THE BOOK OF ISAIAH PART 1

25 I will turn mine hand upon thee,
   To purge away thy dross,
   And take away from thee all thy tin.
26 And I will restore thy judges as at the first,
   And thy counselors as at the beginning; afterwards thou shalt be called,
   The city of righteousness, the faithful city.
27 Zion shall be redeemed, with judgment,
   Her converts with righteousness.
28 The destruction of the transgressors,
   And of all the sinners, shall be together;
   And they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.
29 For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired;
   Ye shall be confounded for the gardens ye have chosen.
30 For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth,
   And as the garden that hath no water.
31 And the strong shall be as tinder,
   And their works the spark;
   And they shall both burn together,
   And there shall be none to quench them.

25."Dross and tin" are the impurities commonly found in silver. Symbolically, they are falsehoods that have polluted the spiritual truths (v22). This is a glorious promise. Their former glory of old will be restored when they have been cleansed.
26. This is the promise of the "gathering"-- in the latter-days--Israel's restoration.
27. The Lord says that they will be restored to the truth by conversion. That they will be "converts," suggests just how far they have "gone away backward" from the truth.
28. This speaks of the destruction of the wicked, but verse 27 says it will be accomplished by their conversion, not their deaths. This idea is examined on the page explaining metaphors.
29. The oaks and gardens in the high places (where they had set up their idols to worship, even offering their children for sacrifice) is a corruption of the scriptural "high places" which refer to a higher spiritual plain, and even to temples. They have misunderstood the scriptures by taking them literally, setting up their "groves" of idols on the high mountains.
30. He tells them that they shall be as the false gods they have chosen, dry and lifeless, and implies that they could be like the true God with an abundance of water. A garden without water is a play on words, using the metaphor of water to represent truth and knowledge--"living waters" (Cf. John 4:10-15; Zech. 14:8).
31. Instead of being an eternal being, even as God, they will burn as dry fibers used to start fires (tow), There will be no one to "quench" them with "living" water.

   ISAIAH 2

1 The word that Isaiah, the son of Amoz, has seen,
   Concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 It shall come to pass in the last days,
   When the mountain of the house of the LORD,
   Shall be established in the top of the mountains,
   And shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
   To the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways,
   And we will walk in his paths;
   For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
   And the word of the LORD from out of Jerusalem.
4  And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people.
   They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.
   Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
   Neither shall they learn war any more.

    Compare to 2 Nephi 12.
2. The Hebrew word that translates "mountains" also means nations and kingdoms, and "highest/top" equates to chief, so we can have multiple meanings. First, and not so apparent, is the spiritual meaning that refers to a condition on a higher plane referred to metaphorically as the Lord's mountain. This metaphor is used often and represents just the opposite to the sea, which is the dragon's or the serpent's realm, Satan's. The Lord's mountain is also referred to as Zion when Zion is used as a spiritual condition, not a physical place.
3. In Hebrew "house" equates to temple. We learn from this that the true God would have us learn of his ways, and expect us to live his commandments. His commandments constitute "his law" which is the way of the true God.
4. This verse gives us an image of peace, which is the message (the promise) of Christ. Cf. Isa. 32:17--"And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever." The Scriptures, especially the New Testament, make it plain that peace, combined with love and faith, come to us from God and Christ. For example, Paul, the apostle, in most of his epistles greeted the recipient with a wish for them to have peace from God and Jesus Christ.

5 O house of Jacob, come ye,
   And let us walk in the light of the LORD;
6 Therefore, thou hast forsaken thy people, the house of Jacob,
   Because they be replenished from the east,
   And they are soothsayers like the philistines,
   And they please themselves with the children of strangers.
7 Their land is also full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures;
   Their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots:
8 Their land is also full of idols; they worship the work of their hands,
   That which their own fingers have made.
9 And the mean man boweth not down,
   The great man is humbled not; therefore forgive him not.
10 O ye wicked ones, enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust,
   For the fear of the LORD, lest the glory of his majesty shall smite thee.
11 And it shall come to pass the lofty looks of man shall be humbled,
   And the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down into dust,
   And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
12 For the day of the Lord of hosts soon cometh,
   Yea, upon every one who is proud and lofty,
   And upon every one who is lifted up; and he shall be brought low.

6. They are not "filled" with the Holy Ghost; they rely on soothsayers from the East.
7-8. These verses parallel each other saying the same thing. It is speaking of the spiritual condition of Israel.
9. "Mean," as in average or common. Neither the common man or the great man will bow down.
10. This verse sounds like a warning to Israel, as well as to us in the latter-days.
11. The Lord of hosts will be exalted, meaning revealed, meaning Jesus Christ. All the proud will be humbled before Him. All false gods will be exposed as such.
12. The day of the Lord will be that day when Jesus Christ will be revealed through a flood of great knowledge. This flood will bring the destruction of the wicked by conversion(cp.1:28).

13 Yea, and the day of the LORD will come upon all the cedars of Lebanon,
   For they are high and lifted up; and upon all the oaks of Bashan;
14 And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills;
   And upon all the nations which are lifted up,
   And upon every people,
15 And upon every high tower,
   And upon every fortified wall;
16 And upon all the ships of the sea,
   And upon all the ships from Tarshish,
   And upon all the tall and gallant barks.
17 The loftiness of man shall be bowed down,
   And the haughtiness of men shall be made low;
   And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
18 And the idols of wood and stone he shall utterly abolish.
19 And they shall shall be hidden away into the holes of the rocks,
   And into the caves of the earth, for the fear of the LORD shall come upon men,
   And the glory of his majesty shall smite them, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver and his idols of gold,
   Which he hath made for himself to worship,
   To the moles and to the bats.
21 To go into the clefts of the rocks,
   And into the tops of the ragged rocks;
   For the fear of the LORD shall come upon them,
   And the majesty of his glory will smite them down,
   When he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils,
   For wherein is he anything to be accounted of?

12-17. In these verses we learn some of Isaiah's symbolic terms for the proud and lofty. Most of these terms we will see again, but without the explanation given here. "Ships" are used to symbolize people because we come down to a planet of mostly water, which, therefore, is referred to as "the sea," and mankind are referred to as ships while we sojourn here. And in this same symbolism, the sea, or the great deep, represents the realm of Satan, and he becomes the serpent of the sea, or dragon of the deep. Cf. Prov. 30:19, Isa. 33:21, Psa. 48:7, Psa. 107:23.
18-21. When their pride is brought down, their shame will drive them into holes in the earth to hide from the majesty of the Lord, and they will also hide their idols in shame, where they belong--in darkness.
22. Cease ye in the way of any man who's very life is a gift of God. Next to God, man is nothing, let alone any objects (idols) by him, even if they are made of silver and gold (v20).

ISAIAH 3

1 For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts,
   Doth take away from Jerusalem, and Judah, the stay and the staff,
   The whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water:
2 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge,
   And the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,
3 The captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counselor,
   And the skillful artificer, and the eloquent orator.
4 And I will give children to be their princes,
   And young babes shall rule over them.
5 And the people shall be oppressed,
   Every one by another,
   And every one by his neighbor.
   The young shall be against the elderly,
   And the base shall be against the honorable.
6 When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father,
   Saying, Thou hast the clothing, be thou our ruler,
   And let not this ruin be under thy hand.
7 In that day shall he swear, saying,
   I will not be an healer.
   For in my house there is neither bread nor clothing;
   Therefore make me not a ruler of the people; for Jerusalem is ruined and Judah is fallen,
   Because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD,
   Which is an affront of his glory before his very eyes.

1. "Bread and Water" represent truth and knowledge, (Jesus is the bread and the water.) which had come from the leaders of Israel. Now it is taken away (by the Lord) from those leaders listed in verses 2 and 3. Verse 4 says that there leaders are now children, meaning the spiritually unqualified, instead of prophets and the great, or those not holding the priesthood.
5.This equates "young" to "base," and "elderly" to "honorable," which is interesting.
8. "The clothing" suggests the Holy robes of the priesthood. They will search for spiritual leadership but find none.
7. "Healer" is used in the same sense Christ used it, meaning a spiritual leader. "Bread" means knowledge, and "clothes" means authority. For more about these metaphors see note of 4:1.
8. Over and over, the Lord makes it clear that Israel, meaning the Jews, not just the northern kingdom, has gone into complete apostasy.

9 And their countenances doth witness against them,
   And declares their sin to be even as Sodom,
   And they cannot hide it; woe unto their souls!
   For they have rewarded evil even unto themselves.
10 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him;
   For they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
11 But say woe unto the wicked,
   For it shall be a disaster for him;
   For the reward of his hands shall be given him.
12 As for my people, children are their oppressors and women rule over them.
   O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err and destroy the way of thy paths.
13 The LORD standeth up to plead his cause, and standeth to judge the people.
14 The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people;
   The princes thereof, for they have eaten up the vineyard;
   The spoil of the poor is in your houses.
15 What mean ye, that ye beat my people to pieces,
   And grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

9. Either they cannot hide their sins or they make no attempt to hide them, or both.
10-11. This is another way to express the law of the harvest- as ye sow, so shall ye reap. Gal. 6:7.
12. Again Jehovah refers to their leaders as women and children, emphasizing their lack of priesthood authority.
13. The leaders have destroyed the vineyard (Israel). The spiritual leaders have literally and spiritually robbed the poor.
14. Ancients and princes equate to elders and/or leaders.

16 Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty,
   And they walk about with their stretched forth necks and their wonton eyes,
   Walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet ornaments,
17 Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion;
   And the LORD will discover their covered parts; in that day the Lord will take away,
   The bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet,
   And their cauls, and their crescents like the moon;
19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers;
20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs;
   And the headbands, and the tablets;
21 And the ear-rings, the rings, and nose jewels;
22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles;
   And the wimples, and the crisping pins,
23 The glasses; and the fine linen,
   And the hoods, and the veils.
24 And it shall come to pass,
   That instead of a sweet smell, there shall be a stink;
   And instead of a girdle, a rent; and instead of well set hair, baldness;
   And instead of a stomacher, a girding of sackcloth; and a burning instead of beauty.
25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.
26 And her gates shall lament and mourn.
   And she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.

16. From 1:8 we know that the "daughter of Zion," is Jerusalem in particular, and Israel in general.
17-20. So in hyperbole, and speaking of Jerusalem or Israel as a women, he describes how he will humble her--strip her of all her beauty, meaning her prophets, teachers, princes, and consequently, her truths.
25. "Thy men," as opposed to beasts (See note 46:8), means the ones that have been the spiritual leaders, and they "will fall by the sword of the Lord." All of these terms refer to being humbled before God. It will happen in the last days through the flood of knowledge that is promised.
26. Jerusalem's gates in particular, or Israel's gates in general, will lament and mourn. Picture ravaged Israel, or Jerusalem, with her gates sagging from broken hinges, and creaking in the wind as if a ghost town--anything but proud now, after being humbled, even destroyed. This is the image these verses portray.

