Isaiah 2

1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

This is the vision that Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw about Judah and Jerusalem.

2 And it shall come to pass in the end of days, [that] the mountain of Jehovah's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow unto it.

In the last days the mountain where the Lord's Temple stands will be recognized as the highest of all mountains, rising above other hills. Many from the other nations will travel to it.

3 And many peoples shall go and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and Jehovah's word from Jerusalem.

People will come and say, “Let's go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the God of Jacob. There God will teach us his ways and we will follow his directions. God's teachings will spread out from Zion, his word from Jerusalem.”

4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall reprove many peoples; and they shall forge their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-knives: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

The Lord will decide the cases of the nations; he will settle arguments between nations. They will hammer their swords and turn them into plough blades, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations will not fight against each other anymore; they will no longer learn methods of warfare.

5 House of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of Jehovah.

Come, you Israelites, let's walk in the Lord's light.

6 For thou hast cast off thy people, the house of Jacob, because they are filled [with what comes] from the east, and use auguries like the Philistines, and ally themselves with the children of foreigners.

For you, Lord, have given up on your people the Israelites, because they have adopted pagan practices from the East, they use spells like the Philistines, and make friends with foreigners.

7 And their land is full of silver and gold, and there is no end of their treasures: their land also is full of horses, and there is no end of their chariots.

Their country is full of silver and gold, and endless wealth. Their land is full of horses; and they have an endless amount of chariots.

8 And their land is full of idols; they bow themselves down to the work of their own hands, to that which their fingers have made.

Their country is full of idols; they bow down and worship what they have made themselves—produced by their own hands!

9 And the mean man shall be bowed down, and the great man shall be brought low: and do not thou forgive them!

These people will be brought down and humiliated—Lord, don't forgive them!

10 Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, from before the terror of Jehovah, and from the glory of his majesty.

Run away into rock caves, hide underground from the terrifying presence of the Lord, from the glory of his majesty.

11 The lofty eyes of man shall be brought low, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and Jehovah alone shall be exalted in that day.

Those who look with arrogance will be brought low; those who are proud will be humbled. On that day only the Lord will be lifted high.

12 For there shall be a day of Jehovah of hosts upon everything proud and lofty, and upon everything lifted up, and it shall be brought low;

The Lord has set aside a day when he will deal with the proud and arrogant. He will end all self-glorification, bringing it down.

13 and upon all the cedars of Lebanon, high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan;

He will cut down the cedars of Lebanon, tall and high, and all the great oaks of Bashan,

14 and upon all the lofty mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up;

He will bring down the tall mountains and the high hills.

15 and upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall;

He will tear down every high tower and every defensive wall.

16 and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant works of art.

He will wipe out all the commercial ships of Tarshish as well as the pleasure vessels.

17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; and Jehovah alone shall be exalted in that day:

The arrogant will be humbled; the proud will be brought low. On that day only the Lord will be lifted high.

18 and the idols shall utterly pass away.

Idols will completely vanish away.

19 And they shall go into the caves of the rocks, and into the holes of the earth, from before the terror of Jehovah, and from the glory of his majesty, when he shall arise to terrify the earth.

People will run away into rock caves and holes in the ground to try and hide from the terrifying presence of the Lord, from the glory of his majesty, when he arrives to shake the earth.

20 In that day men shall cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made [each] for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;

On that day the people will take the idols of silver and gold that they made to worship and throw them away to the rats and the bats.

21 to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the fissures of the cliffs, from before the terror of Jehovah, and from the glory of his majesty, when he shall arise to terrify the earth.

They will run to cracks in the rocks and gaps on the cliffs to try and hide from the terrifying presence of the Lord, from the glory of his majesty, when he arrives to shake the earth.

22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for what account is to be made of him?

Don't bother trusting human beings who only live for a while. How much do they count?