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The Mountain of Yahweh

The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

And it shall happen in the future of the days
the mountain of the house[a] of Yahweh shall be established;
it will be among the highest[b] of the mountains,
    and it shall be raised from the hills.
All of the nations shall travel to him;
    many peoples shall come.
And they shall say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh,
    to the house[c] of the God of Jacob,
and may he teach us part of his ways,
    and let us walk in his paths.”
For instruction shall go out from Zion,
    and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations
    and he shall arbitrate for many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into ploughshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.
A nation shall not lift up a sword against a nation,
    and they shall not learn war again.

The Day of Yahweh

House of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of Yahweh.
For you have forsaken your people, house of Jacob,
because they are full[d] from the east,
    and of soothsayers like the Philistines,
    and they make alliances[e] with the offspring of foreigners.
And its land is filled with silver and gold,
    and there is no end to its treasures;
and its land is filled with horses,
    and there is no end to its chariots.
Its land is filled with idols;
    they bow down to the work of their[f] hands,
    to what they made with their[g] fingers.
So humanity is humbled;
    everyone is humbled,
    and you must not forgive them.
10 Enter into the rock
    and hide yourself in the dust
from the presence of the terror of Yahweh
    and from the glory of his majesty.
11 The haughty eyes[h] of humanity will[i] be brought low,
    and the pride of everyone will be humbled,
and Yahweh alone will be exalted on that day.
12 For there is a day for Yahweh of hosts
    against all of the proud and the lofty
    and against all that is lifted up and humble,[j]
13 and against all the lofty and lifted up cedars of Lebanon,
    and against all the large trees of Bashan,
14 and against all the high mountains,
    and against all the lofty hills,
15 and against every kind of high tower,
    and against every kind of fortified wall,
16 and against all the ships of Tarshish,
    and against all the ships of desire.
17 And the haughtiness of the people shall be humbled,
    and the pride of everyone shall be brought low,
and Yahweh alone will be exalted on that day.
18 And the idols shall pass away entirely,
19 and they will enter into the caves of the rocks
    and into the holes of the ground
from the presence of the terror of Yahweh
    and from the glory of his majesty
when he rises[k] to terrify the earth.
20 On that day humanity will throw away its idols of silver
    and its idols of gold,
        which they made for it to worship,
    to the rodents[l] and to the bats—
21 to enter into the crevices of the rocks
    and into the clefts of the crags
from the presence of the terror of Yahweh
    and from the glory of his majesty,
when he rises[m] to terrify the earth.
22 Turn away from humanity,
    who has breath in its nostrils,[n]
for by[o] what is it esteemed?

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 2:2 Or “temple”
  2. Isaiah 2:2 Literally “head”
  3. Isaiah 2:3 Or “temple”
  4. Isaiah 2:6 Possibly “of diviners” was part of the original text here
  5. Isaiah 2:6 Literally “they clap hands
  6. Isaiah 2:8 Hebrew “his”
  7. Isaiah 2:8 Hebrew “his”
  8. Isaiah 2:11 Literally “eyes of the haughtiness”
  9. Isaiah 2:11 The Hebrew is singular
  10. Isaiah 2:12 Or “it will be humbled”
  11. Isaiah 2:19 Literally “in his rising”
  12. Isaiah 2:20 Or “moles”
  13. Isaiah 2:21 Literally “in his rising”
  14. Isaiah 2:22 Hebrew “nostril”
  15. Isaiah 2:22 Or “in”

God’s Universal Reign

The word [from God] which Isaiah son of Amoz saw [in a vision] concerning [the nation of] Judah and [its capital city] Jerusalem.


Now it will come to pass that
In the last days
The mountain of the house of the Lord
Will be [firmly] established as the [a]highest of the mountains,
And will be exalted above the hills;
And all the nations will stream to it.

And many peoples shall come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house (temple) of the God of Jacob;
That He may teach us His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For the law will go out from Zion
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

And He will judge between the nations,
And will mediate [disputes] for many peoples;
And they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not lift up the sword against nation,
And never again will they learn war.(A)


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

Most certainly [Lord] You have abandoned your people, the house of Jacob,
Because they are filled with influences from the east,
And they are soothsayers [who foretell] like the Philistines;
Also they strike bargains with the children of foreigners (pagans).(B)

Their land has also been filled with silver and gold
And there is no end to their treasures;
Their land has also been filled with horses
And there is no end to their chariots.(C)

Their land has also been filled with idols;
They worship the work of their hands,
That which their own fingers have made.

