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The Message About Jerusalem

Isaiah son of Amoz saw this ·message [vision; word] about Judah and Jerusalem:
    [L It shall be] In the ·last [final; latter] days
the mountain ·on which the Lord’s Temple stands [L of the house of the Lord; C Mount Zion]
    will ·become [be established as; endure as] the ·most important [chief; or highest] of all mountains.
It will be ·raised [exalted] above the hills,
    and ·people from all nations [L all nations] will come streaming to it.
Many ·nations [peoples] will come and say,
    “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the ·Temple [L house] of the God of Jacob.
·Then [or So that] he will teach us his ·ways [standards; path],
    and we will ·obey his teachings [L walk in his paths].”
·His teachings [The Law; Instruction; L Torah] will go out from Jerusalem;
    the ·message [word] of the Lord will go out from Jerusalem.
He will ·settle arguments among [judge/mediate between] the ·nations [peoples]
    and will ·make decisions [settle disputes] for many ·peoples [nations].
Then they will ·make [beat; hammer] their swords into ·plows [T plowshares; C the metal tip of the plow]
    and their spears into ·hooks for trimming trees [pruning hooks].
Nations will no longer ·fight [L raise the sword against] other nations,
    nor will they train for war anymore [Mic. 4:1–3].

Come, ·family [descendants; L house] of Jacob,
and let us ·follow the way [L walk in the light] of the Lord.

A Terrible Day Is Coming

Lord, you have ·left [abandoned; rejected] your people,
    the ·family [descendants; L house] of Jacob,
because they have become filled ·with wrong ideas from people in the East [or with superstitions from the East; L from the East].
    They ·try to tell the future [consult soothsayers; practice divination] like the Philistines [Lev. 19:26; Deut. 18:9–14],
    and ·they have completely accepted those foreign ideas [or they clasp hands/make alliances with foreigners; or the children of foreigners are everywhere].
Their land has been filled with silver and gold;
    there ·are a great many [L is no end/limit to their] treasures there.
Their land has been filled with horses;
    there ·are many [L is no end/limit to their] chariots there [C Israel was to rely on God, not on horses and chariots; Deut. 17:16–17].
Their land is full of idols.
    The people worship ·these idols they made with [L the work of] their own hands
    and shaped with their own fingers [Rom. 1:23].
People will ·be humbled [be brought low; or bow down to worship]
    and will bow low ·with shame [or in worship].
God, do not ·forgive [spare; L lift] them.

10 Go into the ·caves of the cliffs [L rocks];
    ·dig holes and hide in the ground [L hide in the dust/ground]
from the ·anger [terror; terrible presence] of the Lord
    and from ·his great power [the majesty/glory/splendor of his majesty]!
11 ·Proud people [L The eyes of the proud] will be ·made humble [brought down],
    and ·they [human arrogance/loftiness] will ·bow low with shame [be humbled].
·At that time [L In that day] only the Lord will still be ·praised [exalted].

12 The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] has a ·certain day planned [L day]
    when he will ·punish [bring judgment on; turn against] all the proud and all those who ·brag [are lifted up],
    and they will ·no longer be important [be humbled/humiliated/brought low].
13 ·He will bring down [L …against] all the ·tall [exalted and mighty/lifted up] cedar trees from Lebanon
    and all the great oak trees of Bashan,
14 all the ·tall [lofty; exalted] mountains
    and the high hills,
15 every ·tall [lofty] tower
    and every ·high, strong [fortified] wall,
16 all the ·trading ships [L ships of Tarshish; C large trading vessels capable of going to distant ports; Tarshish may have been in Spain (Tartessus) or an island in the eastern Mediterranean; 23:1; Jon. 1:3]
    and the beautiful ·ships [vessels].
17 ·Proud people [Human pride] will be made humble,
    and ·they [arrogant people] will ·bow low with shame [be brought low].
·At that time [L In that day] only the Lord will be ·praised [exalted],
18     but all the idols will ·be gone [disappear; pass away].

