Isaiah 2

1 This is the message that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

This is the message that [Yahweh showed me in a vision], concerning Jerusalem and [the rest of] Judea:

2 In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.

[I saw that] in the future, the hill on which Yahweh’s temple is built will be the most important place on the earth; it will be [as though it is] the highest mountain, [as though] it has been raised up above all other hills; and people from all over the world will come there.

3 And many peoples will come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

People from many people-groups will say [to each other], “Come, let’s go up to the hill, to the temple of Yahweh, to worship the God whom Jacob [worshiped]. [There] Yahweh will teach us what he [desires us to know], in order that our behavior will [please] him. His teaching will be given [to us] in Jerusalem, and [we will take] his message from Jerusalem [to other places/nations].

4 Then He will judge between the nations and arbitrate for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation, nor train anymore for war.

Yahweh will listen to the disputes between nations and he will settle their arguments. [Then, instead of fighting against each other], they will hammer their swords into plow blades, and they will hammer their spears into pruning knives. [The armies of] nations will no longer fight against each other, and they will not [even] train men to fight in battles/wars.”

5 Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD.

You Israeli people, let’s walk in the light [MET] that comes from Yahweh!

6 For You have abandoned Your people, the house of Jacob, because they are filled with influences from the east; they are soothsayers like the Philistines; they strike hands with the children of foreigners.

[Yahweh, ] you have abandoned [us] your people who are descendants of Jacob, because everywhere your people practice the customs of people who live east [of Israel]. Your people also perform rituals to find out what will happen in the future, like the people in Philistia do. They make agreements/treaties with (pagans/people who do not know you).

7 Their land is full of silver and gold, with no limit to their treasures; their land is full of horses, with no limit to their chariots.

Israel is full of silver and gold; there are very many (treasures/valuable things) here. The land is full of war horses and war chariots.

8 Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made.

[But] the land is [also] full of idols; the people worship things that they have made with their own hands.

9 So mankind is brought low, and man is humbled— do not forgive them!

So now they will be humbled and they will be caused to become disgraced— Yahweh, do not forgive them!

10 Go into the rocks and hide in the dust from the terror of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty.

All you people should crawl into [the caves in] the rock cliffs! You should hide [in pits/holes] in the ground because of being afraid of Yahweh and of his glorious and awesome power.

11 The proud look of man will be humbled, and the loftiness of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

Yahweh will cause you people to no longer be arrogant, and he will stop you from being proud. Only Yahweh will be praised/honored on that day.

12 For the Day of the LORD of Hosts will come against all the proud and lofty, against all that is exalted— it will be humbled—

The Commander of the armies of angels has chosen a day when [he will judge] those who are proud, every one of them [DOU], and he will humble them.

13 against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up, against all the oaks of Bashan,

[He will get rid of all those who think they should be admired like] [MET] the tall cedar trees in Lebanon, and [like] all the great oak trees in the Bashan [region].

14 against all the tall mountains, against all the high hills,

He will [get rid of all those who think they are as great as] [MET] all the high hills and even the high mountains.

15 against every high tower, against every fortified wall,

He will [get rid of all those who think that they are] high towers and high strong walls [inside of or behind which they will be safe].

16 against every ship of Tarshish, and against every stately vessel.

He will destroy all [those who are rich because they own] big ships that carry goods [to other countries] and [they own other] beautiful ships.

17 So the pride of man will be brought low, and the loftiness of men will be humbled; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day,

He will cause people to no longer be arrogant and he will cause them to stop being proud. Only Yahweh will be praised/honored on that day.

18 and the idols will vanish completely.

All idols will (disappear/be destroyed).

19 Men will flee to caves in the rocks and holes in the ground, away from the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth.

When Yahweh comes to shake/terrify the people on the earth, they will run to hide in caves in rock cliffs and in holes/pits in the ground, because of being afraid of Yahweh and of his glorious and awesome power.

20 In that day men will cast away to the moles and bats their idols of silver and gold— the idols they made to worship.

On that day, people will get rid of all their gold and silver idols that they made to worship, and they will throw them to the bats and rats.

21 They will flee to caverns in the rocks and crevices in the cliffs, away from the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth.

Then they will crawl into caves and hide in the crags in the cliffs. [They will do that to escape from] the dreadful [punishments] that Yahweh will cause them to endure, from [what he will do because] he is glorious and awesome, when he comes to shake/terrify the people on the earth.

22 Put no more trust in man, who has only the breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?

[So, ] do not trust that people [will save you], because people are [as powerless as] [MET] their own breath. People certainly cannot help you [RHQ]!