Isaiah 2

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

The word, which was revealed to Isaiah, the son of Amoz, 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.

It shall come to pass in the last days, That the mountain of the house of Jehovah shall be established at the head of the mountains, And exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow unto 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 kingdoms shall go, and shall say, “Come, let us go to the mountain of Jehovah, To the house of the God of Jacob, That he may teach us his ways, And that we may walk in his paths!” For from Zion shall go forth a law, And the word of Jehovah 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.”

He shall be a judge of the nations, And an umpire of many kingdoms; And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, And their spears into pruning-hooks; Nation shall not lift up the sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war any more.

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

O house of Jacob, come ye, And let us walk in the light of Jehovah!

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 thou hast forsaken thy people, the house of Jacob, Because they are full of the East, And are sorcerers, like the Philistines, And strike hands with a foreign race!

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 is full of silver and gold, And there is no end to their treasures; Their land is full of horses, And there is no end to their chariots;

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

Their land is full of idols; They bow down to the work of their own hands, To that 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!

Therefore shall the mean man be bowed down, And the great man be brought low; And thou wilt 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.

Go into the rock, hide yourselves in the dust, From the terror of Jehovah, and 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 proud looks of man shall be humbled, And the loftiness of mortals shall be brought low; Jehovah 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 Jehovah of hosts holdeth a day of judgment Against all that is proud and lofty; Against all that is exalted, and it shall be brought low;

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].

Against all the cedars of Lebanon, the high and the exalted, And against 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.

Against all the lofty mountains, And against all the high 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].

Against every lofty tower, And against every high 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.

Against all the ships of Tarshish, And against all their beautiful flags.

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.

The pride of man shall be humbled; The loftiness of mortals shall be brought low; Jehovah alone shall be exalted in that day.

18 All idols will (disappear/be destroyed).

The idols shall wholly pass away;

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 men shall go into clefts of the rocks, and caves of the earth, From the terror of Jehovah, and the glory of his majesty, When he ariseth to make the earth tremble.

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.

At that time shall men cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, Which they have made to worship, To 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.

Fleeing into caves of the rocks, and clefts of the craggy rocks, From the terror of Jehovah, and the glory of his majesty, When he ariseth to make the earth tremble.

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]!

Trust, then, no more in man, Whose breath is in his nostrils! For what account is to be made of him!