pgs. 94 and 95...the Lord shall give thee rest, from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherin thou wast made to serve.

CHAPTER 23

Destruction of Babylon is a type of destruction at Second Coming—It shall be a day of wrath and vengeance—Babylon (the world) shall fall forever—Compare Isaiah 13. Between 559 and 545 B.C.

1 ^aThe burden of ^bBabylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.

2 Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, ^ashake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.

3 I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my ^amighty ones, for mine anger is not upon them that rejoice in my highness.

4 The noise of the multitude in the mountains like as of a great people, a tumultuous noise of the ^akingdoms of nations ^bgathered together, the Lord of Hosts mustereth the hosts of the battle.

5 They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, yea, the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.

6 Howl ye, for the ^aday of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.

7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, every man’s heart shall ^amelt;

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 ^adestroy the sinners thereof out of it.

10 For the ^astars of heaven and the ^bconstellations thereof shall not give their ^clight; the ^dsun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

11 And I will ^apunish the world for evil, and the ^bwicked for their iniquity; I will cause the arrogancy of the ^cproud to cease, and will lay down the haughtiness of the terrible.

12 I will make a ^aman more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.

13 Therefore, I will ^ashake the heavens, and the earth shall ^bremove 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; and they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own ^aland.

15 Every one that is proud shall be thrust through; yea, and every one that is ^ajoined to the wicked shall fall by the sword.

16 Their ^achildren also shall be ^bdashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled and their wives ravished.

17 Behold, I will stir up the ^aMedes against them, which shall not regard silver and gold, nor shall they delight in it.

18 Their bows shall also dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no ^apity on the fruit of the womb; their eyes shall not spare children.

19 And ^aBabylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew ^bSodom and Gomorrah.

20 It shall never be ^ainhabited, 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.

21 But ^awild 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.

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 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.

CHAPTER 24

Israel shall be gathered and shall enjoy millennial rest—Lucifer cast out of heaven for rebellion—Israel shall triumph over Babylon (the world)—Compare Isaiah 14. Between 559 and 545 B.C.

1 ^aFor the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet ^bchoose Israel, and set them in their own land; and the ^cstrangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to 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 ^alands of promise. And the house of Israel shall ^bpossess them, and the land of the Lord shall be for ^cservants and handmaids; and they shall take them captives unto whom they were captives; and they shall ^drule over their oppressors.

3 And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall give thee ^arest, from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve.

4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that thou shalt take up this proverb ^aagainst the king of ^bBabylon, and say: How hath the oppressor ceased, the golden city ceased!

5 The Lord hath broken the staff of the ^awicked, the scepters of the rulers.

6 ^aHe who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.

7 The whole earth is at ^arest, and is quiet; they break forth into ^bsinging.

8 Yea, the fir-trees rejoice at thee, and also the cedars of Lebanon, saying: Since thou art laid down no feller is come up against us.

9 ^aHell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming; it stirreth up the ^bdead 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; the noise of thy viols is not heard; the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.

12 ^aHow art thou fallen from heaven, O ^bLucifer, son of the morning! Art thou cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations!

13 For thou hast said in thy heart: ^aI 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;

All of chapter 23 is Isaiah explaining the destruction at Babylon as a type for destruction at the Second Coming. My mom sent me this video that I think is a little sobering but comforting in the end.

pgs. 92 and 93...for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation.

27 And it shall come to pass in that day that his ^aburden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the ^banointing.

28 ^aHe is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages.

29 They are gone over the ^apassage; they have taken up their lodging at ^bGeba; Ramath is afraid; ^cGibeah of Saul is fled.

30 Lift up the voice, O daughter of ^aGallim; cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor ^bAnathoth.

31 Madmenah is removed; the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee.

32 As yet shall he remain at ^aNob that day; he shall shake his hand 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; and the ^ahigh ones of stature shall be ^bhewn down; and the ^chaughty shall be humbled.

34 And he shall cut down the thickets of the forests with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.

CHAPTER 21

Stem of Jesse (Christ) shall judge in righteousness—The knowledge of God shall cover the earth in the Millennium—The Lord shall raise an ensign and gather Israel—Compare Isaiah 11. Between 559 and 545 B.C.

1 ^aAnd there shall ^bcome forth a rod out of the ^cstem of Jesse, and a ^dbranch shall grow out of his roots.

2 And the ^aSpirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of ^bwisdom and ^cunderstanding, 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 ^ajudge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears.