ISAIAH 4

1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man,
   Saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel,
   Only let us be called by thy name, to taketh away our reproach.
2 In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious,
   And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely,
   To them that are escaped of Israel.
3 And it shall come to pass, he that is left in Zion,
   And he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called Holy,
   Even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem.
4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion,
   And shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof,
   By the spirit of his judgment, and by the spirit of his burning,
5 And the LORD will create upon every dwelling of mount Zion,
   And upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day,
   And the shining of a flaming fire by night.
   For upon all the glory of Zion shall be a defense.
6 And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat,
   And for a place of refuge, and a covert from storm and from rain.

   Compare to 2 Nephi 14.
1.This verse uses three metaphors. The first is the seven women. These seven women are metaphorical like the woman that the Lord speaks of as his bride, meaning his Church, the people (See 50:1, 54:4-7, 57:7-9).The number seven, in Jewish symbolism, means "completeness," or "fullness," so this would mean, many people (See Customs, p. 239, Smith, Dictionary, 4:293 for a discussion on the number seven). Second, to eat their own bread refers to metaphorical bread, the same bread Jesus claimed to be, or in other words, the knowledge of salvation. So, it means they reject his Gospel, at least partly, wishing to keep their old ways. And third, they reject his apparel. His apparel represents his authority. This metaphor is apparently based on the robes the priests wore when officiating in the temple (the ephod, etc. Ex 28:4-43; Cf. Isa.3:7). It means, then, they reject his authority, preferring their own; which means they will not give up their traditions. It means they reject the whole truth of "him" that they know is the "One," but they still want to be called by his name, to take away their reproach. This tells us that in our day there will be many churches that will call themselves Christians, but will deny a great deal of the truths pertaining to Christ, or in other words, they will have only part of the truth. Also implied is that to be called by some other name will bring shame. Some will still cling to their false traditions. The true Church will be glorious, and will include the remnant of Israel. This verse suggests the "branch of the Lord" or the Church, will not be primarily Israelites, but they will be part of it.
2-4. They will be part of the Church (Zion) because they have been cleansed.
5-6. The Lord shall be a defense against the "foul weather" of the devil, meaning the tough times of this mortal life or trial.

ISAIAH 5

1 Now will I sing to my well beloved,
   A song of my beloved, touching his vineyard.
   My well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill.
2 And he fenced it and gathered out the stones thereof,
   And he planted it with the choicest vines,
   And built a tower in the midst of it,
   And also made a winepress therein.
   And he looked for it to bring forth grapes,
But, alas, instead it has brought forth wild grapes. 3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and ye men of Judah,    Judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard as to what was done. 4 What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it?    Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, it brought forth wild grapes,    5 And now go to; for I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard--    I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up;    And I will break down the wall thereof,    And it shall be trodden down.
6 And I will lay it waste;
   It shall not be pruned, nor digged,
   But there shall come up briers and thorns.
   I will also command the clouds that they not rain.
7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel,
   And the men of Judah his pleasant plant; and he looked for judgment,
   But beheld oppression; and he looked for righteousness, but beheld a cry.

.    Compare to 2 Nephi 15
1.Here, he uses a vine or vineyard to represent Israel in a parable, and confirms the meaning of this metaphor in verse seven.
2-4. Jehovah laments the shameful condition of Israel, the vine.
5-6. Because it is hopeless, Jehovah must destroy his vineyard (the people of Israel), they have become "briars and thorns," not "vines" or "trees" producing or bearing good fruit. His commands for the clouds to not rain represents the withdrawal or living waters, meaning His Prophets and, therefore, spiritual truths.
7. Jehovah explains what the vineyard and plants represent, and why the destruction came upon them.

8 Woe unto all those that join house to house,
   And lay field to field, till there can be no place,
   That they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth.
9 In mine ears said the LORD of hosts,
   In truth, many houses shall be desolate,
   Even great and fair, and without inhabitant.
10 Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath,
   And the seed of an homer shall only yield an ephah.
11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning,
   That they may follow strong drink;
   That continue until night,
   And wine inflame them!
12 And the harp, and the Viol,
   And the tabret, and the pipe,
   And wine, are in all their feasts;
   But they regard not the work of the LORD,
   Neither do they consider the operation of his hands.
13 Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge.
   And their honorable men are famished, and their multitudes are dried up with thirst.
14 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure.
   And their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp,
   And he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.

8. A "House" is, metaphorically, their doings or themselves, so this describes people too busy to hear the Gospel. It is similar to the kind of house you should not build on sand. In Hebrew, "house" is the same word as "temple" and we know our bodies should be; i.e., temples of God.
9. "Many houses desolate" means the people are a waste. There is no spiritual growth. Even if taken literally the meaning would be the same; i.e., those people living in the houses are a waste to the Lord--a spiritual waste.
10. The Lord's vineyard will yield very few righteous people. Many, many of the house of Israel will be no worth to the Lord.
11-12. Woe unto those who fill their day with drinking and parties or anything else that leaves no time to learn about the Lord. To do this is the same as saying that they are completely self-sufficient and have no need of the Lord.
13. Israel has lost their knowledge of God, which is represented by their being famished (for bread), and thirst (for the living waters), and they are left dried up in spiritual truth. Spiritually they have become captured because of their ignorance of the true god.

15 And the mean man shall be brought down,
   And mighty men shall be humbled;
   And the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled.
16 But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment,
   And God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.
17 Then shall the lambs feed as in his pasture after their manner;
   And in the waste places of the fat ones shall the strangers find provender.
18 Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin, as with a cart rope.
19 That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work that we may see it.
   And let the counsel of the Holy one of Israel draw nigh,
   And come, that we may know it.
20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil,
   Them that put darkness for light and light for darkness,
   That put the bitter for the sweet, and the sweet for the bitter.
21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight.
22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink,
23 Which justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the righteousness of the righteous.
24 Therefore as a fire devoureth the stubble, and as the flame consumeth the chaff,
   Their root shall be rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust;
   Because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts,
   And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

15. These verses return to the promise of a change for Israel in the last days. All of the common men or average men ("mean man"), as well as the powerful shall be humbled, and it will be done by their finding out the truth about their God. Every knee shall bow down and know the Lord of hosts, Jesus Christ.
17. This is a synonymous parallelism. "His lambs" (the Israelites, and spiritually young) are now the "strangers" (proselytes) and shall now learn the truth, "eating" in his pasture. The "fat ones" are those that are fat with truth and knowledge, that have been "feeding in His pasture." The "waste places" refers not to the advanced truths, but to the "milk." This is a prophecy that the true Gospel will come back to Israel, precept upon precept.
18. This verse gives us the image of one dragging sins by ropes of falsehood, which are strong ropes, like cart ropes, suggesting that sins are a real and great burden.
19. Israel doesn't know,, but they should ask.
20. Israel has turned justice upside down for the poor, the orphan, the widow.
23. In our time, "reward" is not as clear as "bribe," which is what is meant--so the change.
24. Here the Lord's "words" are equated to the "law" in a parallelism. Law = words= things.
The people of Israel are compared to a plant who's blossoms will never produce any fruit.

25 Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against them;
   And he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them,
   And the hills did tremble, and their carcasses were refuse in the midst of the streets.
   For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
26 And he will lift up an ensign unto the Gentiles from far.
   And will hiss unto them from the end of the earth,
   And, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly.
   None shall weary nor stumble among them.
27 None shall slumber nor sleep,
   Neither shall their girdle be loosed,
   Nor the latchet of their shoes be broken;
28 Whose arrows shall be sharp, and all their bows bent;
   Their horses' hoofs shall be counted like flint,
   And their wheels like that of the whirlwind.
   Their roaring shall be like a lion,
29 They shall roar like young lions.
   Yea, they shall roar and lay hold of the prey,
   And shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.
30 And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea;
   And if one look unto the land, behold, darkness and sorrow,
   And the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.

26. These verses describe "In that day" or the last days, when Israel will again accept the truth. The Lord will lift up an ensign (His Church), which will bring the nations from afar, like a swarm of bees, which have been hissed out of their hive by the "beekeeper" (Lord).
27-29. They shall come surely, with great power (spiritual), with great strength, taking their prey, the Israelites, by conversion. They (the Israelites) will be safe(29c), and their conversion will be final.
30. Their roar (message) will be as persistent and persuasive as the sea, and from their perspective, all the land has been dark and sorrowful, and even then many will give up their traditions slowly and with some sorrow.

ISAIAH 6

1 In the same year that king Uzziah died,
   I saw also the Lord sitting upon his throne,
   High and lifted up and his train filled the temple.
2 Above him were seraphim, each one had six wings;
   With twain they could veil his presence,
   And with twain, hide his location,
   And with twain they did fly.
3 One cried unto another and said,
   Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts;
   The whole earth is full of his glory and majesty. 4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, 5  And the temple was filled with smoke.*Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone;    Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.    For mine eyes have seen the King upon his throne in heaven, the LORD of hosts.
6 Then flew one of the seraphim to me with a live coal in his hand,
   Which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar;
7 And he laid the coal upon my mouth, and said,
   Lo, this live coal hath touched thy lips,
   And thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin has been purged.

   Compare to 2 Nephi 16.
1. 2 John 12:9 tells us what is seen in this vision--the glory of Jesus, even the absolute Lord sitting on a throne with robes so great the train filled the temple. If He was sitting and wearing a robe. It strongly suggests that God is physical like a man. Cf. Ezek. 1:26.
2. Above his great robes were the seraphim. A seraph is thought to be a being of light or of fire, and a servant of The Most High. The wings represent the powers the seraphim have. That is to move about freely and secretly. (Cf. D&C 38:1, 109:79.)
3. "Most Holy is the Lord," and "his glory" is best explained by the Lord in Moses 1:39, "For behold this is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." For that purpose was the earth created. That is the earth's fulfillment, and why it is full of his glory--not to mention that everything in it is his creation. (Cf. 14:26)
4. To attest to the validity of this vision, the foundation shook, and the smoke (cloud or mist) appeared. This was a familiar sign from Israel's past, indicating Jehovah's presence.
5. Isaiah affirms who it is that he sees. Undone = struck dumb = ruined
6-7. By symbolic fire, he is made clean, suggesting baptism by fire, which is the gift of the Holy Ghost, which follows a water baptism, which makes one clean before the Lord.

