Isaiah 2

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

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

2 [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.

And in the last days, the mountain of the house of the Lord will be prepared at the summit of the mountains, and it will be exalted above the hills, and all the nations shall flow to it.

3 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].

And many peoples will go, and they will say: “Let us approach and ascend to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob. And he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

4 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.”

And he will judge the nations, and he will rebuke many peoples. And they shall forge their swords into plowshares, and their spears into sickles. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they continue to train for battle.

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

O house of Jacob, let us approach and walk in the light of the Lord.

6 [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).

For you have cast aside your people, the house of Jacob, because they have been filled up, as in past times, and because they have had soothsayers as the Philistines have, and because they have joined themselves to foreign servants.

7 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.

Their land has been filled with silver and gold. And there is no end to their storehouses.

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

And their land has been filled with horses. And their four-horse chariots are innumerable. And their land has been filled with idols. They have adored the work of their hands, which their own fingers have made.

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

And man has bowed himself down, and so man has become debased. Therefore, you should not forgive them.

10 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.

Enter into the rock, and hide in a ditch in the soil, from the presence of the fear of the Lord, and from the glory of his majesty.

11 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.

The lofty eyes of man have been humbled, and the haughtiness of men will be bowed down. Then the Lord alone shall be exalted, in that day.

12 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.

For the day of the Lord of hosts will prevail over all the proud and self-exalted, and over all the arrogant, and each one shall be humbled,

13 [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].

and over all the straight and tall cedars of Lebanon, and over all the oaks of Bashan;

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

and over all the lofty mountains, and over all the elevated hills;

15 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].

and over every lofty tower, and over every fortified wall;

16 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.

and over all the ships of Tarshish, and over all the beauty that may be seen.

17 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.

And the loftiness of men will be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men will be brought low. And the Lord alone shall be exalted, in that day.

18 All idols will (disappear/be destroyed).

And idols will be thoroughly crushed.

19 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.

And they will go into the caves of the rocks, and into the caverns of the earth, from the presence of the dread of the Lord, and from the glory of his majesty, when he will have risen up to strike the earth.

20 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.

In that day, man shall cast aside his idols of silver and his images of gold, which he had made for himself, as if to reverence the moles and the bats.

21 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.

And so he will go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the caverns of stone, from the presence of the dread of the Lord, and from the glory of his majesty, when he will have risen up to strike the earth.

22 [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]!

Therefore, rest away from man, whose breath is in his nostrils, for he considers himself to be exalted.