4 But with ^arighteousness shall he ^bjudge the poor, and reprove with equity for the ^cmeek of the earth; and he shall ^dsmite the earth with the ^erod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

5 And ^arighteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

6 The ^awolf 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; and 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 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’s den.

9 They shall ^anot hurt nor ^bdestroy in all my holy mountain, for the ^cearth shall be full of the ^dknowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

10 And in that day there shall be a ^aroot of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the ^bGentiles seek; and his ^crest shall be glorious.

11 And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set his hand again the ^asecond time to recover the remnant of his people which shall be left, from ^bAssyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from ^cShinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

12 And he shall set up an ^aensign for the nations, and shall assemble the ^boutcasts of Israel, and ^cgather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

13 The ^aenvy of Ephraim also shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not ^benvy ^cJudah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.

14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the ^aPhilistines towards the west; they shall spoil them of the east together; they shall lay their hand upon ^bEdom and ^cMoab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.

15 And the Lord shall utterly ^adestroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind he shall shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over ^bdry shod.

16 And there shall be a ^ahighway 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.

CHAPTER 22

In the millennial day all men shall praise the Lord—He shall dwell among them—Compare Isaiah 12. Between 559 and 545 B.C.

1 ^aAnd in that day thou shalt say: O Lord, I will praise thee; though thou wast angry with me thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedest me.

2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will ^atrust, and not be afraid; for the Lord ^bJehovah is my ^cstrength and my ^dsong; he also has become my salvation.

3 Therefore, with joy shall ye draw ^awater out of the wells of salvation.

4 And in that day shall ye say: ^aPraise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.

5 ^aSing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things; this is known in all the earth.

6 ^aCry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.

Ok, My thoughts on these pages are a little random but here goes...

1. In the last verses of chapter 20 Isaiah lists all of the cities that Assyria destroyed in the war. They are Aiath, Migron, Michmash, Geba, Ramath, Gibeah, Gallim, Laish, Anathoth, Madmenah and Gebim. (Wow, that's alot!) And then if verse 33 the Lord "lops the bough" of the Assyrians by sending a sudden plague which killed 185,000 of them in one night as they were camped outside Jerusalem (see 2 Kings 19:32-35.) I guess this is what He meant when He said they were only being used for His purposes.
   
2. Chapter 21 compares with Isaiah 11 which Moroni quoted to Joseph Smith and told him that it was about to be fulfilled. (see Joseph Smith History 1:40) That was well over 150 years ago so that's something to think about.
   
3. Verses 14 -16 of chapter 21 are Isaiah's description of the Middle East in the Last Days. The "highway" in verse 16 is said to be the path that the church will be for many to return to Him
4. Chapter 22 is so simple, poetic and beautiful and it really makes me look forward to the millenium!

pgs. 90 and 91...shall the ax boast itself against him that heweth therewith?

15 The ^aancient, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

16 For the ^aleaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are ^bled of them are destroyed.

17 Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have ^amercy on their fatherless and ^bwidows; for ^cevery one of them is a hypocrite and an ^devildoer, and every mouth speaketh ^efolly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his ^fhand is stretched out still.

18 For ^awickedness burneth as the fire; it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forests, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.

19 Through the wrath of the Lord of Hosts is the ^aland darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire; ^bno man shall spare his brother.

20 And he ^ashall snatch on the right hand and be hungry; and he shall ^beat on the left hand and they shall not be satisfied; they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm—

21 Manasseh, ^aEphraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh; they together shall be against ^bJudah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

CHAPTER 20

Destruction of Assyria is a type of destruction of wicked at the Second Coming—Few people shall be left after the Lord comes again—Remnant of Jacob shall return in that day—Compare Isaiah 10. Between 559 and 545 B.C.

1 ^aWo unto them that decree ^bunrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed;

2 To turn away the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the ^apoor of my people, that ^bwidows 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 come from far? 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. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

5 O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is ^atheir indignation.

6 I will send him ^aagainst a hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

7 Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but in his heart it is to destroy and cut off nations not a few.

8 For he saith: Are not my ^aprinces altogether kings?

9 Is not ^aCalno as ^bCarchemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as ^cDamascus?

10 As ^amy 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 ^aidols, 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 ^aAssyria, and the glory of his high looks.

13 For ^ahe saith: By the strength of ^bmy hand and by my wisdom I have done these things; for I am prudent; and I have moved the borders of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man;

14 And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people; and as one gathereth eggs that are left have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.

15 Shall the ^aax boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? As if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself as if it were no wood!