8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?
   Then I said unto him, Here am I, send me; and he said, Go, and tell this people,
   Hear ye indeed; but they understood not; and see ye indeed;
   But they perceived not.
10 Make the heart of this people fat,
   And make their ears heavy; shut their eyes,
   Lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears,
   And understand with their heart, and be converted and be healed.
11 Then said I, Lord, how long? and he said, Until all the cities be wasted,
   And are without inhabitant, and houses are without a man,
   And the land be utterly desolate,
12 And the LORD have removed men far away,
   For there shall be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.
13 But yet there shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten,
   As a teil-tree, or as an oak, whose substance is in them,
   When they shall cast their leaves;
   So the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.

8. After his cleansing, a complete change takes place. Instead of being afraid and claiming to be destroyed (undone), he is ready to go on a mission for the Lord. Note that the Lord doesn't speak for Himself, but for "us," meaning for those with Him.
9-10. But, instead of being forgiven, as the seraphim had just done for him, he is to do just the opposite on his mission.
11-12. Discouraged he said, "How long?" Cities and houses are used frequently as a metaphor for "people," and here it would be meant in a figurative sense. In other words, there wouldn't be a man left in the eyes of God, or there would not be a "man" left, in a spiritual sense.
13. A small part, a tenth, shall survive the Lord's destruction. But even they will be consumed, or taken away again and scattered, but as the seeds of a elm or oak tree, that have life in them, and can pass through an animal with the "old leaves" (dung). They will be the start of a new nation.

ISAIAH 7

1 And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz,
   The son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah,
   that Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel,
   Went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but they could not prevail against it.
2 And it was told the house of David, Syria is confederate with Ephraim,
   And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people,
   As the trees are moved with the wind.
3 Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth to meet Ahaz,
   Thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool
   In the highway of the fuller's field; and say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not;
   Neither be fainthearted because of the two tails of these smoking firebrands,
   For the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and the son of Remaliah,
5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah,
   Have taken evil counsel against thee, saying,
6 Let us go up against Judah, and vex it,
   And let us make a breach therein for us,
   And set a king in the midst of it, yea, the son of Tabeal.
7 Thus saith the Lord GOD, it shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.
8 For the head of Syria is the city of Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin;
   And within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people.

   Compare to 2 Nephi 17
This is some of Isaiah's day. His prophecies about an alliance that Syria made with Israel (the northern kingdom), against Judah (the southern kingdom). Smoking firebrands, means trouble makers. Tabeal means "pleasing to God" (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance).

9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son.
   If ye will not believe surely ye shall not be established.
10 Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying,
11 Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God;
   Ask it either in the depths, or in the height above.
12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD.
13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David;
   Is it a small thing for you to weary men,
   But will ye weary my God also?
14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign.
   Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and call his name Immanuel.
15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.
16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good,
   The land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
17 The LORD shall bring upon thee and upon thy people,
   And upon thy father's house, such days that have not come,
   From the day Ephraim departed from Judah, even the king of Assyria.
18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall hiss for the fly,
   That is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt,
   And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria,

14. The sign is the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.
15. According to K&D, butter means thickened milk, which was/and is a food of desert people. It means he will "eat" truth and knowledge, learning the ways of God in his youth. "Meat" is also used this way, but to represent knowledge on a higher level. (Cf. John 1:16, 6:55, 1 Cor. 3:2, 1 Cor. 10:, Heb. 5:12, Phil. 2:6-9, D&C 93:12.)
16. But before the age of accountability....
17. The true king of "Assyria," or king of the "world," is none other than Jesus Christ. He is the subject of the sign in verse fourteen, and will bring upon them days of righteousness, and truth and knowledge like they haven't seen since Ephraim departed (when wickedness began to rule). This indicates that Israel has gone down hill spiritually ever since.
18. Egypt and Assyria represent the outside world, meaning the Gentiles, who will come at the command of the Lord (the King of Assyria) like the swarms of river flies and swarming bees. The name "Deseret" meant "bees" at that time, and so suggests swarms from Deseret.(See Lehi in the Desert, and the world of the Jeredites, by Hugh Nibley, pgs 184-189, Bookcraft, SLC, Utah, 1988.) "Hiss" is translated as "whistle" by some.

19 And they shall come, and rest all of them,
   In the desolate valleys, in the holes of rocks, upon all thorns, and upon all bushes.
20 In the same day shall the Lord shave you with a razor that is hired,
   By them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria,
   The head, and the hair of your feet,
   And it shall consume the beard.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day,
   That a man shall nourish a young cow and two sheep;
22 And it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk that they shall give,
   He shall eat butter; for butter shall every one eat that is left behind in the land.
23 And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place shall be,
   Where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings,
   It shall be even for briers and thorns.
24 With arrows and with bows shall men come thither,
   Because all the land shall become briers and thorns.
25 And on all the hills that shall be digged with a mattock,
   There shall not come thither the fear of briers and thorns;
   But it shall be for the sending forth of oxen,
   And the treading of lesser cattle.

19. Valleys represent places normally inhabited, but Israel has been desolate of truth, The briers and thorns have been hiding in the holes in the rocks. These "swarming bees" will seek them out wherever they are. Thorns and bushes are defective/wicked trees or vines (See 5:1-7).
20. The king of Assyria and his great flood of men is used as a type or pattern for a similar invasion by missionaries with the truth that are to come. To be shaven was to be shamed and humbled, which was usually done to prisoners upon their capture; and so it typifies how these converts will be humbled before they are "taken" by the missionaries.
21-22. They will receive milk, representing the basic truths of the Gospel, and fatness, which represents the richest, choicest morsels of truth.
23. Where there were once thousands of the spiritually strong (his vines in ancient Israel), now the missionaries find "briers and thorns" to teach.
24. Now men, the spiritually strong, will come with strength (truth), to teach the "briers and thorns."
25. On the Lord's "mountain" will again be found those who will "pasture" on the truth that is found there. Cattle and lesser cattle represents the wicked people that will feed in the pasture of the "Good Shepherd.

ISAIAH 8

1 Moreover, the LORD said unto me,
   Take thee a great roll, and write in it,
   With a man's pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.
2 And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record,
   Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.
3 And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived and bare a son;
   Then said the LORD of Hosts unto me, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz;
4 For behold, the child shall not have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother,
   Before the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria,
   Shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.
5 The LORD spake also unto me again, saying,
6 Forasmuch as this people refuseth,
   The waters of Shiloh that go softly,
   And rejoice in Rezin, and Remaliah's son,

   Compare to 2 Nephi 18
1-4. This is another way to say, within three years, when children begin to say father and mother.
6. The softly flowing waters of Shiloh is an image of peace and safety, as opposed to the rampaging waters of the dragon or the devil. These water represent truth and knowledge from God. Shiloh was the city where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. Shiloh also was a symbol for the Messiah. See Gen 49:1, JST. Gen 50:24, Ezek 21:27.

Note for verse 8, next page.

The waters that flow softly from the Lord are contrasted with the flood from Assyria (v7). Likewise, in a parallel comparison, they rejected the protection of Jehovah's wings, so instead they got Assyria's wings(v8). This use of "wings" refers to the image of being protected by the wings of a mother hen or winged cherub--an image of divinity in the Old Testament. This image of God as a bird was well known to Israel; e.g.., "How excellent is thy loving kindness, O God! therefore the children have put their trust under the shadow of thy wings " (Psalms 36:7). See also Ruth 2:12; Psalms 17:8, 57:1, 61:4, 63:7. This image appears first in Gen 1:2, where the Hebrew word "râchaph" appears. Its root is "brood" or "flutter." The KJV has it as "moved," others as "brooding" or "hovering." Jesus used this image when he said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, . . .how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!" (Luke 13:34).

7 Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them,
   The waters of the river, strong and many; even the king of Assyria,
   And all his glory; and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks.
8 And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, reaching even to the neck;
   And the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.
9 Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces;
   And give ear, all ye of far countries; Gird yourselves,
   And ye shall be broken in pieces;
   Gird yourselves,
   And ye shall be broken in pieces.
10 Take counsel together, and it shall come to naught;
   Speak the word, and it shall not stand; for God is with us.
11 For the LORD spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me,    That I should not walk in the way of this people; and also saying, Say ye not,    A conspiracy, to all to whom this people shall say, A conspiracy;    Neither fear ye there fear, nor be afraid. 13 Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself, and let him be your fear,    And let him be your dread, and he shall be for you a sanctuary forever;    But for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel;    And for a gin and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall,
   And be broken, and be snared,
   And be taken.

7. Like a flooding river, anciently Assyria came to destroy Israel; and in the last days. in a similar manner, Jesus (the King of Assyria, from 7:17) and his missionaries will come like a flood with the truth to convert/destroy them.
8. See note on previous page.
9. Being part of the type, broken in pieces means overcome or changed from their old set beliefs, and pride, and traditions.
11-12. This forecasts conspiracies against the Lord and his servant, which will probably involve much of the world. I can only guess it will be all those who might think the Lord's servant of Isaiah is the antichrist of the last days that they have invented. Many people have misconstrued verses about Satan, thinking they are about some antichrist. I am sure they are wrong.
13. "To fear the Lord" is to have reverence for him, to trust him.
14. The Lord is again represented by "rock" or "stone," who will be the one who "snares them" to the truth. (Cf. 1 Pet. 2:8, Isa. 57:14.)

16 Bind up the testimony,
   Seal the law among my disciples.
17 And I will wait upon the LORD of hosts,
   That hideth his face from the house of Jacob.
   I will look for the Lord and put my trust in him.
18 Behold, I, and the children whom the LORD hath given me,
   Are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts,
19 Which dwelleth in mount Zion; and when they say unto you,
   Seek unto them that have familiar spirits,
   And unto wizards that peep and mutter.
   Answer and say, Should not a people seek unto their God,
   For the living unto the dead, unto the law, and unto the testimony?
   If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
21 And they shall pass through the land hardly placed and hungry; and it shall come to pass,
   That when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves,
   And curse their king and their God, and look upward.
22 Then they shall look unto the earth,
   But behold trouble, and darkness,
   Dimness of anguish,
   And shall be driven to darkness.

16-17. Isaiah encourages them to get a testimony (Cf. D&C 88:84, 109:46.), obey the law, and wait, as a prospective bride would wait for the bridegroom according to Hebrew marriage customs. Wait for him that cometh, that hideth from them.
18. Isaiah and his followers are signs and portents to wicked Israel.
19-20. He goes on to say, when others recommend familiar spirits (ghosts), and wizard (witchcraft) to gain knowledge, they should not listen to them. That they, instead, have been taught to consult their God (through the prophets and prayer), and their dead (written testimonies, which would include their scriptures), the laws (as given by God), and unto each others testimonies--four ways to identify God's true church.
20(c). Compare 26:9 to see that the "dawning light" is the ordinances of God.
21-22. Anciently, they did not heed his words, but were hungry for bread (truth). They shall expect help from God, but will lose the important truths about him (go into darkness), looking for answers from the world.