19 People will run to caves in the ·rocky cliffs [rocks]
    and ·will dig holes and hide [L to holes] in the ground
from the ·anger [terror; terrible presence] of the Lord
    and ·his great power [the majesty/glory/splendor of his majesty; v. 10],
    when he ·stands [rises] to shake the earth.
20 ·At that time [L In that day] people will throw away
    their gold and silver idols,
which they made for themselves to worship;
    they will throw them away to the bats and moles.
21 Then the people will hide in ·caves [caverns/crevices in rocks]
    and ·cracks [clefts] in the rocks
from the ·anger [terror; terrible presence] of the Lord
    and ·his great power [the majesty/glory/splendor of his majesty; v. 19],
when he stands to ·shake [tremble; or terrify] the earth.

22 Stop trusting in people to save you [L Cease from man/people],
    ·because people are only human [L whose breath is in his nostrils];
·they aren’t able to help you [what good are they; or why do you esteem them?].

The Mountain of the Lord(A)

This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:(B)

In the last days(C)

the mountain(D) of the Lord’s temple will be established
    as the highest of the mountains;(E)
it will be exalted(F) above the hills,
    and all nations will stream to it.(G)

Many peoples(H) will come and say,

“Come, let us go(I) up to the mountain(J) of the Lord,
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
    so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law(K) will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.(L)
He will judge(M) between the nations
    and will settle disputes(N) for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.(O)
Nation will not take up sword against nation,(P)
    nor will they train for war anymore.

Come, descendants of Jacob,(Q)
    let us walk in the light(R) of the Lord.

The Day of the Lord

You, Lord, have abandoned(S) your people,
    the descendants of Jacob.(T)
They are full of superstitions from the East;
    they practice divination(U) like the Philistines(V)
    and embrace(W) pagan customs.(X)
Their land is full of silver and gold;(Y)
    there is no end to their treasures.(Z)
Their land is full of horses;(AA)
    there is no end to their chariots.(AB)
Their land is full of idols;(AC)
    they bow down(AD) to the work of their hands,(AE)
    to what their fingers(AF) have made.
So people will be brought low(AG)
    and everyone humbled(AH)
    do not forgive them.[a](AI)

10 Go into the rocks, hide(AJ) in the ground
    from the fearful presence of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty!(AK)
11 The eyes of the arrogant(AL) will be humbled(AM)
    and human pride(AN) brought low;(AO)
the Lord alone will be exalted(AP) in that day.(AQ)

12 The Lord Almighty has a day(AR) in store
    for all the proud(AS) and lofty,(AT)
for all that is exalted(AU)
    (and they will be humbled),(AV)
13 for all the cedars of Lebanon,(AW) tall and lofty,(AX)
    and all the oaks of Bashan,(AY)
14 for all the towering mountains
    and all the high hills,(AZ)
15 for every lofty tower(BA)
    and every fortified wall,(BB)
16 for every trading ship[b](BC)
    and every stately vessel.
17 The arrogance of man will be brought low(BD)
    and human pride humbled;(BE)
the Lord alone will be exalted in that day,(BF)
18     and the idols(BG) will totally disappear.(BH)

19 People will flee to caves(BI) in the rocks
    and to holes in the ground(BJ)
from the fearful presence(BK) of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty,(BL)
    when he rises to shake the earth.(BM)
20 In that day(BN) people will throw away
    to the moles and bats(BO)
their idols of silver and idols of gold,(BP)
    which they made to worship.(BQ)
21 They will flee to caverns in the rocks(BR)
    and to the overhanging crags
from the fearful presence of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty,(BS)
    when he rises(BT) to shake the earth.(BU)

22 Stop trusting in mere humans,(BV)
    who have but a breath(BW) in their nostrils.
    Why hold them in esteem?(BX)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 2:9 Or not raise them up
  2. Isaiah 2:16 Hebrew every ship of Tarshish