So the common man has been humbled [before idols]
And the man of importance has been degraded,
Therefore do not forgive them [O Lord].
10 
Go among the rocks and hide in the dust
From the terror of the Lord and from the splendor of His majesty.
11 
The proud look of man will be degraded
And the arrogance of men will be humbled,
And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

A Day of Reckoning Coming

12 
For the Lord of hosts will have a day of reckoning
Against all who are proud and arrogant
And against all who are lifted up,
That they may be degraded.(D)
13 
And the wrath of God will be against all the cedars of Lebanon [west of the Jordan] that are high and lifted up,
Against all the oaks of Bashan [east of the Jordan],
14 
Against all the high mountains,
Against all the hills that are lifted up,
15 
Against every high tower,
Against every fortified wall,
16 
Against all the ships of Tarshish
And against all the beautiful craft.
17 
Then the pride of man will be humbled
And the arrogance of men will be degraded;
The Lord alone shall be exalted in that day,
18 
And the idols will completely vanish (be abolished).
19 
They [the stricken, deprived of all in which they had trusted] will go into the caves of the rocks
And into the holes of the ground [fleeing]
From the terror and dread of the Lord
And from the splendor of His majesty,
When He arises to terrify the earth.(E)
20 
In that day men will throw away to the moles and to the bats
Their idols of silver and their idols of gold,
Which they made for themselves [as objects] to worship,
21 
To go into the caverns of the rocks and into the clefts of the [ragged] cliffs [as they flee]
From the terror and dread of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty,
When He arises to terrify the earth.
22 
Stop regarding man, whose breath [of life] is in his nostrils [for so little time];
For why should he be esteemed?

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 2:2 Or chief; lit head.

The Mountain of the Lord(A)

This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:(B)

In the last days(C)

the mountain(D) of the Lord’s temple will be established
    as the highest of the mountains;(E)
it will be exalted(F) above the hills,
    and all nations will stream to it.(G)

Many peoples(H) will come and say,

“Come, let us go(I) up to the mountain(J) of the Lord,
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
    so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law(K) will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.(L)
He will judge(M) between the nations
    and will settle disputes(N) for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.(O)
Nation will not take up sword against nation,(P)
    nor will they train for war anymore.

Come, descendants of Jacob,(Q)
    let us walk in the light(R) of the Lord.

The Day of the Lord

You, Lord, have abandoned(S) your people,
    the descendants of Jacob.(T)
They are full of superstitions from the East;
    they practice divination(U) like the Philistines(V)
    and embrace(W) pagan customs.(X)
Their land is full of silver and gold;(Y)
    there is no end to their treasures.(Z)
Their land is full of horses;(AA)
    there is no end to their chariots.(AB)
Their land is full of idols;(AC)
    they bow down(AD) to the work of their hands,(AE)
    to what their fingers(AF) have made.
So people will be brought low(AG)
    and everyone humbled(AH)
    do not forgive them.[a](AI)

10 Go into the rocks, hide(AJ) in the ground
    from the fearful presence of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty!(AK)
11 The eyes of the arrogant(AL) will be humbled(AM)
    and human pride(AN) brought low;(AO)
the Lord alone will be exalted(AP) in that day.(AQ)

12 The Lord Almighty has a day(AR) in store
    for all the proud(AS) and lofty,(AT)
for all that is exalted(AU)
    (and they will be humbled),(AV)
13 for all the cedars of Lebanon,(AW) tall and lofty,(AX)
    and all the oaks of Bashan,(AY)
14 for all the towering mountains
    and all the high hills,(AZ)
15 for every lofty tower(BA)
    and every fortified wall,(BB)
16 for every trading ship[b](BC)
    and every stately vessel.
17 The arrogance of man will be brought low(BD)
    and human pride humbled;(BE)
the Lord alone will be exalted in that day,(BF)
18     and the idols(BG) will totally disappear.(BH)

19 People will flee to caves(BI) in the rocks
    and to holes in the ground(BJ)
from the fearful presence(BK) of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty,(BL)
    when he rises to shake the earth.(BM)
20 In that day(BN) people will throw away
    to the moles and bats(BO)
their idols of silver and idols of gold,(BP)
    which they made to worship.(BQ)
21 They will flee to caverns in the rocks(BR)
    and to the overhanging crags
from the fearful presence of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty,(BS)
    when he rises(BT) to shake the earth.(BU)

22 Stop trusting in mere humans,(BV)
    who have but a breath(BW) in their nostrils.
    Why hold them in esteem?(BX)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 2:9 Or not raise them up
  2. Isaiah 2:16 Hebrew every ship of Tarshish