Isaiah 2

The Mountain of the Lord

1 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

2 In the last days
the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established
as chief among the mountains;
it will be raised above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.

3 Many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

4 He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.

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

The Day of the Lord

6 You have abandoned your people,
the house of Jacob.
They are full of superstitions from the East;
they practice divination like the Philistines
and clasp hands with pagans.

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

8 Their land is full of idols;
they bow down to the work of their hands,
to what their fingers have made.

9 So man will be brought low
and mankind humbled—
do not forgive them.

10 Go into the rocks,
hide in the ground
from dread of the Lord
and the splendor of his majesty!

11 The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled
and the pride of men brought low;
the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

12 The Lord Almighty has a day in store
for all the proud and lofty,
for all that is exalted
(and they will be humbled),

13 for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty,
and all the oaks of Bashan,

14 for all the towering mountains
and all the high hills,

15 for every lofty tower
and every fortified wall,

16 for every trading ship
and every stately vessel.

17 The arrogance of man will be brought low
and the pride of men humbled;
the Lord alone will be exalted in that day,

18 and the idols will totally disappear.

19 Men will flee to caves in the rocks
and to holes in the ground
from dread of the Lord
and the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to shake the earth.

20 In that day men will throw away
to the rodents and bats
their idols of silver and idols of gold,
which they made to worship.

21 They will flee to caverns in the rocks
and to the overhanging crags
from dread of the Lord
and the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to shake the earth.

22 Stop trusting in man,
who has but a breath in his nostrils.
Of what account is he?

ISAIAH 2

Peace That Lasts Forever

1 This is the messaget I was given about Judah and Jerusalem:

2 In the future, the mountain
with the [Lord]'s temple
will be the highest of all.
It will reach above the hills;
every nation will rush to it.

3 Many people will come and say,
“Let's go to the mountain
of the [Lord] God of Jacob
and worship in his temple.”
The [Lord] will teach us his Law
from Jerusalem,
and we will obey him.

4  t He will settle arguments
between nations.
They will pound their swords
and their spears
into rakes and shovels;
they will never make war
or attack one another.

5 People of Israel, let's live
by the light of the [Lord].

Following Sinful Customs

6 Our [Lord], you have deserted
your people, Israel,
because they follow customs
of nations from the east.
They worship Philistine gods
and are close friends
of foreigners.t

7 They have endless treasures
of silver and gold;
they have countless horses
and war chariots.

8 Everywhere in the country
they worship the idols
they have made.

9 And so, all of them
will be ashamed and disgraced.
Don't forgive them!

A Day of Judgment

10  t Every one of you,
go hide among the rocks
and in the ground,
because the [Lord] is fearsome,
marvelous, and glorious.

11 When the [Lord] comes,
everyone who is proud
will be made humble,
and the [Lord] alone
will be honored.

12 The [Lord] All-Powerful
has chosen a day
when those who are proud
and conceited
will be put down.

13 The tall and towering
cedars of Lebanon
will be destroyed.
So will the oak trees of Bashan,

14 all high mountains and hills,

15 every strong fortress,

16 all the seagoing ships, t
and every beautiful boat.

17 When that day comes,
everyone who is proud
will be put down.
Only the [Lord] will be honored.

18 Idols will be gone for good.

19 You had better hide
in caves and holes—
the [Lord] will be fearsome,
marvelous, and glorious
when he comes to terrify
people on earth.

20 On that day everyone will throw
to the moles and bats
their idols of silver and gold
they made to worship.

21 The [Lord] will be fearsome,
marvelous, and glorious
when he comes to terrify
people on earth—
they will hide in caves
and in the hills.

22 Stop trusting the power
of humans.
They are all going to die,
so how can they help?