ISAIAH 9

1 Nevertheless it shall not remain gloomy for those that have had vexation.
   When at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
   And afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea,
   From the land far beyond Jordan, the Galilee of the nations.
2 The people that walk in darkness have seen a great light,
   They that dwell in a land of the shadow of death.
   Upon them in gloom hath the light shined.
3 Thou hast multiplied the nation,
   And increased the joy;
   They rejoice at thy presence,
   According to the joy at harvest time,
   Or as men are joyful when they divide a spoil.
4 For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden,
   And the staff across his shoulders,
   The rod of his oppressor,
   As in the day of Midian.
5 For all the boots of battle,
   And the garments covered with blood,
   Shall become the fuel for a burning fire.
6 To us a child is born, unto us a son is given,
   And the government shall be put upon his shoulder;
   And his name shall be called, Wonderful, and Counselor,
   The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.
   Upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to bring order unto it,
   And to establish it with judgment and justice, from henceforth even for ever.
   The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
8 The Lord hath sent a word into Jacob,
   And it hath lighted upon Israel.

   Compare to 2 Nephi 19.
1. They will not remain lost. In the last days, Israel will be made glorious from other nations, even from the Gentiles in the tops of the mountains. See 2:1-3, 5:26-30.
2. Those who have been in the darkness (8:22), will have a great light come to them (knowledge). This speaks as if it has happened. This has a double meaning: first, reflects Israel's return to the truth; second, Satan's defeat by Christ.
3. "Thou [God], has made them to have joy," from this "great light," which is Christ.
4. For God has given them rest (peace) from their sins, through the Atonement.
5. The boots and garments covered with blood represent everyone's sins or battles with sin, which becomes a positive thing--one of learning--because of the atonement of Jesus Christ. (Cf. 1:12, trampling)
6-8. The Son of God, even Jesus Christ, shall be born to be their king upon the throne of David, forever.

9 And all the people shall know,
   Even Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
   That say in the pride and arrogance of their hearts,
10 The bricks are fallen, but we will build with hewn stones;
   The sycamores are cut down, but we will replace them with cedars.
11 Therefore the LORD shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him,
   And join his enemies together; Syrians before,
   And the Philistines behind;
   And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth.
   And for all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
13 For the people returneth not unto him that smiteth, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts.
14 Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail, branch and reed in one day.
15 The ancient, he is the head, and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.
16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err,
   And they that are led of them are destroyed.
17 Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men,
   Neither shall he have mercy on their fatherless and their widows;
   For everyone is an hypocrite and evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly.
   And for all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
18 For wickedness burneth as the fire; it shall devour the briers and thorns,
   And shall kindle in the thickets of the forest,
   And they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.
19 Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened,
   And the people shall be like the fuel of a fire;
   No man shall spare his brother.
20 And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry;
   And he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied;
   They shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm.
21 Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh;
   They together shall be against Judah.
   For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

10. They say, metaphorically, The great (bricks and trees of Israel) have fallen, which means that Israel has lost the truth. But they say we (without God) can restore them. In other words, we can restore the truth from the untruth, and without God's help.
12-17. These are still more indictments of wicked Israel, how her false prophets and teachers will be cut off. Because of their false teachings, all are in error. As usual, the indictment is accompanied by promises of returning to greatness, when they change their ways.
18. Their wickedness will destroy them, like a fire destroys briers and thorns
20. No matter where they look, the truth (bread) is not to be found. They shall have only their own folly (from v17)to "eat." Which is to say, they will eat not the "meat" of the Lord, only their own worthless knowledge (their arm, which is to say their strength, not the strength/arm of the Lord).

ISAIAH 10

1 Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees,
   And that write grievousness which they have prescribed,
2 To turn away the needy from judgment,
   To take the right from the poor,
   That widows may be their prey,
   And that they may rob the fatherless!
3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation,
   And in the desolation which shall soon come from afar?
   To whom will ye flee for help, and where will ye leave your glory?
4 Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain.
5 And for all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
   O Assyrian, rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is for mine indignation!
6 I will send him against an hypocritical nation, against the people of my wrath,
   And I will give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey,
   And to tread them down into the dust, like the mire of the streets.
7 Howbeit he meaneth not so, and neither doth his heart think so?
   But in his heart is to destroy, and cut off many nations.
8 He saith, Are not my princes altogether kings?
9 Is not Calno as Carchemish?
   Is not Hamath as Arpad?
   Is not Samaria as Damascus?
10 As my hand hath founded the kingdoms of the idols,
   And whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria,
11 Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and to her idols?
12 Wherefore it shall come to pass that when the Lord hath performed his whole work,
   Upon mount Zion, and upon Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart,
   Of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks;

   Compare to 2 Nephi 20.
1-2. Woe unto the leaders that pass unrighteous rulings that rob the widows and orphans.
3. Where will you leave your precious riches (ill gotten gains) for safe keeping?
4-11. The Lord makes it clear that wicked Israel is to brought down by Assyria. They will be humbled just as Judah was. 5b and 6a seem to be a synonymous parallelism and it is the Lord that has righteous anger(indignation), so it is corrected from "their" to "for mine."
8. Are not my "princes" (religious leaders) just the same as heathen kings?
9. They are two of a kind. Now there is no difference between Samaria--an Israelite town, and Damascus----a Syrian town. They are all idol worshipers.
11-12. Oh what a strong indictment of Israel. They are likened to the Samaritans, who they hated so much. He says that he will destroy them the same way. After using Assyria to punish Israel, the Lord will punish the King of Assyria for his pride.

13 For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done these things, for I am prudent;
   And I have moved their borders, and have robbed them of their treasures,
   And I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man.
14 And my hand hath found as a nest, their riches,
   And as one gathereth eggs that are left,
   Have I gathered all the earth;
   And there was none that moved a wing,
   And none that opened the mouth to utter a peep.
15 Shall the ax boast against him that heweth therewith?
   Or, shall the saw magnify itself over him that shaketh it?
   As if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up,
   Or as if the staff should lift itself up, as if it were not just wood.
16 Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts, shall send among his fat ones, leanness,
   And under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.
17 And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, his Holy One for a flame;
   And shall burn and shall devour his thorns and briers in one day;
18 And consume the glory of his forest, and his fruitful field,
   Both body and soul; they shall be sick and wasted away;
   And they shall be as when a standard-bearer faints.
19 The rest of the trees of his forest will be few,
   So few that a child may write them down.
20 It shall come to pass in that day,
   That the remnant of Israel,
   And the escaped of the house of Jacob,
   Shall no more again stay upon him that smote them;
   But shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
21 The remnant shall return, yea, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.
22 For though thy people, Israel, be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant shall return.
   The consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness;

13-14. These verses seem to apply to Satan as much as they do to the King of Assyria. The King of Assyria would then be a type for Satan. All of these verses seem to agree with this scenario. Anyway, the king of Assyria takes the credit, and boasts of his greatness. One translation has him saying that he could do it because he is a genius--sounds like Satan.
15. Satan/King of Assyria boasts, even when he has no more right to than an axe, a saw, or a staff that has been used for a tool. Assyria was a tool of God, as is Satan.
17. The light of Israel is Jesus Christ, and through the Atonement he shall burn up the forests of Satan, or in other words, defeat him.
18. So few will be left that a child could list them. This suggests that only the sons of perdition will be left to Satan. All others will be saved through the grace of Jesus Christ.
20. The remnant of Israel that had followed Satan will now stay/rely, on the Lord.
21-22. A remnant will return because of an overflowing of mercy from Jehovah.

23 For the Lord GOD of hosts shall make a consumption,
   Even determined, in the midst of all the land.
24 Therefore saith the Lord GOD of hosts,
   O my people that dwellest in Zion,
   Be not afraid of the Assyrian,
   Who shall smite with a rod,
   And lift up his staff,
   After the ways of Egypt.
25 For yet a very little while,
   And mine indignation shall cease,
   And mine anger go to their destruction.
26 The LORD of hosts shall stir up a whip for him,
   According to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb.
   And as his rod was upon the sea, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt.
27 And it shall come to pass in that day that his burdens shall be taken away,
   Taken from off thy shoulders, and his yoke taken from off thy neck;
   And the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.
28 He is come to Aiath, he is passed through Migron;
   At Michmash he hath laid up his carriages.
29 They are gone over the passageway,
   And taken lodging at Geba;
   Ramah is afraid;
   Gibeah of Saul is fled.
30 Lift up the voice, O daughter of Gallim;
   Cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth!
31 Madmenah is removed; the inhabitants of Gebim gather themeselves to flee.
32 As yet shall he remain at Nob that day; he shall shake his fist against the mount,
   Of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror;
   The high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.
34 And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron;
   And Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.

23-27. The Lord promises that the Assyrians (Satan and death) will be destroyed.
28-34. "He" is the Lord (V 23). The meanings of the names of the towns hide the message. The following approx. meanings come from Strong's Exhaustive concordance. (28) He (the Lord) has come to "ruin" (on the cross), he has passed through the "terror," being cast down (crucifixion). His memory of truth stores his "weapons" (strength), (29b)Lodging at the "house" (temple). (29c)The "seat of idolatry" is afraid. (29d)The "little hill" in comparison to the Lord's Mountain, making demands (Satan's efforts) has fled.(30) "Gallim" means springs of water (living waters). (30b)Hear it unto the "crushed by the Lion" (Satan)--O poor "testimony." (31a)"The dung hill" (Satan's world) has been removed out of the way. (31b)"Gebim" means waters of the well or cistern (32)"nod" means rivers (living waters).

ISAIAH 11

1 And there shall come forth a rod,
   Out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
   The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
   The spirit of counsel and might,
   The spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the LORD;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord;
   And he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes,
   Neither reprove after the hearing of his ears,
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor,
   And reprove with equity for the meek of the earth;
   And he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth,
   And with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins,
   And faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

Compare to 2 Nephi 21.
D&C 113:1- asks and tells us: "Who is the stem of Jesse spoken of in the first, ...and 5th verses of the 11th ISAIAH of Isaiah? Verily thus saith the Lord: It is Christ. What is the rod...? It is a servant in the hands of Christ, who is...of Jesse...[and]...Ephraim, or of the house of Joseph, on whom there is laid much power." This refers to the Lord's servant who prepares the way for the return of Christ in the latter-days.
1-5. All these describe the Lord's servant. The Angel Moroni told Joseph Smith in 1823 that these verses were about to be fulfilled (See JS.-H 2:40).
4. With his knowledge (the rod of his power/the breath of his lips) he shall slay the wicked, which means he will convert them with the truth; so they are no longer wicked.