16 Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, 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 ^afire, and his Holy One for a flame, and shall burn and shall devour his thorns and his briers in one day;

18 And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body; and they shall be as when a standard-bearer fainteth.

19 And the ^arest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them.

20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the ^ahouse of Jacob, shall no more again ^bstay upon him that smote them, but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

21 The ^aremnant shall return, yea, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.

22 For though thy people ^aIsrael be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall ^breturn; the ^cconsumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.

23 For the Lord God of Hosts shall make a ^aconsumption, even determined in all the land.

24 Therefore, thus saith the Lord God of Hosts: O my people that dwellest in Zion, ^abe not afraid of the Assyrian; he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the ^bmanner of Egypt.

25 For yet a very little while, and the ^aindignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction.

26 And the Lord of Hosts shall ^astir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of ^bMidian at the rock of Oreb; and as his rod was upon the sea so shall he lift it up after the manner of ^cEgypt.


The writing on these pages continue Isaiah's record of the ancient history of Israel. They describe the war between Israel and Assyria and how Assyria will prevail but should not be proud because they are only fulfilling the Lord's purposes (see verse 15.) It is another testimony to me that the Lord's plan WILL be carried out and it should never be questioned.

pgs. 88 and 89...For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder.

CHAPTER 18

Christ shall be as a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense—Seek the Lord, not peeping wizards—Turn to the law and to the testimony for guidance—Compare Isaiah 8. Between 559 and 545 B.C.
1 Moreover, the word of the Lord said unto me: Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man’s pen, concerning Maher-shalal-hash-baz.
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 to 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 Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah’s son;
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, he shall reach 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, saying:
12 Say ye not, A confederacy, to all to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.
13 Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling, and for a crock of offense to both the houses of Israel, 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.
16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
17 And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for 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, which dwelleth in Mount Zion.
19 And when they shall say unto you: Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep and mutter—should not a people seek unto their God for the living to hear from the dead?
20 To the law and to the testimony; and if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
21 And they shall pass through it hardly bestead 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 And they shall look unto the earth and behold trouble, and darkness, dimness of anguish, and shall be driven to darkness.

CHAPTER 19

Isaiah speaks Messianically—The people in darkness to see a great Light—Unto us a child is born—He shall be the Prince of Peace and shall reign on David’s throne—Compare Isaiah 9. Between 559 and 545 B.C.
1 Nevertheless, the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali, and afterwards did more grievously afflict by the way of the Red Sea beyond Jordan in Galilee of the nations.
2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
3 Thou hast multiplied the nation, and increased the joy—they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor.
5 For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of government and peace bthere is no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this.
8 The Lord sent his word unto Jacob and it hath lighted upon Israel.
9 And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart:
10 The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones; the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.
11 Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together;
12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
13 For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of Hosts.
14 Therefore will the Lord cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush in one day.

Did you recognize the words from Handel's Messiah in Chapter 19 verse 6?  The words are so beautiful and poetic, it is no surprise that Handel chose to use them in his classic, well-loved work.  Here is a little summary from the Book of Mormon Institute Manual about this verse:

"The titles given to the Messiah in verse 6 signify his service to mankind. He is the wonder of the ages and a counselor in the ways of eternal life (see Jacob 4:10). He who was born in a lowly manger is Jehovah, the “Mighty God” (2 Nephi 19:6) of Israel come to earth. Those who have faith in Christ and covenant with the Lord in the waters of baptism become his children and he becomes their “Everlasting Father” (v. 6, see also Mosiah 5:7). When the Messiah was born, the angels sang “peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14) because the “Prince of Peace” (2 Nephi 19:6), even “the founder of peace” (Mosiah 15:18), had come to earth. His government and peace will last forever."

pgs. 86 and 87...Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.

CHAPTER 16

Isaiah sees the Lord—Isaiah’s sins are forgiven—He is called to prophesy—He prophesies of the rejection by the Jews of Christ’s teachings—A remnant shall return—Compare Isaiah 6. Between 559 and 545 B.C.
1 In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the seraphim; each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said: Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 Then said I: Wo is unto 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, the Lord of Hosts.
6 Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar;
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said: Lo, this has touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said: Here am I; send me.
9 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, and 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 the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without 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 they shall return, and shall be eaten, as a teil-tree, and as an oak whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves; so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.

