Isaiah 7:12

Easy-to-Read Version

But Ahaz said, "I will not ask for a sign as proof. I will not test the Lord ."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask. I will not test the Lord.”

Hebrew Names Version
But Achaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD.

King James Version
But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord .

English Standard Version
But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test."

New American Standard Bible
But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, nor will I put the LORD to the test!"

New Century Version
But Ahaz said, "I will not ask for a sign or test the Lord ."

Amplified Bible
But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!"

World English Bible
But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt Yahweh.

Geneva Bible (1587)
But Ahaz sayd, I wil not aske, neither will I tempt the Lord.

Legacy Standard Bible
But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, and I will not test Yahweh!"

Berean Standard Bible
But Ahaz replied, "I will not ask; I will not test the LORD."

Contemporary English Version
"No, Lord ," Ahaz answered. "I won't test you!"

Complete Jewish Bible
But Achaz answered, "I won't ask, I won't test Adonai ."

Darby Translation
And Ahaz said, I will not ask, and will not tempt Jehovah.

George Lamsa Translation
But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD my God.

Good News Translation
Ahaz answered, "I will not ask for a sign. I refuse to put the Lord to the test."

Lexham English Bible
But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, and I will not put Yahweh to the test."

Literal Translation
But Ahaz said, I will not ask, nor will I tempt Jehovah.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The sayde Ahas: I will requyre none, nether will I tempte the LORDE.

American Standard Version
But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt Jehovah.

Bible in Basic English
But Ahaz said, I will not put the Lord to the test by making such a request.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
But Ahaz said: 'I will not ask, neither will I try the LORD.'

King James Version (1611)
But Ahaz sayd, I will not aske, neither will I tempt the Lord.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then said Ahaz, I will require none, neither wyll I tempt the Lorde.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Achaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.

English Revised Version
But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Achas seide, Y schal not axe, and Y schal not tempte the Lord.

Update Bible Version
But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt Yahweh.

Webster's Bible Translation
But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD.

New English Translation
But Ahaz responded, "I don't want to ask; I don't want to put the Lord to a test."

New King James Version
But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!"

New Living Translation
But the king refused. "No," he said, "I will not test the Lord like that."

New Life Bible
But Ahaz said, "I will not ask. I will not test the Lord."

New Revised Standard
But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But Ahaz said, - I will not ask Nor will I put Yahweh to the proof.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Achaz said: I will not ask, and I will not tempt the Lord.

Revised Standard Version
But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test."

Young's Literal Translation
And Ahaz saith, `I do not ask nor try Jehovah.'

THE MESSAGE
But Ahaz said, "I'd never do that. I'd never make demands like that on God !"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!"

Contextual Overview

¹⁰ Then the Lord spoke to Ahaz again ¹¹ and said, "Ask for a sign from the Lord your God to prove to yourself that this is true. You can ask for any sign you want. The sign can come from a place as deep as Sheol or as high as the skies." ¹² But Ahaz said, "I will not ask for a sign as proof. I will not test the Lord ." ¹³ Then Isaiah said, "Family of David, listen very carefully! Is it not enough that you would test the patience of humans? Will you now test the patience of my God? ¹⁴ But the Lord will still show you this sign: The young woman is pregnant and will give birth to a son. She will name him Immanuel. ¹⁵ He will eat milk curds and honey as he learns to choose good and refuse evil. ¹⁶ But before he is old enough to make that choice, the land of the two kings you fear will be empty.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I will not ask: 2 Kings 16:15, 2 Chronicles 28:22

neither: Ezekiel 33:31

tempt: Deuteronomy 6:16, Malachi 3:15, Acts 5:9, 1 Corinthians 10:9

Reciprocal: Exodus 17:2 - wherefore Luke 8:49 - trouble Acts 15:10 - Why James 4:2 - because

Cross-References

Genesis 7:4
Seven days from now, I will send much rain on the earth. It will rain for 40 days and 40 nights, and I will wipe everything off the face of the earth. I will destroy everything I made."

Genesis 7:17
Water flooded the earth for 40 days. The water began rising and lifted the boat off the ground.

Exodus 24:18
Then Moses went higher up the mountain into the cloud. He was on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights.

Deuteronomy 9:9
I went up the mountain to get the stone tablets. The agreement that the Lord made with you was written on those stones. I stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights. I did not eat any food or drink any water.

