Dialogue with Trypho

And I, returning to the discussion where I had paused earlier, when demonstrating that He was born of a virgin and that His birth from a virgin was foretold by Isaiah, quoted the same prophecy again. It is as follows: 'And the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, Ask for yourself a sign from the Lord your God, either from the depths below or the heights above.

But Ahaz said, I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord.

And Isaiah said, Listen then, O house of David; is it a small thing for you to challenge people? How then do you challenge the Lord? Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign; Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat butter and honey; before he knows or prefers evil, he will choose the good. For before the child knows ill or good, he will reject evil by choosing good.

For before the child knows how to call 'father' or 'mother,' he shall take possession of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria, in the presence of the king of Assyria. The land shall be forsaken, which you shall endure with difficulty because of the presence of its two kings.

But God shall bring upon you, and upon your people, and upon your father's house, days that have not yet come since Ephraim separated from Judah, with the king of Assyria.' And I continued: 'Now it is clear to all that in the line of Abraham according to the flesh, no one has been born of a virgin or is said to have been born of a virgin, except this our Christ.'"