim," and his heart and the heart of his people trembled as the trees of the forest tremble because of the wind.
3And the Lord said to Isaiah, "Now go out toward Ahaz, you and Shear-Yashuv your son, to the edge of the conduit of the upper pool, to the road of the washer's field.
4And you shall say to him, "Feel secure and calm yourself, do not fear, and let your heart not be faint because of these two smoking stubs of firebrands, because of the raging anger of Rezin and Aram and the son of Remaliah.
5Since Aram planned harm to you, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, saying:
6'Let us go up against Judah and provoke it, and annex it to us; and let us crown a king in its midst, one who is good for us,'
7So said the Lord God, 'Neither shall it succeed, nor shall it come to pass.
8For the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and in another sixty-five years, Ephraim shall be broken, no longer to be a people.
9And the head of Ehpraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah; if you do not believe, it is because you cannot be believed."
10And the Lord continued to speak to Ahaz, saying,
11"Ask for yourself a sign from the Lord, your God: ask it either in the depths, or in the heights above."
12And Ahaz said, "I will not ask, and I will not test the Lord."
13And he said, "Listen now, O House of David, is it little for you to weary men, that you weary my God as well?
14Therefore, the Lord, of His own, shall give you a sign; behold, the young woman is with child, and she shall bear a son, and she shall call his name Immanuel.
15Cream and honey he shall eat when he knows to reject bad and choose good.
16For, when the lad does not yet know to reject bad and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread, shall be abandoned."
So Hashem is giving a sign to Achaz that he will be saved from רצין and פקח. What is the sign? That a child named Immanuel will be born from a girl. When he is a young child, like a toddler who doesn't know to distinguish between good and bad, the land whose two kings you dread [רצין and פקח] will be abandoned.
From we see [say the missionaries] a CLEAR prophecy in the Tanach to the birth of Yoshke to a virgin woman.
?????????
How did they get there??
Let us see Matthew chapter 1:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
The problem was that Matthew didn't know Hebrew properly. The pasuk never says that a virgin will conceive and bear a son. The word for virgin is בתולה. The word the pasuk in Yeshayahu uses is עלמה. That means young girl. In the ancient world, it was considered unholy to have sex so their gods were born from virgins. So the krishka and so the buddga [according to some]. "The “virgin birth” idea was a common trope for many religions and cults around the time of the Roman Empire. The alleged birth from a virgin was a kind of bona fide of legitimation. A notable example is the fact that emperors of the Empire, particularly Julius Caesar, were also said to be born of virgins; this happens to be the origin of our modern-day term “Caesarian section.” So Matthew turned the girl who gave birth into a virgin who gave birth and made her son Yoshke.
Not only that but Jesus was born about 600 years after the story of פקח and רצין!! What sort of sign to Achaz is there that 600 years later, long after he is dead, a child will be born in whose days the land of רצין and פקח will be abandoned? How is this supposed to make him feel secure? And the child's name wasn't עמנואל!!
Remember - over a billion people officially believe that a virgin gave birth to Yoshke based on a incorrect translation of a pasuk. So we should always be wary even of things that the masses believe.
Another takeaway: We Jews are happy when [married] women are not בתולות. It is holy to be married and live with one's spouse. Marriage is called קידושין b/c it is HOLY!
