Don’t Align Yourself with Man – Isaiah 2:22-4:6
2 (22) Stop looking to man, whose breath is in his nostrils, for how much does he count?
3 See now, the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, is about to take away from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support; the whole supply of bread and the whole supply of water. (2) He is about to remove the hero and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the soothsayer and the elder, (3) the captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor and the expert craftsman and the skillful enchanter. (4) I will make boys to be their officials; mere children will govern them. (5) The people will oppress each other—man against man, neighbor against neighbor. The youth will treat the elderly with disrespect and the ignoble will be disrespectful towards the honorable man. (6) When a man seizes his brother in his father’s house and says to him, You have a cloak, you be our ruler. Take charge of this heap of ruins! (7) that man will cry out, I will not be your healer! I have neither food nor clothing in my house. You will not make me the ruler of these people! (8) Such will be the case because Jerusalem will be ruined and Judah will fall; because their words and their deeds are in opposition to Jehovah, provoking the eyes of his glory.
(9) The look on their faces testifies against them; they display their sin like Sodom, they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought calamity upon themselves. (10) Tell the righteous that it will be well for them, they shall enjoy the fruit of their deeds. (11) But woe to the wicked! It will go badly for him, what his hands have done shall be done to him. (12) O my people! Youths are their oppressors and women rule over them. O my people, those who lead you cause you to go astray and they destroy the way in which you should go. (13) Jehovah stands up to contend, he rises to judge the peoples. (14) Jehovah will enter into judgment against the elders of his people and against their princes. It is you who have devoured the vineyard! The plunder you have taken from the poor is in your houses! (15) What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor into the ground? declares the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.
(16) Furthermore, Jehovah declares, Because the daughters of Zion are arrogant, and walk around with heads held high and seductive eyes, and go about with mincing steps as ornaments jingle from their ankles, (17) therefore the Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters of Zion with scabs and Jehovah will expose the private parts of their bodies. (18) On that day the Lord will take away all that makes them beautiful: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, (19) the earrings and bracelets and veils, (20) the headdresses and ankle chains and sashes, the perfume bottles and magic charms, (21) the signet rings and nose rings, (22) the fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses (23) and the mirrors, the linen garments and the tiaras and the shawls. (24) Instead of a sweet fragrance, there will be stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of a beautiful hairdo, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, branding. (25) Your men will fall by the sword, your warriors will be slain in battle. (26) The gates of Jerusalem will lament and mourn; and being left desolate, she shall sit on the ground.
4 In that day seven women will take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own food and provide our own clothing; only allow us to be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!
(2) On that day the Branch of Jehovah will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. (3) He who is left in Zion and he who remains in Jerusalem will be called holy—all those who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. (4) This will be when the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and has cleansed the bloodstains from Jerusalem by the Spirit of judgment and the Spirit of fire. (5) Then Jehovah will create over all of Mount Zion, and over those who assemble there, a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; for over everything the glory will be spread as a covering. (6) There will be a shelter to provide shade from the heat of the day, and to be a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.
Now proceed to the next section of this study, entitled, Exploring the Passage.
