TORAH
FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
NEVI'IM
PROPHETS
KETUVIM
WRITINGS

Chapter 2

Listen to this chapter in Hebrew:

1The word that Yeshayahu son of Amotz prophesied concerning Yehuda and Yerushalayim.

אהַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר חָזָה יְשַׁעְיָהוּ בֶּן־אָמוֹץ עַל־יְהוּדָה וִירוּשָׁלָ ִם׃

2In the days to come, The Mount of Hashem's House Shall stand firm above the mountains And tower above the hills; And all the nations Shall gaze on it with joy.

בוְהָיָה בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים נָכוֹן יִהְיֶה הַר בֵּית־יְהֹוָה בְּרֹאשׁ הֶהָרִים וְנִשָּׂא מִגְּבָעוֹת וְנָהֲרוּ אֵלָיו כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם׃

3And the many peoples shall go and say: “Come, Let us go up to the Mount of Hashem, To the House of the God of Yaakov; That He may instruct us in His ways, And that we may walk in His paths.” For instruction shall come forth from Tzion, The word of Hashem from Yerushalayim.

v'-ha-l'-KHU a-MEEM ra-BEEM v'-a-m'-RU l'-KHU v'-na-a-LEH el har a-do-NAI el BAYT e-lo-HAY ya-a-KOV v'-yo-RAY-nu mi-d'-ra-KHAV v'-nay-l'-KHAH b'-o-r'-kho-TAV KEE mi-tzi-YON tay-TZAY to-RAH ud-var a-do-NAI mee-ru-sha-LA-im

גוְהָלְכוּ עַמִּים רַבִּים וְאָמְרוּ לְכוּ וְנַעֲלֶה אֶל־הַר־יְהֹוָה אֶל־בֵּית אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב וְיֹרֵנוּ מִדְּרָכָיו וְנֵלְכָה בְּאֹרְחֹתָיו כִּי מִצִּיּוֹן תֵּצֵא תוֹרָה וּדְבַר־יְהֹוָה מִירוּשָׁלָ ִם׃

 2:3   And the many peoples shall go and say

Rabbi Joseph Rosen (1858-1936)

According to Rabbi Yosef Rosen, a great nineteenth-century Torah scholar, the job of awakening the will of Hashem to rebuild the Beit Hamikdash is not limited to the Jewish people. Rather, the third Temple will be built by all of mankind. And if the Beit Hamikdash is to be built through prayers and good deeds, as Jewish tradition teaches, it is the prayers and good deeds of all of humanity that will rouse Hashem to build it. Once built, it will be a house of God for all nations. People of all backgrounds will visit there in order to learn God’s Torah and walk in His ways. Our generation is blessed to see this promise being fulfilled, with millions of non-Jews realizing that “from Tzion shall come forth the Torah and the word of Hashem from Yerushalayim.”

4Thus He will judge among the nations And arbitrate for the many peoples, And they shall beat their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning hooks: Nation shall not take up Sword against nation; They shall never again know war.

דוְשָׁפַט בֵּין הַגּוֹיִם וְהוֹכִיחַ לְעַמִּים רַבִּים וְכִתְּתוּ חַרְבוֹתָם לְאִתִּים וַחֲנִיתוֹתֵיהֶם לְמַזְמֵרוֹת לֹא־יִשָּׂא גוֹי אֶל־גּוֹי חֶרֶב וְלֹא־יִלְמְדוּ עוֹד מִלְחָמָה׃

5O House of Yaakov! Come, let us walk By the light of Hashem.

הבֵּית יַעֲקֹב לְכוּ וְנֵלְכָה בְּאוֹר יְהֹוָה׃

6For you have forsaken [the ways of] your people, O House of Yaakov! For they are full [of practices] from the East, And of soothsaying like the Philistines; They abound in customs of the aliens.

וכִּי נָטַשְׁתָּה עַמְּךָ בֵּית יַעֲקֹב כִּי מָלְאוּ מִקֶּדֶם וְעֹנְנִים כַּפְּלִשְׁתִּים וּבְיַלְדֵי נָכְרִים יַשְׂפִּיקוּ׃

7Their land is full of silver and gold, There is no limit to their treasures; Their land is full of horses, There is no limit to their chariots.

זוַתִּמָּלֵא אַרְצוֹ כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב וְאֵין קֵצֶה לְאֹצְרֹתָיו וַתִּמָּלֵא אַרְצוֹ סוּסִים וְאֵין קֵצֶה לְמַרְכְּבֹתָיו׃

8And their land is full of idols; They bow down to the work of their hands, To what their own fingers have wrought.