Deuteronomy 9:18
Then I bowed down before the Lord with my face to the ground for 40 days and 40 nights, as I did before. I did not eat any food or drink any water. I did this because you had sinned so badly. You did the thing that is evil to the Lord , and you made him angry.

Deuteronomy 10:10
"I stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights, like the first time. The Lord also listened to me at that time. He decided not to destroy you.

1 Kings 19:8
So Elijah got up. He ate and drank and felt strong. Then Elijah walked for 40 days and nights to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God.

Matthew 4:2
Jesus ate nothing for 40 days and nights. After this, he was very hungry.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But Ahaz said, I will not ask,.... That is, a sign or miracle to be wrought; being unwilling to take the advice to be still and quiet, and make no preparation for war, or seek out for help from the Assyrians, and to rely upon the promise and power of God, and therefore chose not to have it confirmed by a sign; adding as an excuse,

neither will I tempt the Lord, by asking a sign; suggesting that this was contrary to the command of God, Deuteronomy 6:16 so pretending religion and reverence of God; whereas, to ask a sign of God, when it was offered, could not be reckoned a tempting him; but, on the contrary, to refuse one; when offered, argued great stubbornness and ingratitude, as Calvin well observes.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I will not ask - In this case Ahaz assumed the appearance of piety, or respect for the command of God. In Deuteronomy 6:16, it is written, ‘Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God;’ and Ahaz perhaps had this command in his eye. It was a professed reverence for God. But the true reason why he did not seek this sign was, that he had already entered into a negotiation with the king of Assyria to come and defend him; and that he was even stripping the temple of God of its silver and gold, to secure this assistance; 2 Kings 16:7-8. When people are depending on their own devices and resources, they are unwilling to seek aid from God; and it is not uncommon if they excuse their want of trust in him by some appearance of respect for religion.

Tempt - Try, or do a thing that shall provoke his displeasure, or seek his interposition in a case where he has not promised it. To tempt God is the same as to put him to the proof; to see whether he is able to perform what he proposed. It is evident, however, that here there would have been no “temptation” of God, since a sign had been offered him by the prophet in the name of God. ‘The answer of Ahaz can be regarded either as one of bitter scorn, as if he had said, “I will not put thy God to the proof, in which he will be found lacking. I will not embarrass thee by taking thee at thy word;” or as the language of a hypocrite who assumes the mask of reverence for God and his command.’ - “Hengstenberg.” Chrysostom and Calvin regard the latter as the correct interpretation. If it be asked here “why” Ahaz did not put Isaiah to the test, and “secure,” if possible, the divine confirmation to the assurance that Jerusalem would be safe, the following may be regarded as the probable reasons:

(1) He was secretly relying on the aid of Assyria. He believed that he could fortify the city, and distress the enemy by turning away the supply of water, so that they could not carry on a siege, and that all the further aid which he needed could be derived from the Assyrians.

(2) If the miracle had been “really performed,” it would have been a proof that Yahweh was the true God a proof which Ahaz had no desire of witnessing. He was a gross idolater; and he was not anxious to witness a demonstration which would have convinced him of the folly and sin of his own course of life.

(3) If the miracle could not be performed, as Ahaz seems to have supposed would be the case, then it would have done much to unsettle the confidence of the people, and to have produced agitation and alarm. It is probable that a considerable portion of the people were worshippers of Yahweh, and were looking to him for aid. The pious, and the great mass of those who conformed to the religion of their fathers, would have been totally disheartened; and this was a result which Ahaz had no desire to produce.

(4) Michaelis has suggested another reason, drawn from the character of idolatry. According to the prevailing notions at that period, every nation had its own gods. Those of one people were more, and those of another less powerful; see Isaiah 10:10-11; Isaiah 36:18-20; Isaiah 37:10-13. If a miracle had been performed, Ahaz might have believed that it was performed by the god of the country, who might have had the disposition, but not the power, to defend him. It would have been to the mind of the idolater no proof that the god of Syria or Samaria was not more powerful, and might not have easily overcome him. Ahaz seems to have regarded Yahweh as such a God - as one of the numerous gods which were to be worshipped, and perhaps as not the most powerful of the tutelary divinities of the nations. This was certainly the view of the surrounding idolaters Isaiah 10:10-11; Isaiah 36:18-20; and it is highly probable that this view prevailed among the idolatrous Israelites.