6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
   And the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
   And the calf, and the young lion,
   And fatling, together;
   A little child shall lead them.
7 And the cow and the bear shall feed,
   Their young ones shall lie down together;
   And the lion shall also eat straw like the ox.
8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp,
   And the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
9 They shall not hurt, neither shall they destroy in all my holy mountain;
   For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
10 In that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people;
   To it shall the Gentiles seek; and his rest shall be glorious.
11 And it shall come to pass in that day,
   That the Lord shall set his hand the second time,
   To recover the remnant of his people which shall have been left,
   From Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam,
   And from Shinar; and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

6-9. This image of peace and safety indicates that the Lord's servant will prepare the world for Christ. The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. The Lord's servant will bring knowledge from the Lord, and about the Lord.
10. D&C 113:6 reads: "The root of Jesse is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days. To him the Gentiles shall gather." This could refer to the Prophet Joseph Smith, who restored the true Church to the Gentiles, and who's army of missionaries will come, bringing light and knowledge of God. It could also refer to the Lord's servant, which is likely because he is the supporting character of the Book of Isaiah, Jesus being the star. Even then, the servant's work grows out of what Joseph started.
11. This is clearly the promise of the gathering of Israel (the Jews), from the across the whose world to Zion, or in other words, to the true God. "His hand" is a pseudonym for the servant of the last days. He will be the man like unto Moses, that will finally lead the Jews out of captivity figuratively, like they were led out of Egypt literally.

12 And he shall raise up an ensign on high for the nations,
   And they shall assemble the outcasts of Israel,
   And gather together the dispersed of Judah,
   From the four corners of all the earth.
13 The envy of Ephraim shall depart,
   And the adversaries of Judah,
   Shall be cut off.
   Ephraim shall not envy Judah,
   And Judah shall not vex Ephraim;
14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders,
   Of the Philistines flank toward the west;
   And they shall spoil them of the east together.
   Together hey shall lay their hand on Edom and Moab,
   And all the children of Ammon shall be obedient unto them.
15 And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egypt sea,
   And with his mighty east wind shall he shake his hand over the river,
   And shall smite it in the seven streams, and make the men go over dry shod.
16 And there shall be an highway there for the remnant of his people,
   Which shall be left from Assyria, like as it was to Israel,
   In the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

1-12. There shall be an ensign, meaning The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to gather the remnant of his people----the dispersed of Judah.
1-16. Through the Lord, peace will come, and Judah and Ephraim will be united, to bring peace to all.
13. All of Israel's old enemies will be overcome. That is the image, but it means, they too, will see the light--will be overcome. Their old enemies will be converted, not destroyed.
15. Both the sea and the river represent Satan's realm, or Satan's strength, so this means he will be defeated. This could have a twofold application: first, it could refer to the Atonement, which defeated sin and death; and second, it could refer to the Millennium when Satan will be bound for 1000 years. Assyria is the river (See 8:7).
16. The "highway" is a high way of truth and knowledge of God, which includes the temple of the Lord, which is a place of learning; knowledge is the only way to escape from the wicked world (Assyria). The temple is analogous to the Red Sea, in that it is also an escape route. The temple is an escape route from the world and spiritual death, from the slavery of Satan.

ISAIAH 12

1 And in that day thou shalt say,
   O LORD, I will praise thee;
   Even though thou wast angry with me,
   Thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.
2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust in him and be not afraid;
   For the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation.
3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
4 In that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name,
   And declare all of his doings among the people;
   Make mention that his name is exalted.
5 Sing unto the LORD,
   For he hath done excellent things;
   Let this be made known in all the earth.
6 Sing out, and shout out, thou inhabitant of Zion;
   For great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.

   Compare to 2 Nephi 22.
1-6. Peace and joy will reign supreme because of the knowledge that they learn of the true God----that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that we might have eternal life (salvation). "For the LORD JEHOVAH ...has become my salvation" (v2), literally, for He is Jesus Christ.
3. Drawing water, of course, means learning truths that will lead to salvation, where the "wells" mean the scriptures.
4. This line says that he brought salvation (the point of these verses) "among the people." It means that he made salvation possible by being crucified "among them," and by them in the flesh. "His name is exalted" to such an extent that only through his name can salvation be achieved. Nephi explained it: "And now, my brethren, I have spoken plainly that ye cannot err. And as the Lord God liveth that brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and gave unto Moses power that he should heal the nations after they had been bitten by the poisonous serpents, if they would cast their eyes unto the serpent which he did raise up before them, and also gave him power that he should smite the rock and the water should come forth; yea, behold I say unto you, that as these things are true, and as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved (2 Nephi 25:20; Also see Acts 4:12).
5. Yea, sing out joyous acclamations for the Lord, who has single handedly defeated Satan, and death, for all of the children of God.

ISAIAH 13

1 The burden of Babylon,
   Which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.
2 Lift ye up a banner, even upon a high mountain;
   Call unto them with a raised voice and a wave of the hand,
   That they may go into the gates of the nobles.
3 I have commanded my sanctified ones,
   And I have also called out to my mighty ones,
   For mine anger is not upon them that rejoice in my highness.
4 Hark, the noise of a multitude in the mountains like as of a great people;
   A tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together;
   The LORD of hosts hath mustereth the hosts for the battle.
5 They come from a far country, from the end of heaven,
   Yea, the LORD and his weapons of indignation,
   To destroy the whole land.
6 Howl ye, for the day of the LORD is at hand;
   It shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands become faint,
   And every man's heart shall melt.

   Compare to 2 Nephi 23
   ISAIAH thirteen appears to be a decree of death and destruction for Babylon, either Babylon in a literal sense, or to symbolic Babylon in a figurative sense. The 9th and 12th verses reveal yet another meaning; that the destruction of sinners will make them more precious than gold. Sweeping them off the earth by death would never do that, not in this world, or the next. Only their return to God would do that, or, in other words, their conversion to the truth.
2. His "banner" or ensign, or Church, will call and beckon them to enter into the "gate." The Lord's princes are his leaders, or rulers. (See 3:4.)
3. The Lord's sanctified ones are his missionaries.
4. He gathers them from many nations to do battle against Israel (the Jews). To bring "a destruction to the earth" is to defeat Satan, because the earth, for a little longer, is his. The Lord's weapons of wrath are the truths of the gospel.

8 And they shall be afraid;
   Pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them,
   They shall be amazed one at another, their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel, both with wrath and fierce anger,
   To lay the land desolate, and he shall destroy all the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give forth their light;
   The sun shall be dark in rising, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for evil, and the wicked for their iniquity;
   I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease from before me,
   And I will also lay down the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man even more precious than fine gold,
   Even a man more than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;
   The earth shall remove out of her place,
   From the wrath of the LORD of hosts,
   In that day of his fierce anger.
14 And it shall be as the chased roe,
   And as a sheep that no man taketh up.
   And they shall every man turn to his own people,
   And flee every one into his own land.

6-8. The truth that the missionaries shall bring to them, will cause them great "pain and sorrows." It will reveal how far from the Lord Israel has gone. "Amazed," and with faces of flames refers to the great surprise that will be on their faces when they learn the truth.
9. The day of the Lord will (destroy) the sinners by conversion. The earth will be desolate of sinners. All will see the light.
10. The image is one of comparison. Relative to the great light of understanding that will come forth, other light sources will seem dark. It is expressed in an extreme hyperbolic statement to make a strong point. The sun, the moon, and the stars will have no glory in comparison to Jesus Christ. (Cf. Matt. 24:29, Mark 13:24, Duet. 4:19, and Duet. 17:3.) This could also have a literal fulfillment.
11. The proud will be humbled to remove the world/Satan out of its place. His wrath will be against the wicked, to change them. Lay down, or lay as the KJV has it, could be a play on words reflecting that we lay down in the water to be baptized. The proud are humbled before baptism.
12. As a result of baptism, man will be made precious in the eyes of God.
13. These verses are in agreement with others that prophecy of great earthquakes prior to the return of Christ and the beginning of the Millennium. See Rev. 6:12; 11:13; Isa. 29:6; D&C 87:6; and 2 Nephi 27:2.
14. The world and its ways will be as a lost sheep. The people will turn to do their genealogical work, for their ancestors.

15 Every one that is proud shall be thrust through,
   And every one joined to the wicked shall fall by the sword.
16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
   And their houses shall be spoiled and their wives shall be ravished.
17 Behold, I will stir up the armies of the Medes against them,
   Which shall not regard silver or gold, nor delight in it.
18 Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces,
   And shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb,
   Neither shall their eyes spare the children.
19 And Babylon, the glory of many kingdoms,
   The beauty of Chaldees' excellency,
   Shall be as when God overthrew,
   Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It shall never be inhabited,
   Neither dwelt in for generations,
   Neither shall Arabians pitch tent there;
   Neither shall shepherds make their fold there.
21 But the wild beasts of the desert shall lie there;
   And their houses shall be full with doleful creatures;
   The owls shall dwell there, and the satyrs shall dance there.
22 The wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses,
   And the dragons in their pleasant palaces, and her time is near to come,
   And her wicked day shall not be prolonged; for I will destroy her speedily;
   Yea, for I will be merciful unto my people, but the wicked shall perish.

15-16. In their eyes the conversions (slaughter) will be terrible, by the sword of the Lord, which is his word. They shall be defenseless (have no argument), and none shall be missed in the conversion, not man, woman or child.
17. The Medians (outsiders) will care not for your riches (traditions). As for your gold (polluted knowledge), they will not take delight in it. (Cf. 1:22.)
18. Their strength shall spare none.
19. The image of one of destruction, but only for Babylon/world.
20-22. Only the Millennium could bring such a condition of peace for the righteous, when the world will cease to be the wicked world/Babylon, when Satan is defeated and bound.

ISAIAH 14

1 For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob,
   And will yet choose Israel,
   And set them in their own land;
   And the strangers shall be joined with them,
   And they also shall cleave unto the house of Jacob.
2 And the people shall take them and bring them to their place,
   Yea, from far unto the ends of the earth; and they shall return,
   To their lands of promise; and the house of Israel shall possess them,
   And the land of the Lord shall be for servants and handmaids;
   They shall take them captive, unto whom they were captives,
   And they shall rule over their oppressors.
3 And it shall come to pass in that day,
   That the LORD shall give thee rest from all thy sorrow,
   And from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve.
4 And thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon:
   How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!
5 The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked,
   The scepter of the tyrants who ruled.
6 He who smote the people in wrath,
   With a continual stroke;
   He that ruled the nations in anger,
   Is persecuted, and there was none that hindered.
7 The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet.
   They break forth into singing.

Compare to 2 Nephi 24.
1-2. Israel is to be gathered, along with the strangers (Gentiles or outsiders). All are to become part of spiritual Zion, or the pure in heart.
3-7. The King of Babylon is defeated. Because of the many parallels between Satan and the king, the King of Babylon becomes the type for Satan, the King of the World. All of these lines apply to both, but more importantly to Satan.

