Isaiah 2
2
1#This editorial heading probably introduced the collection of chaps. 2–12, to which chap. 1 with its introduction was added later (see note on 1:2–31). This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
Zion, the Royal City of God
2#These verses contain two very important oracles, one on the pilgrimage of nations to Mount Zion (vv. 2–4—completed with an invitation to the “house of Jacob,” v. 5), the other on the day of the Lord (see note on Am 5:18), which was probably composed from at least two earlier pieces. Whereas vv. 6–8 indict Judah for trust in superstitious practices and human resources rather than in the Lord, the following verses are directed against humankind in general and emphasize the effect of the “day of the Lord,” the humbling of human pride. This may be taken as a precondition for the glorious vision of vv. 2–4. This vision of Zion’s glorious future, which is also found in a slightly variant form in Mi 4:1–4, is rooted in the early Zion tradition, cultivated in the royal cult in Jerusalem. It celebrated God’s choice of Jerusalem as the divine dwelling place, along with God’s choice of the Davidic dynasty (Ps 68:16–17; 78:67–72; 132:13–18). Highest mountain: the Zion tradition followed earlier mythological conceptions that associate the abode of deities with very high mountains (Ps 48:2–3). The lifting of Mount Zion is a metaphor for universal recognition of the Lord’s authority. In days to come,
The mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it.#Mi 4:1–4.
3Many peoples shall come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
That he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths.”#Is 56:7; 2 Kgs 17:26–28; Jer 31:6–14; Zec 8:20–23.
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4#Once the nations acknowledge God as sovereign, they go up to Jerusalem to settle their disputes, rather than having recourse to war. He shall judge between the nations,
and set terms for many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;#Jl 4:10.
One nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.#Is 9:7; 11:4; Ps 46:10; Zec 9:10.
5#This verse is added as a conclusion to vv. 2–4; cf. Mi 4:4–5, where a quite different conclusion is provided for the parallel version of this oracle. House of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the Lord!
The Lord’s Day of Judgment on Pride
6You have abandoned your people,
the house of Jacob!
Because they are filled with diviners,
and soothsayers, like the Philistines;
with foreigners they clasp hands.#Is 10:32.
7Their 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.
8Their land is full of idols;
they bow down to the works of their hands,
what their fingers have made.#Is 17:7–8; 31:1–3.
9So all shall be abased,
each one brought low.#Bowing down to idols will not bring deliverance to Israel, but rather total abasement. Do not pardon them: this line is so abrupt that it is almost certainly an intrusion in the text.
Do not pardon them!
10Get behind the rocks,
hide in the dust,
From the terror of the Lord
and the splendor of his majesty!
11The eyes of human pride shall be lowered,
the arrogance of mortals shall be abased,
and the Lord alone will be exalted, on that day.#That day: i.e., the day of the Lord; cf. note on Am 5:18.
12For the Lord of hosts will have his day
against all that is proud and arrogant,
against all that is high, and it will be brought low;
13Yes, against all the cedars of Lebanon#Lebanon: Mount Lebanon in Syria, famed for its cedars. Bashan: the fertile uplands east of the Sea of Galilee.
and against all the oaks of Bashan,
14Against all the lofty mountains
and all the high hills,
15Against every lofty tower
and every fortified wall,
16Against all the ships of Tarshish
and all stately vessels.
17Then human pride shall be abased,
the arrogance of mortals brought low,
And the Lord alone will be exalted on that day.
18The idols will vanish completely.
19People will go into caves in the rocks
and into holes in the earth,
At the terror of the Lord
and the splendor of his majesty,
as he rises to overawe the earth.
20On that day people shall throw to moles and bats
their idols of silver and their idols of gold
which they made for themselves to worship.
21And they shall go into caverns in the rocks
and into crevices in the cliffs,
At the terror of the Lord
and the splendor of his majesty,
as he rises to overawe the earth.
22#The meaning of this verse, certainly a later addition, is not clear. It is not addressed to God but to a plural subject. As for you, stop worrying about mortals,
in whose nostrils is but a breath;
for of what worth are they?
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Isaiah 2
2
Everlasting Peace
(Mic 4.1–3)
1This is the message which God gave to Isaiah son of Amoz about Judah and Jerusalem:
2In days to come
the mountain where the Temple stands
will be the highest one of all,
towering above all the hills.
Many nations will come streaming to it,
3and their people will say,
“Let us go up the hill of the LORD,#2.3 hill of the LORD: Mount Zion, the hill in Jerusalem on which the Temple was built.
to the Temple of Israel's God.
He will teach us what he wants us to do;
we will walk in the paths he has chosen.
For the LORD's teaching comes from Jerusalem;
from Zion he speaks to his people.”
4 #
Joel 3.10
He will settle disputes among great nations.
They will hammer their swords into ploughs
and their spears into pruning knives.
Nations will never again go to war,
never prepare for battle again.
5Now, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light which the LORD gives us!
Arrogance will be Destroyed
6O God, you have forsaken your people, the descendants of Jacob! The land is full of magic practices from the east and from Philistia.#2.6 Probable text The land… Philistia; Hebrew unclear. The people follow foreign customs. 7Their 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. 8Their land is full of idols, and they worship objects that they have made with their own hands.
9Everyone will be humiliated and disgraced. Do not forgive them, LORD!
10 #
Rev 6.15; 2 Thes 1.9 They will hide in caves in the rocky hills or dig holes in the ground to try to escape from the LORD's anger and to hide from his power and glory! 11A day is coming when human pride will be ended and human arrogance destroyed. Then the LORD alone will be exalted. 12On that day the LORD Almighty will humble everyone who is powerful, everyone who is proud and conceited. 13He will destroy the tall cedars of Lebanon and all the oaks in the land of Bashan. 14He will level the high mountains and hills, 15every high tower, and the walls of every fortress. 16He will sink even the largest and most beautiful ships. 17-18Human pride will be ended, and human arrogance will be destroyed. Idols will completely disappear, and the LORD alone will be exalted on that day.
19People will hide in caves in the rocky hills or dig holes in the ground to try to escape from the LORD's anger and to hide from his power and glory, when he comes to shake the earth. 20When that day comes, they will throw away the gold and silver idols they have made, and abandon them to the moles and the bats. 21When the LORD comes to shake the earth, people will hide in holes and caves in the rocky hills to try to escape from his anger and to hide from his power and glory.
22Put no more confidence in mortals. What are they worth?
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.