Isaiah 7:14

Isaiah 7:14 is a verse in the seventh chapter of the Book of Isaiah in which the prophet Isaiah, addressing king Ahaz of Judah, promises that God will destroy the king's enemies before a child born to an almah is weaned. The Hebrew word עַלְמָה‎ (‘almāh) refers to a "young woman of childbearing age", but it was translated in the Koine Greek Septuagint as παρθένος (parthenos), meaning virgin, and was subsequently picked up by the gospel Matthew as a messianic prophecy of the Virgin birth of Jesus.^[1] Most English translations of the Bible use "virgin" with some exceptions, such as in the Revised Standard Version where "young woman" is used; as such, Isaiah 7:14 continues to be one of the most controversial Bible verses.^[2]