About this Bible Study........The King James Version of the Bible is written in a beautiful form of the English language. It can be hard for modern English readers to understand. In this study, you will find notes and summaries in brown just above the the verses from the Bible. We recommend that you read the notes and summaries first, and then read the verses in their KJV form.
Timeline of the Bible |
The Book of Isaiah
Many year after the Israelites left Egypt, they moved into the land of Canaan. Canaan was divided, and the families of each of Jacob's 12 sons were given land. Jacob was also called Israel, and the land became known as Israel. Later, the tribe of Judah separated from the other tribes. Then there were two separate areas: Judah and Israel. Judah had a king, and Israel had a king. The book of Isaiah includes the times when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were the kings of Judah.Isaiah was a prophet. God showed Isaiah things that would happen in the future. Isaiah saw these events in dreams. Then, he told the people in Judah about them. Isaiah told what would happen to Judah if the people did not obey God. He also told that there would be a Messiah or Savior coming in the future. The Messiah was Jesus Christ.
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History of Israel around Isaiah's time Assyria was getting bigger and was going to attack Israel and Syria. Israel and Syria joined together to fight Assyria. Israel and Syria wanted Judah to join with them. The king of Judah said no. Then Israel and Syria attacked Judah. They wanted to control Judah and then set up a new king who would help them fight Assyria.
The king of Judah, Ahaz, thought about asking Assyria to help them fight Israel and Syria. Isaiah said that Judah should not ask Assyria for help. They should trust God to protect Judah. But King Ahaz did not listen to Isaiah. He asked for Assyria's help to fight Israel. Assyria helped Judah, and then Assyria took control of Israel's capital, Samaria, and all of Israel. The Assyrians took away the people who lived in Israel. They took them back to Assyria. After Assyria defeated Israel, they were planning to take control of Judah. Judah was thinking about asking Egypt to help them. Isaiah said that Judah should not ask Egypt for help. They should trust God to protect them. Judah's King Hezekiah listened to Isaiah, and he did not ask Egypt for help. Later, though, he did ask Egypt for help. God helped Judah defeat Assyria. Later, King Hezekiah sinned. He showed some people from Babylon the valuable items that Judah had. Isaiah told Hezekiah that his descendants would be taken away to Babylon. King Hezekiah's son was Manesseh. He was a bad king. He encouraged the people in Judah to worship false gods and idols again. He was captured and taken to Babylon. Then he repented and started to follow God's laws. Later, the Babylonians attacked Judah. They took control and then carried all of the Jewish people back to Babylon.
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Isaiah tells about a future king.
Isaiah says that a new tree branch will grow
out of Jesse's descendants (David's father's children, grandchildren,
great grandchildren...). This means that a new king will come from King
David's family.
[1] And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a
Branch shall grow out of his roots:
The new king will have God's spirit on him. He
will be wise, understanding, a counselor (to help others live good
lives), and strong. He will have great knowledge, and He will obey and
respect God.
[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;
He will clearly understand God's ways. He will
be a fair judge. He will not judge by what he sees or hears. He will
judge poor people fairly. He will help the people who are weak. He will
punish bad people. He will speak words that kill wicked sinners.
[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.
He will wear clothes of righteousness and
goodness.
[5] And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness
the girdle of his reins.
When the new king comes, there will be peace.
Animals that are now enemies will not be enemies then. Wolves will live
with lambs. Leopards will sleep with baby goats. Calves and young lions
will be together. A little child will be the leader.
[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 the fatling
together; and a little child shall lead them.
Cows and bears will eat together. Baby
calves and baby bears will sleep together. Lions will eat straw like
oxen.
[7] And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down
together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
Little babies will play by the homes of
dangerous snakes, but they will not get bitten. Older children will put
their hand in the homes of dangerous animals, but nothing bad will
happen.
[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.
On God's holy mountain, no one will get hurt,
and nothing will be destroyed. The whole earth will know about God.
The earth will be full of knowledge like the seas are full of water.
[9] They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the
earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover
the sea.
When that day comes, one of Jesse's descendants
will be like a flag or a leader. People will follow Him. People who are
not Jewish will also follow Him. His resting place will be glorious.