8 Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee,
   And also the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
   Since thou art laid down no hewer is come against us.
9 Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming;
   It stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth,
   It hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.
10 All they shall speak and say unto thee,
   Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?
11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy harp is not heard;
   The maggots are spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.
12 How art thou fallen, O Lucifer, son of the morning!
   How thou art now cut down to the very ground,
   Thou who once laid low the nations; for thou said in thine heart,
   I will ascend into heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
   I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the far side of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.
15 Yet, thou shall be brought down to hell, to the side of the pit.
16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee,
   And say, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble? That did shake the kingdoms?

8. The fir trees and cedar trees of Lebanon are clearly "the people," and, metaphorically, no one such as Satan, the "hewer" will be trying to destroy them anymore. A "feller" (KJT) of trees is a "hewer," where trees is used metaphorically for people." Cf. 33:9, 10:33, Matt 3:10, Alma 5:52, and DC 97:7.
9. The dead are to be raised up to meet Christ at his second coming. They are the "chief" or great ones; i.e., the ones worthy of the first resurrection. They are referred to a kings, meaning the kings and queens of God.
10. They will ask Satan, rhetorically, if he isn't now like they were, dead.
11. They answer their own question. Satan is to be no more.
12. This verse, still describing the end of the King of Babylon, metaphorically Satan, uses the name of Lucifer directly and is most likely in error and should be translated as "shining star" or "bright star" in a derogatory way such as, to make a show, to boast, or be flamboyant. The Hebrew also suggests "filthy lucre" as a meaning in the Comparative Index of Smith's Exhaustive Concordance, see also Smith's Hebrew Dictionary #1966 and #1984.
13. Satan dreamed of having his throne above the stars, even higher than the stars above God's throne, which really means he wanted to defeat God. To have his throne above the congregation, means above all those with God, or his father, and his father, and his father, and ......
14. He dreams of making himself a god over God and all of His predecessors.
15. Yes, Satan is the one who has caused all the trouble in the world.

17 And made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof,
   And opened not the house of his prisoners?
18 All the kings of the nations,
   Yea, all of them lie in glory, every one in his house.
19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch;
   And the remnant of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword,
   Shall go down to the stones of the pit as a carcass is trodden under feet.
20 But thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, nor your children,
   Because thou hast destroyed the land, and slain the people.
   The seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.
21 Prepare the slaughter for his children,
   For the iniquity of their fathers,
   That they do not rise, nor possess the land,
   Nor fill the face of the world with their cities.
22 For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts,
   And cut off from Babylon the name and remnant, and son and nephew, saith the LORD.
23 I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and with pools of water;
   And I will sweep it with a besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts.
24 The LORD of hosts hath sworn an oath, saying, Surely as I have thought,
   So shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand;

17. Unlike Jesus, who brings the repentant freedom from their sins, or who opened the doors to the house of prisoners, which means all of us, Satan did just the opposite. He made the world a wilderness by taking away truth and knowledge. In that way he destroyed cities, meaning men and women (cp Heb. 11:10).
18. The kings of the nations, or the righteous, go, each in their glory, each to his own house. They have been given that which they have earned. "In my fathers house are many mansions, I go there to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2).
19. But there will be no glory for Satan. He will lack the "covering" of the LORD, which is to say, his forgiveness; and so will be cast out into eternal damnation.
20. Satan, not having a body, will never have any place of glory.
21. Prepare a slaughter for Satan and his children, for they will never receive any glory.
22. The Lord will raise up to destroy Satan, and all those with him.
23. "Pools of water," again bring the image of floods, which again means truth and knowledge. A "besom" is a broom made out of sticks. Why would Isaiah choose that word? unless he is referring to the stick of Judah and the stick of Joseph mentioned in Ezekiel 37:16, and probably still other sticks yet to come (meaning the scriptures that contain truth and knowledge)----these sticks, or truth will sweep the "house" clean of wickedness.

25 That I will break the hold of the Assyrian in my land,
   And upon my mountains tread him under foot.
   Then shall his yoke depart from off them,
   And his burden depart from off their shoulders.
26 This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth;
   And this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.
27 For the LORD of hosts hath purposed it, and who shall disannul it?
   And his hand is stretched out still, and who shall turn it back?
28 In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden.
29 Rejoice not thou, nor so fully, all ye people of Philistia,
   Because the rod of him that has smote thee is broken.
   Out of the serpent's root shall come a cockatrice,
   And his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.
30 The firstborn of the poorest shall feed,
   And the needy shall lie down safely.
   And I will kill thee with famine,
   And he shall slay thy remnant.
31 Howl, O gate; cry, O city;
   Thou, whole Philistia, art dissolved!
   For there shall come from the north a smoke,
   And none shall be alone in his appointed times.
32 What then shall answer the messengers of the nations?
   That the LORD hath founded Zion,
   And the poor of his people shall trust in it.

25. Satan's hold on mankind will be broken by Jesus, with Assyrian being a type for Satan. Satan cannot stay of the "Lord's Mountain," which is a spiritual mountain of righteousness.
26. The whole purpose of the earth is for the children of God to learn to defeat Satan, to cast off Satan, represented by Assyria and Babylon, and to gain eternal life (salvation). (Cf. Isa. 6:3.) This is the Lord's purpose, and no one will turn him back.
28. But Israel is to suffer more, before their salvation. The fiery flying serpent might harken back to the serpent on Moses' staff, that could save if only one would look upon it.
29. Even though Satan will be defeated, which is the Lord's purpose for the whole earth, the world cannot relax. Satan will be there to lead men into sin.
30. The humble (poor) will have the truth (good feed), which will bring them to safety.
31. The wicked world will be dissolved (end), for smoke/mist represents the presence of the Lord, which will come from outside wicked Israel via the missionaries--two by two, not alone.
32. They will answer that they bring the Lord of Zion, to the humble.

ISAIAH 15

1 The burden of Moab.
   Because in a night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence;
   In a night Kir of Moab is laid waste and brought to silence.
2 He is gone up to Bajith and to Dibon,
   To the high places to weep;
   Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba;
   On all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off.
3 In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth.
   On the tops of their houses and in their streets,
   Everyone shall howl, weeping abundantly.
4 And Heshbon shall cry, and Elealeh;
   Their voice shall be heard even unto Jahaz.
   Therefore the armed soldiers of Moab shall cry out;
   Each man's life shall be grievous unto him.
5 My heart shall cry out for Moab.
   His fugitives flee to Zoar,
   Even as far as Eglath Shelishiyah.
   The climb to Luhith is given over to weeping;
   On the way to Horonaim, they lament for their destruction.

    As in ISAIAH 10, a deeper message is contained in the meanings of the towns (10:18-34.).
    The above verses are repeated with the meanings (Smiths Exhaustive Concordance) inserted.
1 The burden of the wicked.
   Because in a night (a "dark" night (of the crucifixion), or very suddenly)
   a guarded place of wickedness is laid waste, and brought to silence;
   In a night a walled place of wickedness is laid waste and brought to silence.
2 The wicked is gone up to home base and to a place of sorrow,
   To the high places to weep (where their idols are set up);
   The wicked shall howl over a Babylonian deity), over foul waters (false teachings).
   On their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off (like humiliated prisoners).
3 In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth.
   On the tops of their houses and in the streets,
   Everyone shall howl, weeping abundantly.
4 And the contriver shall cry, and God lifts them up;
   Their voice shall be heard even unto the threshing floor, which is the world.
   Therefore the armed soldiers of the wicked shall cry aloud;
   Each (every) man's life shall be grievous unto him (not one is clean, no not one).
5 My heart shall cry out for Moab.
   His fugitives flee to a condition of lowness,
   even as far as a three year old heifer (symbol of Christ, cp. red heifer meanings),
    The climb to glistening or cleanliness is given over to weeping (for Joy);
   On the way to the cave of the dragon (Satan), they lament for their destruction.

6 For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate, for the hay is withered away;
   And the grass faileth till there is no green thing left.
7 Therefore the abundance they have gotten,
   And that which they have laid up,
   Shall they carry away,
   To the brook of the willows;
8 For the cry is gone round about the borders of Moab,
   The howling thereof unto Eglaim, and the howling thereof unto Beerelim.
9 For the waters of Dibon shall be full of blood,
   Because I will bring even more upon Dibon:
   Lions upon him that escaped of Moab,
   And upon the remnant in the land.

6. For the clear waters shall be desolate (or gone), for the hay is withered away;
   And the grass faileth till there is no green thing left (desolation of truth).
7. Therefore the abundance they have gotten,
   That which they have laid up,
   Shall they carry away,
   To the brook of the willows;
   This is unclear. Some translate it as "brooks of the Arabian," or "valley of the Arabian."
   This would work, if the "abundance that they have gotten," or "laid up," from the world
   is useless, and worthy to be discarded into slow, polluted waters (where willows grow);
   where slow, polluted waters represent the polluted knowledge of the world/Egypt
   as opposed to "living waters."
8. For the cry is gone unto the borders of the wicked,
   The howling thereof unto dual reservoirs (of truth--to the Gods),
   and wailing unto a well of Gods.
9. For the waters of pining and sorrow shall be full of blood,
   Because I will bring even more upon the sorrowful (repenting):
   Lions upon him that escaped of wicked,
   And upon the remnant in the land.
   The lion is the symbol of Israel, so this would suggest that the righteous of Israel
   (spiritual Israel) will come upon the wicked to convert them to the truth.

ISAIAH 16

1 Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela to the wilderness,
   Unto the mount of the daughter of Zion.
2 For it shall be, that,
   Like a wandering bird cast out of the nest,
   So the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon.
3 Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of noonday;
   Hide the outcasts, and betray not him that is a fugitive.
4 Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab;
   Be thou a covert to them,
   From the face of the spoiler; for the extortioner is at an end,
   The spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land,
5 And then in mercy shall the throne be established in steadfast love,
   And he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David,
   Judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.
6 We have heard of the pride of Moab,
   Of his pride and haughtiness;
   For he is very proud;
   And of his wrath,
   But his lies shall not be so.

1. Sending tribute "lambs" is a play on words, referring to the lamb that was given as tribute for our sins, even Jesus Christ.
2. Just as "daughters of Zion" refers to the cities of Israel, "daughters of Moab" refers to the cities of Moab. Figuratively, they are the cities of the world and are completely lost. "At the fords of Arnon' represents the great stream of knowledge that is to come forth in the last days. The Arnon is a large river flowing into the east side of the Dead Sea.
3. This seems to be a pleading to the Lord, who hides his children in the shadow of his wings (Cf. Psa. 36:7, 17:8, 57:1, 61:4, 63:7; and Ruth 2:12. Help the wanderers while they are exiled/scattered in Moab (the world).
4. The outcasts are those that have sinned against the Lord and are in need of the Atonement; in other words, all mankind are the sojourners/wanderers on the earth. The Lord pleads that the world will be a refuge until Satan is defeated. When Satan is defeated, the Lord's throne will be established on the earth.
6. The pride of Moab represents the pride of the world, our world, which pride will be proven to be falsely based.

