Yesaya 2:2-3

2:2 In the future ¹ 

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will endure ² 

as the most important of mountains,

and will be the most prominent of hills. ³ 

All the nations will stream to it,

2:3 many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain,

to the temple of the God of Jacob,

so ⁴  he can teach us his requirements, ⁵ 

and ⁶  we can follow his standards.” ⁷ 

For Zion will be the center for moral instruction; ⁸ 

the Lord will issue edicts from Jerusalem. ⁹ 

Yesaya 56:7

56:7 I will bring them to my holy mountain;

I will make them happy in the temple where people pray to me. ¹⁰ 

Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar,

for my temple will be known as a temple where all nations may pray.” ¹¹ 

Yesaya 65:9-11

65:9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,

and from Judah people to take possession of my mountains.

My chosen ones will take possession of the land; ¹² 

my servants will live there.

65:10 Sharon ¹³  will become a pasture for sheep,

and the Valley of Achor ¹⁴  a place where cattle graze; ¹⁵ 

they will belong to my people, who seek me. ¹⁶ 

65:11 But as for you who abandon the Lord

and forget about worshiping at ¹⁷  my holy mountain,

who prepare a feast for the god called ‘Fortune,’ ¹⁸ 

and fill up wine jugs for the god called ‘Destiny’ ¹⁹  –

[2:2]  ¹ tn Heb “in the end of the days.” This phrase may refer generally to the future, or more technically to the final period of history. See BDB 31 s.v. ַאחֲרִית. The verse begins with a verb that functions as a “discourse particle” and is not translated. In numerous places throughout the OT, the “to be” verb with a prefixed conjunction (וְהָיָה [vÿhayah] and וַיְהִי [vayÿhi]) occurs in this fashion to introduce a circumstantial clause and does not require translation.

[2:2]  ² tn Or “be established” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).

[2:2]  ³ tn Heb “as the chief of the mountains, and will be lifted up above the hills.” The image of Mount Zion being elevated above other mountains and hills pictures the prominence it will attain in the future.

[2:3]  ⁴ tn The prefixed verb form with simple vav (ו) introduces a purpose/result clause after the preceding prefixed verb form (probably to be taken as a cohortative; see IBHS 650 §39.2.2a).

[2:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “his ways.” In this context God’s “ways” are the standards of moral conduct he decrees that people should live by.

[2:3]  ⁶ tn The cohortative with vav (ו) after the prefixed verb form indicates the ultimate purpose/goal of their action.

[2:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “walk in his ways.”

[2:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “for out of Zion will go instruction.”

[2:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

[56:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “in the house of my prayer.”

[56:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “for my house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.”

[65:9]  ¹² tn Heb “it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix probably refers to the land which contains the aforementioned mountains.

[65:10]  ¹³ sn Sharon was a plain located to the west, along the Mediterranean coast north of Joppa and south of Carmel.

[65:10]  ¹⁴ sn The Valley of Achor (“Achor” means “trouble” in Hebrew) was the site of Achan’s execution. It was located to the east, near Jericho.

[65:10]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “a resting place for cattle”; NASB, NIV “for herds.”

[65:10]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “for my people who seek me.”

[65:11]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew text has simply, “forget.” The words “about worshiping at” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[65:11]  ¹⁸ tn The Hebrew has לַגַּד (laggad, “for Gad”), the name of a pagan deity. See HALOT 176 s.v. II גַּד 2.

[65:11]  ¹⁹ tn The Hebrew has לַמְנִי (lamni, “for Meni”), the name of a pagan deity. See HALOT 602 s.v. מְגִי.