[10] And 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.
On that day, God will bring back His people
that are left. They will come back from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros (an area
of Egypt), Cush (an area in southern Egypt), Elam (in the area now
called Iran), Shinar (possibly in the area now called Iraq), Hamath (in
Syria), and from the islands in the sea (places west of Israel).
[11] And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his
hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which
shall be 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.
The new king will be leader of all nations in
the world. He will gather all of the people from Israel and Judah
from all parts of the world.
[12] And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble
the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from
the four corners of the earth.
The people in Israel and Judah will not be
enemies.
They will not be separated any more.
[13] The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah
shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex
Ephraim.
They will work together to fight the
Philistines in the west, their enemies in the east, and the people in
the areas of Edom and Moab. The people who live in the area of
Ammon will obey them.
[14] But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the
west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their
hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.
God will destroy the Egyptian sea. He will use
strong wind then make the sea divide into 7 streams. Men will
walk on dry land.
[15] And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea;
and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and
shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod.
God brought the Israelites out of Egypt. He
will also bring the Israelites back from Assyria.
[16] And there shall be an highway 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.
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Drawing up water
from a well. Art from Rehydrate.org |
They can draw up salvation, like they draw
water up from a well in the ground.
[3] Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of
salvation.
On that day, they will say, "Praise the Lord!"
They will pray to God. They will tell other people all the things He has
done. They will make sure that His name is praised more than any other
name.
[4] And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name,
declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is
exalted.
They will sing to God because He has done very
good things. All the earth knows this.
[5] Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known
in all the earth.
The people in Israel will cry out and shout for
joy. God is with them, and He is great.
[6] Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy
One of Israel in the midst of thee.
Babylon was a city-state in the area named Mesopotamia. It
was in the country that we now call Iraq. A city-state means it
was a large city that was not part of any other country.
The Chaldeans were the people who
controlled Babylon. |
Map by MapMaster from Wikipedia.com |
Isaiah (his father was Amoz) saw a vision
about Babylon.
[1] The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.
Isaiah says they should lift up a flag on a
high mountain. They should yell loudly and shake their hands. They will
go through the gates of the leaders.
[2] Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto
them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.
God has given orders to His armies. He is angry
and has called His mighty and loyal armies.
[3] I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty
ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.
God is getting His army ready. He is putting
together an army made of different countries.
[4] 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 mustereth the host of the battle.
The armies will come from countries far away
and from the end of heaven. God is angry and He will destroy the
land.
[5] They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD,
and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
Shout, because God's day is almost here. God
will destroy many places.
[6] Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a
destruction from the Almighty.
The people will be afraid. Their hands will be weak. Their hearts will
melt. They will feel pain and sadness like a woman who is having a baby.
They will be in shock, and their faces will be hot.
[7] Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall
melt:
[8] And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them;
they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed
one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
God's day is coming. He is angry and will punish Babylon. He will
destroy their land. He will destroy the sinners.
[9] Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce
anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners
thereof out of it.
The stars will not shine. The sun and moon will
be dark.
[10] For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not
give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the
moon shall not cause her light to shine.
God will punish the world for the evil it has
done. He will
punish the wicked people. He will stop the people who brag about
themselves.
[11] And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for
their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease,
and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
There will only be a few people left. The
people who are left will be valuable. They will be valuable like gold. They
will be more valuable than the gold in the place named Ophir.
[12] I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the
golden wedge of Ophir.
God will be very angry. He will shake the
heavens. The earth will move out of its place. The people will run like
deer and sheep. They will try to escape to their home lands.
[13] Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out
of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his
fierce anger.
[14] And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man
taketh up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every
one into his own land.
When they are found, they will be killed with
swords. The people with them will be killed with swords, too. Their
children will be beaten against rocks in front of them. Their houses
will be robbed. Their wives will be raped.
[15] Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that
is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.
[16] Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.
The people called the Medes will fight against
them. They will not care about silver or gold. If someone offers them
money to stop fighting, they will not take it.
[17] Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not
regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.