7 Therefore shall Moab howl for Moab,
   And every one else shall howl for Moab.
   And for the very foundations of Kirhareseth,
   Shall ye also mourn; surely, they too are stricken.
8 For the fields of Heshbon languish; and the vine of Sibmah.
   The lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof,
   That are come even unto Jazer, and they have even wandered through the desert.
   Her branches are stretched out abroad, and they are even gone over the sea.
9 Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer, the vine of Sibmah.
   I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh,
   For the shouting for thy summer fruits,
   and for thy harvest is fallen.
10 And gladness is taken away,
   And joy out of the plentiful field.
   And in the vineyards there shall be no singing,
   Neither shall there be shouting; the treaders tread out no wine in their presses.
   I have made their vintage shouting to come to an end.
11 Wherefore my bowels moan like an harp for Moab,
   And mine inward parts for Kirharesh.
12 And it shall come to pass,
   When it is seen,
   Moab is wearied of weeping,
   In shrines of the high mountain places,
   He shall come to his sanctuary to pray, but shall not prevail.
13 This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning Moab since that time,
14 But now the LORD hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of an hireling,
   The glory of Moab shall be contemned, with all that great multitude,
   And the remnant shall be very small and feeble.

7. Because the world will be defeated, the world will howl for the world. Everyone else will also cry, but for a better/different reason. All are stricken because of their sins.
8-9. The "vines of Sibmah," like all the other metaphorical "vines of the Lord," are stricken by the heathen, "even over the sea." Israel has succumbed to the world, and there is no more harvest of the righteous.
10. Metaphorically, the world is lost in sin, and all grieve.
11. The Lord grieves for the world, enough to die for it, suggesting the Atonement.
12. They have prayed to false gods.
13. This is the way the world has been since Adam.
14. Within the years of Jesus' ministry, everything will change for the world, and will be 3 tough years as seen by a hireling. The world will be seen for what it really is, vanity, all vanity, as Ecclesiastes would say. Almost all the children of God will be saved through the victory of Jesus, leaving a very small remnant.

ISAIAH 17

1 The burden of Damascus.
   Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
2 The cities of Aroer are forsaken, and they shall be for flocks,
   Which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.
3 The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim,
   And the kingdom from Damascus,
   And the remnant of Syria.
   They shall be as the glory of the children of Israel,
   Saith the LORD of hosts.
4 In that day it shall come to pass,
   The glory of Jacob shall be made to thin,
   And the fatness of his flesh shall be made to lean.
   It shall be as when a harvestman gathereth grain by the arm;
5 And it shall be as he that reapeth the ears in the valley of Rephaim.
6 Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as in the shaking of an olive tree,
   Two or three berries left in the top of the uppermost bough,
   Four or five in the outermost branches thereof,
   Saith the LORD God of Israel.
7 At that day shall a man look to his Maker,
   And his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel.

1-7. These verses like most of Isaiah have double meanings. First they apply to Israel's destruction of old, and secondly, it means the defeat of the world, or Satan. Like Babylon, Moab, Assyria and Egypt, Damascus also represents the wicked world.
2. In terms of worldly glory, these cities will be left desolate of wickedness, so desolate that flocks or the righteous can rest there and not be disturbed by Satan.
3. Their glory is to be the same as the glory of the true children of Israel.
4. But first, in that day the fatness (knowledge of God) of Jacob/Israel will "lean" to nearly nothing. Corn is incorrect, of course, because it came from America thousands of years later.
5. The Valley of Rephaim is a rich fertile valley north of Jerusalem; therefore, Israel, as we know it, shall be taken/harvested by the armful, quickly reduced to very little wicked.
6. Yet a small remnant will remain of Israel.
7. At the last day, as a result of the missionaries, all shall come to respect their Lord. To look to Him, to respect Him, is to come to know Him. This is what the Lord said their problem has been since ISAIAH one-they do not know their Master.

8 And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands,
   Neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images.
9 In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough,
   And as an uppermost branch which has been left.
   Because of the children of Israel,
   There shall be desolation.
10 Because thou forgot the God of thy salvation,
   And hast not been mindful of the Rock of thy strength,
   Therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants,
   And shalt set it with alien slips.
11 In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow,
   And in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish,
   But the harvest shall be a heap in a day of grief and of desperate sorrow.
12 Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas,
   And to the rushing of nations, that make rushing like the rushing of mighty waters.
13 The rushing Gentiles shall rush like the rushing of many waters,
   But God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off,
   And be chased as mountain chaff before the wind,
   And like a rolling thing before a whirlwind.
14 And behold at eveningtide trouble,
   And before morning he is not.
   This is the portion,
   Of them that spoil us,
   And the lot of them that rob us.

8. When they know their God, truly know Him, they will put away the things of this world, especially false gods made out of wood or stone or any worldly things.
9. These lines suggests that the children of Israel, the new converts, will help convert all of their old enemies, bringing their worldly glories to desolation also. See ISAIAH 19 to see where this holds true for Egypt.
10. This falls back in time to explain what Israel did wrong; i.e., they mixed with the Canaanites, which was forbidden. Israel has not been mindful of Jehovah, the "Rock." The 10th through 12th verses, recap Israel's past, from their planting among the Canaanites, to their final destruction and scattering by the Gentile nations.
13. This states that they are to be rebuked, and sent afar, before the power of the Lord----as obedient as dust before a wind.
14. Trouble came to The House of Israel, meaning to the Jews. They were brought to desolation as far as their spiritual condition was concerned. Israel has often been referred to as "he" or "him" (See Duet. 32:10-12). And in Israel's twilight there came great trouble, and "he" was no more. Israel's neighbors are to suffer the same fate. That is, brought down to a humbleness before God that will bring them to the truth.

ISAIAH 18

1 Woe, to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia;
2 That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters,
   Saying, Go swiftly messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled,
   To a people terrible from their beginning hitherto,
   Even a nation meted out and trodden down,
   Whose lands the rivers have spoiled.
3 All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye,
   When he lifts up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear it!
4 For so the LORD said unto me, now I will take my rest.
   And I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs,
   And like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest time;
5 For, afore the time of the harvest,
   When the blossom is gone,
   And the flower is ripening into a grape,
   He shall cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks,
   And take away and cut down all the spreading branches.
6 They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains,
   And to the beasts of the earth; and the fowls shall summer upon them,
   And all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them for a very long time.
7 In that time shall the tribute be brought unto the LORD of hosts,
   Of a people scattered and peeled,
   And from a people feared from their beginning hitherto;
   A nation measured out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled,
   To the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, to Mount Zion.

1. K&D tell us that this "Woe" is not one of anger, but one of compassion. It is used, then, as a declaration that we should feel woe for Israel, and the land of wings is called to respond. "Shadowing with wings" harks back to 5:16 and 7:18. Beyond the rivers of Cush or from a 'desert' where hoards of flying insects come, will come a similar hoard of buzzing--of bees/missionaries. This repeats the linking words used in other ISAIAHs (i.e.," the nation afar," "over the waters") that refer to the nations that will come to convert Israel.
2. This far nation sends its missionaries to Israel. Israel has been scattered and peeled, disobedient/terrible from their beginning. Israel has been spoiled by "rivers," a pseudonym for Assyria, Babylon, and Egypt. (Cf. 18:7.)
3. The "ensign" is the Lord's Church, with its message of truth.
4. This goes back to when God turned away from Israel for their backsliding.
5. This forecasts Israel's near future during Isaiah's time. That vine, Israel is to be severely pruned.
7. After they have been scattered among the world, they will return to the Lord, like gifts--pleasing gifts, because of their spiritual condition. They will become climbers (progressing upward) on Mount Zion.

ISAIAH 19

1 The burden of Egypt.
   Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt,
   And the idols of Egypt shall tremble before his presence.
   And the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
2 And I will set Egyptians against Egyptians,
   And they shall fight every one against his brother,
   And every one against his neighbor: city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.
3 And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof,
   And I will destroy the counsel thereof:
   And they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers,
   And them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.
4 But the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord;
   And a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts.
5 And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up;
6 And they shall turn the rivers away: the brooks of defense shall be emptied and dried up;
   The paper reeds and flags shall wither; the paper reeds by the brooks,
   By the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks,
   Shall wither, be driven away, and be no more.
8 The fishermen shall also mourn,
   And all that cast angle into the brooks shall lament;
   And they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.

1. This is the same image of the flood or the swarm of missionaries. It is the image of a cloud of insects or bees. Egypt is again used two ways. Egypt is also a symbol for the world and its wicked ways, and when the knowledge of the true God is really made known to the world, all of the world's ways, which are likened to idols, will be shaken or "moved" aside and made to look foolish.
2. During the conversion process, brother will convince brother, etc. Until everything is sorted out, there will be arguments, with a lot of falsehoods left to die.
3. The spirit of Egypt or spirit of pride and false beliefs will perish, as each one is converted away from their wizards, familiar spirits/ghosts and witchcraft, which will not respond when consulted.
4. The Lord will win out. He is cruel in the sense that he allows no other way. He is fierce in his determination to save all.
5-10. This uses the metaphor of water, representing knowledge, to describe how Egypt's waters (knowledge) shall fail----the lake, the riverbed, the canals, every kind of worldly knowledge will fail in Egypt.
8. Their "fishers of men" will fail.

9 Moreover they that work in fine flax, and them that weave nets shall be confounded.
10 And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish.
11 Surely, the princes of Zoan are fools; the wise counselors of Pharaoh are become brutish.
   How say ye unto Pharaoh, I am a son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?
12 Where are they? where are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now.
   And let them know what the LORD of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt.
13 The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived.
   They have also seduced Egypt, even that are the stay of the tribes thereof.
14 The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof,
   And they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof,
   As a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.
15 Neither shall there be any work for Egypt,
   Which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do.
16 In that day shall Egypt be like unto women; and it shall be afraid and fear,
   Because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it.
17 And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto all of the land of Egypt;
   Every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself,
   Because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts,
   Which he hath determined against it.
18 In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt,
   Speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts;
   And one of the five cities shall be called, The City of the destruction.
19 In that day there shall be an altar to the LORD, in the midst of the land of Egypt,
   And a monument at the border of the land thereof to the LORD.

