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The Message About Jerusalem

Isaiah son of Amoz saw this message about Judah and Jerusalem.

In the last days
the mountain on which the Lord’s Temple stands
    will become the most important of all mountains.
It will be raised above the hills.
    And people from all nations will come streaming to it.
Many nations will come and say,
    “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.
    Let us go to the Temple of the God of Jacob.
Then God will teach us his ways.
    And we will obey his teachings.”
The Lord’s teachings will go out from Jerusalem.
    The Lord’s message will go out from Jerusalem.
Then the Lord will settle arguments among many nations.
    He will make decisions for strong nations that are far away.
Then the nations will make their swords into plows.
    They will make their spears into hooks for trimming trees.
Nations will no longer fight other nations.
    They will not even train for war anymore.

Come, family of Jacob.
    We should follow the way of the Lord.

A Terrible Day Is Coming

Lord, you have left your people,
    the family of Jacob.
They have become filled with wrong ideas from people in the East.
    Your people try to tell the future like the Philistines.
    They have completely accepted those foreign ideas.
Their land has been filled with silver and gold.
    There are a great many treasures there.
Their land has been filled with horses.
    There are many chariots there.
Their land is full of idols.
    The people worship these idols that they made with their own hands.
    They worship statues shaped by their fingers.
People will not be proud any longer.
    They will bow low with shame.
    God, do not forgive them.

10 Go into the caves of the cliffs.
    Dig holes and hide in the ground.
Hide from the anger of the Lord
    and from his great power!
11 Proud people will stop being proud.
    They will bow low with shame.
At that time only the Lord will still be praised.

12 The Lord of heaven’s armies has a certain day planned.
    On that day he will punish the proud and those who brag.
    They will no longer be important.
13 He will bring down the tall cedar trees from Lebanon.
    He will destroy the great oak trees of Bashan.
14 He will destroy all the tall mountains
    and the high hills.
15 He will knock down every tall tower
    and every high, strong wall.
16 He will sink all the trading ships.
    And he will destroy the beautiful ships.
17 At that time proud people will stop being proud.
    They will bow low with shame.
And at that time only the Lord will be praised.
18     But all the idols will be gone.

19 People will run to caves in the rocky cliffs.
    They will dig holes and hide in the ground.
They will hide from the anger of the Lord
    and his great power.
    They will do this when the Lord stands to shake the earth.
20 At that time people will throw away
    their gold and silver idols.
They made these idols for themselves to worship.
    But they will throw them away to the bats and moles.
21 Then the people will hide in caves
    and cracks in the rocks.
They will hide from the anger of the Lord
    and his great power.
    They will do this when the Lord stands to shake the earth.

22 You should stop trusting in people to save you.
    People are only human.
They aren’t able to help you.

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