Isaiah 7:12

World English Bible

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

Parallel Translations

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

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

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.

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

Easy-to-Read Version
But Ahaz said, "I will not ask for a sign as proof. I will not test the Lord ."

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

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

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 ."

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!"

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

Contextual Overview

¹⁰ Yahweh spoke again to Ahaz, saying, ¹¹ Ask a sign of Yahweh your God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. ¹² But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt Yahweh. ¹³ He said, "Listen now, house of David: Is it a small thing for you to weary men, that you will weary my God also? ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. ¹⁵ Butter and honey shall he eat, when he knows to refuse the evil, and choose the good. ¹⁶ For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land whose two kings you abhor shall be forsaken.

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
In seven days, I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. Every living thing that I have made, I will destroy from the surface of the ground."

Genesis 7:17
The flood was forty days on the earth. The waters increased, and lifted up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth.

Exodus 24:18
Moses entered into the midst of the cloud, and went up on the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Deuteronomy 9:9
When I was gone up onto the mountain to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which Yahweh made with you, then I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I did neither eat bread nor drink water.

Deuteronomy 9:18
I fell down before Yahweh, as at the first, forty days and forty nights; I did neither eat bread nor drink water; because of all your sin which you sinned, in doing that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, to provoke him to anger.

Deuteronomy 10:10
I stayed on the mountain, as at the first time, forty days and forty nights: and Yahweh listened to me that time also; Yahweh would not destroy you.

1 Kings 19:8
He arose, and ate and drink, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the Mount of God.

Matthew 4:2
When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry afterward.

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.