9. Their falsehoods will be done away with in the face of the great truth of the Lord.
10. No other religion or philosophy will survive the flood of truth that is to come.
11. The Lord issues a challenge to any of their so called wise men to reveal what will happen, knowing that only the true Lord of hosts can foresee the future.
13.All the so-called wise have been deceived, even the stay/the most solid leaders.
14. In the case of the world, the perverse spirit is Satan.
15. There is nothing that anyone in the world can do to save themselves, other than respond to the Lord. There is no other way, than through Jesus Christ to be saved.
16. In the last days when the Lord reveals the truth about Jesus Christ, the "world" (Egypt) will finally fear/reverence him.
17. This line suggests that Israel will already by converted and will be instrumental in teaching and converting Egypt/world. In a broader sense, this is true already since the Jews, scattered everywhere, have changed and prepared the world for the truth. Their ten commandments, which are upheld by most everyone is an example of this ---honoring the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, is an especially good example of this.
18-19. Unknown meaning, the five cities of the world cannot be identified.

20 And they shall be there for a sign and for a witness,
   Unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt.
   And they shall cry unto the LORD,
   Because of their oppressors,
   And he shall send them a savior,
   And he shall deliver them.
21 The LORD shall be known to Egypt,
   And the Egyptians shall know the LORD,
   In that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation;
   Yea, they shall vow a vow unto the LORD and perform it.
22 And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite it and heal it;
   And they shall return even to the LORD,
   And he shall be entreated of them, and shall heal them.
23 In that day there shall be a highway from out of Egypt to Assyria,
   And the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria.
   And the Egyptians shall serve together with the Assyrians.
24 In that day shall Israel join with Egypt and Assyria,
   And be a blessing in the midst of the land;
25 And whom the LORD of hosts shall bless,
   Saying, Blessed be Egypt, my people,
   And Assyria the work of my hands,
   And Israel mine inheritance.

19-22. Egypt, meaning the world, will come to know and worship the only true God.
23. "Highway" or high way, means either God's way on a higher plane or a temple of God. Both lead us out of "Egypt" (the world).
25. Whether its Egypt, Assyria, or Israel, after their conversion they shall all come for blessings from the Lord of hosts, even Jesus Christ.

ISAIAH 20

1 In the year that Tartan, the commander in chief, came unto Ashdod,
   (When Sargon the king of Assyria sent him) and fought against Ashdod, and took it.)
2 At that time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying,
   Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins,
   And put off thy shoes from thy feet.
   And he did so,
   Walking naked and barefoot.
3 And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah,
   Who hath walked naked and barefoot for three years,
   For a sign and wonder upon Egypt, and also upon Ethiopia,
4 So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners,
   And the Ethiopians as captives, young and the old, naked and barefoot,
   Even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.
5 And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia,
   Their expectation, and of Egypt their boast.
6 And the inhabitant of this isle shall say in that day,
   Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help,
   To be delivered from the king of Assyria.
   And how shall we escape?

1-6. To look for help from Egypt is not the thing to do. Not for Israel then, or for us today, as Egypt represents the world.
2. From Keil-Delitzsch,"...a person was looked upon as stripped and naked if he had only taken off his upper garment. What Isaiah was directed to do, therefore, was simply opposed to common custom, and not to moral decency. He was to lay aside the dress of a mourner and preacher of repentance, and to have nothing on but his tunic; and in this, as well as barefooted, he was to show himself in public. This was the costume of a man who had been robbed and disgraced, or else of a beggar or prisoner of war." (K&D. pg. 372). Isaiah was, then, showing by his type how the world would be taken captive---in extreme humility.
3. In 8:7 the king of Assyria and his army were likened to a flood, which represents the flood of missionaries that will come, to lead Egypt and Ethiopia (the whole world) away in extreme humility----"naked and barefoot."
4. Following their conversion to the church, the converts will be ashamed of worldly things.
6. While they were of the world, they hoped to remain that way; but now that they know the truth they have new hope and expectations. They will not escape from the Lord. How will they escape from the world? The next ISAIAH returns to the theme of the flood of missionaries that will come like a whirlwind of the desert. The missionaries have the message of the plan of Salvation, which is the way to escape.

ISAIAH 21

1 The burden of the desert of the sea.
   As whirlwinds in the south sweep through,
   So it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.
2 A grievous vision is declared unto me;
   The treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth.
   Go up, O Elam; besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease.
3 Therefore are my loins filled with pain; pangs have taken hold upon me,
   As the pangs of a women that travaileth with child.
   I was bowed down at the hearing of it;
   I was dismayed at the seeing of it.
4 My heart panted, and fearfulness affrighted me,
   The night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me.
5 Prepare the table, watch in the watachtower, eat, drink,
   Arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield.
6 For thus hath the Lord said unto me,
   Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.
7 And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen,
   A chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels;
   And he harkened diligently with much heed.
8 And the lookout shouted; day after day, my Lord,
   I stand upon the watchtower, and I am at my post every night.
9 And, behold, there cometh chariots of men, with pairs of horsemen.
   And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen,
   And all the graven images of her gods,
   He hath broken unto the ground.

1-2. Like a whirlwind, it (the truth) comes from a desert (maybe Utah), from the terrible land, or land of the terrible. It is grievous because of its strength and effectiveness in spoiling their traditions. The truth is almost impossible to believe, but the evidence is irrefutable.
3. The "night of my pleasure" refers to Israel's time in exile when they were in spiritual darkness, blinded from seeing the true light. This "night," seen by them as pleasurable, so to speak, now is seen as a senseless waste and a reason to fear because they know they have been in error for over two thousand years.
5. Prepare the table for the metaphorical food and drink, which is about to come. "table" in Hebrew is even equal with tablet, or books.
7. They come, all sorts of them from every direction, by couples, side by side, spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with lessons that should be diligently heard.
9. The missionaries, spreading the Gospel, two by two, bring the downfall of Babylon (the wicked world), and all of its false beliefs.

10 O my threshing, the grain of my floor,
   That which I have heard from the LORD of hosts,
   The God of Israel; I declared unto you.
11 The burden of Dumah.
   He called to me out of Seir,
   Watchman, what is left of the night?
   Watchman, how much of the night remaineth?
12 The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night,
   If ye will inquire, inquire, and return; come.
13 The burden upon Arabia.
   In a forest in Arabia,
   Shall ye lodge,
   O ye caravans of Dedanim.
14 The inhabitants of the land of Tema,
   Brought water unto him that was thirsty;
   They prevented with their bread him that fled.
15 For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword,
   And from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.
16 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year,
   According to the year an hireling would count,
   And all the glory of Kedar shall fail.
17 And the remainder of its archers,
   The mighty warriors of the children of Kedar,
   Shall be diminished; for the LORD God of Israel hath spoken it.

10. "O my threshing" refers to grain or bread, which is a metaphor for truth and knowledge, which is of the Lord and has been declared unto you.
11. How much of the night is left? Their night of darkness will continue until they repent and come back to the truth. "Night" means their exile in darkness, which has been without "the Light," which is to say, without God.
12. This is a promise that the "night" is nearly over, i.e., the time of darkness or lack of knowledge.
13. From a "desert" of ignorance, you will lodge among the great trees, who have the truth, to a "forest" of knowledge.
14. From the land of the desert (Tema), comes "water" and "bread" to those who would flee, but are "prevented" from doing so after hearing the truth.
15. They fled in the sense of not wanting to listen or change their old ways, which they were sure were right because they came from their fathers, the children of Abraham.
16. Within a long year all the glory of the world will be brought down.

ISAIAH 22

1 The burden of the valley of vision.
   What aileth thee now,
   That thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?
   Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city?
2 Thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor did they die in battle.
3 All thy rulers are fled together, and they are captured without using a bow;
   All that could be found in thee are bound together, even those which have fled afar.
4 Therefore said I, Turn your attention away from me, though I may weep bitterly;
   Labor not to comfort me, over the spoiling of the daughter of my people.
5 For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity,
   By the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision,
   Breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains!
6 And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.
7 And it shall come to pass that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots,
   And the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.
8 And he discovered the covering of Judah,
   That thou didst look to the armor of the house of the forest.
9 Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many;
   And ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool.
10 And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem;
   And the houses have ye broken down,
   To fortify the wall.

1. "Valley of vision" is a general name for Jerusalem as a whole (K&D pg. 389), which many times means all of Judah. They run to their roofs, so to speak, indicating that they are alert and very aware of the "flood" of missionaries that besiege them.
2. They are exited and joyous to receive the truth, and the "slain" are not dead. In fact they are reborn. They are converted to the truth.
3. Thy rulers have fled to the "enemy" "together" to join them. From the great to the small, all are captured (converted) without force, and bound by covenant.
4. He may weep profusely for "my people" but it will be a happy weeping after receiving truth; and also a sad weeping for being in error for 2000 years, hence, the need not to comfort him.
5. Down will come the traditions, i.e., their walls. It is a day of confusion.
7. Their choice places will be filled with missionaries, in array (two by two--see 21:6,9) at the "strait" gate of righteousness. (Cf. Gen. 28:17, Ps. 118:19, Isa. 26:2, Isa. 28:6.)
8. The Lord will expose Judah, for her idols in the high places of the forests.
9. The "breaches" in their positions/beliefs are many. The "waters" in the lower pool are gathered together for baptisms.
10. They have broken down their beliefs, but have fortified their defenses with truth.

11 Ye made also a ditch between the two walls,
   For the water of the old pool,
   But ye have not looked unto the maker thereof,
   Neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.
12 And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call them to weeping,
   And to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth;
13 And behold, there is joy and gladness,
   Slaying oxen, and killing sheep,
   And eating flesh, and drinking wine;
   Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die.
14 And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts,
   Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die,
   Saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
15 Thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasury,
   Even unto Shebna, which is over the household, and say, What hast thou here?
   And whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulcher here,
   As he that heweth him out a sepulcher upon high,
   And that engraveth an habitation for himself in a rock?
17 Behold, the LORD will carry thee away as with a mighty captivity,
   And will surely cover thee.

11. They have not looked to the Lord to learn the truth---to clean waters. They work hard to sustain their polluted "waters."
12. They shall be brought down to humility.
13. In their humbleness they will hear and be converted, which will bring them joy. This joy will cause them to celebrate with feasting and drinking. Their conversion to the truth will cause them to have a broken heart and a contrite spirit to sacrifice to the Lord at their partaking of the sacrament---where eating the flesh means metaphorically eating the flesh of Jesus, and drinking wine means drinking the blood of Jesus, which means to accept and live his commandments. Their joy will be full when they are baptized---for tomorrow they shall die in the waters of baptism.
14. Their iniquity shall not be purged until they "die" in the waters of baptism.
15-16. Then, after baptism, they shall have a sepulcher in a rock, which means an eternal resting place "in the Rock," meaning: a place in/with Jesus Christ, the Rock.
17. We should all be captured by the Lord. The Lord will cover thee with a covering of eternal life, covering thy sins, as opposed to a covering of death mentioned in Isa. 25:7-8. A second meaning is that they will be covered by the waters of baptism. Also see 30:1, 61:10.