They will use their bows to beat the young men
to death. They will not care about babies and children.
[18] Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall
have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare
children.
Babylon is beautiful, but God will destroy
Babylon like He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. No one will live in
Babylon again for many generations or ever. No Arabian people will
live in tents there. No shepherds will take care of their sheep there.
[19] And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees'
excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
[20] It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from
generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there;
neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.
Wild beasts will sleep in Babylon. Other
animals and owls will live there.
[21] But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses
shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and
satyrs shall dance there.
Wild animals will howl in the empty houses.
Other animals will be in the fancy palaces. Babylon's time is
coming near. Babylon's time will be short.
[22] And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate
houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to
come, and her days shall not be prolonged.
The king who controlled them has stopped. The big city of Babylon
has stopped.
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Sceptres are
items that kings hold when they sit on their thrones. From edupics.com |
God broke the staff and sceptres of the bad
kings. They did not treat their people well. They were angry and
punished their people. No one could stop them.
[5] The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the
rulers.
[6] He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that
ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.
Now the whole earth is resting and quiet.
The people in the earth sing.
[7] The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into
singing.
The fir trees and the cedar trees in Lebanon are happy now, too. The
trees say that now no man comes to cut them down.
[8] Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon,
saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.
Hell under the ground will meet the bad king
when he dies. The dead people will meet him, too. Bad kings who
died in the past will meet him. They will say that he is weak like them.
He is now like them.
[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?
The bad king's fancy ceremonies and music are
now in the grave. Worms are under him and over him.
[11] Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols:
the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.
He was like a morning star, but now he is
fallen from heaven. He is down on the ground. He made his country weak.
[12] How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how
art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
The bad king of Babylon once bragged that he
would be more important than God. He said he and his throne would go to
heaven and be higher than God's stars.
[13] For thou hast 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 sides of the north:
[14] I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the
most High.
Now he is down low in a pit of hell.
[15] Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Everyone who sees him will look closely.
They will ask if this is the man who made the earth shake. They
will ask if he was the one who destroyed cities and kept many people in
jail. They will say that the other kings who died were buried with
honor. They lie in their graves in glory. But the king of Babylon
is thrown out of his grave like an old tree branch. He is stabbed
with a sword and goes into a stone pit. Other dead people are thrown on
him.
[16] They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider
thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did
shake kingdoms;
[17] That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities
thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?
[18] All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every
one in his own house.
[19] But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and
as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword,
that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.
He will not be buried with the other kings
because he destroyed his land. He killed his people. His descendants
will not be famous. They should prepare to kill his children because of
his bad actions. His descendants should not get the land or build
cities.
[20] Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast
destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall
never be renowned.
[21] Prepare 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 cities.
God will be against any descendants of the king
of Babylon. He will cut off any male descendant that carries the king's name.
[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.
God will make Babylon a wet place for birds.
God will destroy it.
[23] I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of
water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD
of hosts.
God will break Assyria.
God has said that He will break Assyria. He will walk over Assyria
and smash it with His feet. He will make the Assyrians leave Israel. The
Assyrians will not control the Israelites.
[24] The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so
shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:
[25] That I will break 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.
This is God's will for Israel and Assyria. No
one can stop it from happening.
[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, and who shall disannul it? and
his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?
Isaiah discusses the Philistines after
the death of King Ahaz.
This is what Isaiah said in the year that
King Ahaz died.
[28] In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden.
The people in Palestina were the Phillistines.
After King Ahaz died, they thought they would have an easier time.
Isaiah tells them not to be happy. Even if the current king is dead,
there will be a new king.
[29] Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that
smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a
cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.
The Jews had a rough time when Ahaz was king,
but now they will eat and be safe. God will kill the rest of the
Philistines. They will have a famine and have no food to eat.
[30] And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie
down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay
thy remnant.
The Philistines will be gone. There will be a
large army to come from the north to destroy them.
[31] Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved:
for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in
his appointed times.
Other countries will know that God built Zion (Jerusalem). God's people
who suffer will be safe in Jerusalem.
[32] What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That the
LORD hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.