חוַתִּמָּלֵא אַרְצוֹ אֱלִילִים לְמַעֲשֵׂה יָדָיו יִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לַאֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ אֶצְבְּעֹתָיו׃

9But man shall be humbled, And mortal brought low— Oh, do not forgive them!

טוַיִּשַּׁח אָדָם וַיִּשְׁפַּל־אִישׁ וְאַל־תִּשָּׂא לָהֶם׃

10Go deep into the rock, Bury yourselves in the ground, Before the terror of Hashem And His dread majesty!

יבּוֹא בַצּוּר וְהִטָּמֵן בֶּעָפָר מִפְּנֵי פַּחַד יְהֹוָה וּמֵהֲדַר גְּאֹנוֹ׃

11Man's haughty look shall be brought low, And the pride of mortals shall be humbled. None but Hashem shall be Exalted in that day.

יאעֵינֵי גַּבְהוּת אָדָם שָׁפֵל וְשַׁח רוּם אֲנָשִׁים וְנִשְׂגַּב יְהֹוָה לְבַדּוֹ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא׃

12For the lord of Hosts has ready a day Against all that is proud and arrogant, Against all that is lofty—so that it is brought low:

יבכִּי יוֹם לַיהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת עַל כָּל־גֵּאֶה וָרָם וְעַל כָּל־נִשָּׂא וְשָׁפֵל׃

13Against all the cedars of Lebanon, Tall and stately, And all the oaks of Bashan;

יגוְעַל כָּל־אַרְזֵי הַלְּבָנוֹן הָרָמִים וְהַנִּשָּׂאִים וְעַל כָּל־אַלּוֹנֵי הַבָּשָׁן׃

14Against all the high mountains And all the lofty hills;

ידוְעַל כָּל־הֶהָרִים הָרָמִים וְעַל כָּל־הַגְּבָעוֹת הַנִּשָּׂאוֹת׃

15Against every soaring tower And every mighty wall;

טווְעַל כָּל־מִגְדָּל גָּבֹהַ וְעַל כָּל־חוֹמָה בְצוּרָה׃

16Against all the ships of Tarshish And all the gallant barks.

טזוְעַל כָּל־אֳנִיּוֹת תַּרְשִׁישׁ וְעַל כָּל־שְׂכִיּוֹת הַחֶמְדָּה׃

17Then man's haughtiness shall be humbled And the pride of man brought low. None but Hashem shall be Exalted in that day.

יזוְשַׁח גַּבְהוּת הָאָדָם וְשָׁפֵל רוּם אֲנָשִׁים וְנִשְׂגַּב יְהֹוָה לְבַדּוֹ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא׃

18As for idols, they shall vanish completely.

יחוְהָאֱלִילִים כָּלִיל יַחֲלֹף׃

19And men shall enter caverns in the rock And hollows in the ground— Before the terror of Hashem And His dread majesty, When He comes forth to overawe the earth.

יטוּבָאוּ בִּמְעָרוֹת צֻרִים וּבִמְחִלּוֹת עָפָר מִפְּנֵי פַּחַד יְהֹוָה וּמֵהֲדַר גְּאוֹנוֹ בְּקוּמוֹ לַעֲרֹץ הָאָרֶץ׃

20On that day, men shall fling away, To the flying foxes and the bats, The idols of silver And the idols of gold Which they made for worshiping.

כבַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יַשְׁלִיךְ הָאָדָם אֵת אֱלִילֵי כַסְפּוֹ וְאֵת אֱלִילֵי זְהָבוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ־לוֹ לְהִשְׁתַּחֲוׂת לַחְפֹּר פֵּרוֹת וְלָעֲטַלֵּפִים׃

21And they shall enter the clefts in the rocks And the crevices in the cliffs, Before the terror of Hashem And His dread majesty, When He comes forth to overawe the earth.

כאלָבוֹא בְּנִקְרוֹת הַצֻּרִים וּבִסְעִפֵי הַסְּלָעִים מִפְּנֵי פַּחַד יְהֹוָה וּמֵהֲדַר גְּאוֹנוֹ בְּקוּמוֹ לַעֲרֹץ הָאָרֶץ׃

22Oh, cease to glorify man, Who has only a breath in his nostrils! For by what does he merit esteem?

כבחִדְלוּ לָכֶם מִן־הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר נְשָׁמָה בְּאַפּוֹ כִּי־בַמֶּה נֶחְשָׁב הוּא׃