Isaiah 2

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

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

2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, [that] the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto 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 people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, 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 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 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

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 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

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

6 Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and [are] soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.

[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 also is full of silver and gold, neither [is there any] end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither [is there any] end of 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 also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:

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

9 And the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself: therefore forgive them not.

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

10 Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory 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 lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall 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 [shall be] upon every [one that is] proud and lofty, and upon every [one that is] lifted up; and he shall be brought low:

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 And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, [that are] high and lifted up, and upon 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 And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills [that are] lifted up,

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 And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced 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 And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.

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 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall 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 he shall utterly abolish.

All idols will (disappear/be destroyed).

19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly 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 a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made [each one] for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;

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 To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly 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 Cease ye from man, whose breath [is] in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?

[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]!