CHAPTER 17

Ephraim and Syria wage war against Judah—Christ shall be born of a virgin—Compare Isaiah 7. Between 559 and 545 B.C.
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 could not prevail against it.
2 And it was told the house of David, saying: Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.
3 Then said the Lord unto Isaiah: Go forth now 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;
4 And say unto him: Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be faint-hearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of 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 Damascus, and the head of Damascus, Rezin; and within three score and five years shall Ephraim be broken that it be not a people.
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 heights 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 shall bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil and to 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, days that have not come from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah, 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 Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
19 And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes.
20 In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet; and it shall also consume the beard.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, a man shall nourish a young cow and two sheep;
22 And it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk they shall give he shall eat butter; for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the land.
23 And it shall come to pass in that day, every place shall be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, which shall be 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 all hills that shall be digged with the 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.

I learned a few things in my "Writings of Isaiah" class at BYU that explained some of the expressions in these pages.  Maybe you already know them but just in case you don't I'll describe them.  The first is that when a word is written three times it is the same as us saying good, better, and best.  So when Isaiah writes holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts in verse 3 of chapter 16 he is emphasizing that the Savior is not just holy or holier but holiest!

The second is that a reference to butter and honey is symbolic of comfortable living and prosperity.  In the days of Isaiah if you were able to eat butter and honey it meant that you had access to a healthy cow who produced milk and to bees that had access to the pollen of blooming flowers.  For this to be possible the land must not have been suffering from drought or severe weather.

A third insight was about Seraphim which are mentioned in verses 1 and 2 of chapter 16.  I like this quote that sums up what I remember:

“Seraphs are angels who reside in the presence of God, giving continual glory, honor, and adoration to him. . . .The fact that these holy beings were shown to him [Isaiah] as having wings was simply to symbolize their ‘power, to move, to act, etc.’ as was the case also in visions others had received. (D. & C. 77:4.)” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, pp. 702–3).

I know there are still a lot of  mysteries in these verses that I didn't even touch on but at least these are a few small insights.  

P.S. There's a trivial Hollywood connection to this chapter! Do you know which celebrity A-list couple just named their daughter Seraphina after these angels in Isaiah? 

If so leave it in a comment! : ) 

pgs. 84 and 85...Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil...

CHAPTER 14
Zion and her daughters shall be redeemed and cleansed in the millennial day—Compare Isaiah 4. Between 559 and 545 B.C.

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 take away our reproach.

2 In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious; the fruit of the earth excellent and comely to them that are escaped of Israel.

3 And it shall come to pass, they that are left in Zion and remain in Jerusalem shall be called holy, 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 of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning.

5 And the Lord will create upon every dwelling-place 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 defence.

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

CHAPTER 15
The Lord’s vineyard (Israel) shall become desolate and his people shall be scattered—Woes shall come upon them in their apostate and scattered state—The Lord shall lift an ensign and gather Israel—Compare Isaiah 5. Between 559 and 545 B.C.

1 And then 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 planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a wine-press therein; and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.

3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.

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; I will tell you what I will 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 rain no rain upon it.

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, and behold, oppression; for righteousness, but behold, a cry.

8 Wo unto them that join house to house, 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, of a truth many houses shall be desolate, and great and fair cities without inhabitant.

10 Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of a homer shall yield an ephah.

11 Wo 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, the tabret, and pipe, and wine are in their feasts; but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither 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 multitude 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.

15 And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man 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 after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat.

18 Wo unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope;

19 That say: Let him make speed, 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 Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

21 Wo unto the wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight!

22 Wo unto the mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink;

23 Who justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

24 Therefore, as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, their root shall be rottenness, and their blossoms 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.

25 Therefore, is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them; and the hills did tremble, and their carcasses were torn 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 to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth; and behold, they shall come with speed swiftly; none shall be weary nor stumble among them.

27 None shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken;

28 Whose arrows shall be sharp, and all their bows bent, and their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind, their roaring like a lion.

29 They shall roar like young lions; yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry away safe, and none shall deliver.

30 And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea; and if they look unto the land, behold, darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.

One of my favorite expressions in the scriptures is found in verse 25 when Isaiah tells us that "his anger is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still."

To me this means that even when He is angry with His children he is still willing to stretch out his hand. This reminds me of an experience I had yesterday skiing with my daughter. She likes to go on the little "cat trails" through the trees that are on the borders of the groomed runs. I told her that would be ok but not until our second day back skiing since yesterday was our first day of the season and we were getting back up to speed. She didn't listen and ended up going through a few of them. On our last run she ended up losing speed and couldn't quite get around one of the trees in the trail and so she ran into the tree face on. One ski was on one side of the tree and one on the other and she was "hugging" the tree, hurt and crying. Luckily she wasn't going very fast so she wasn't hurt very badly. Even though I was upset with her for disobeying me of course my first concern was for her safety. After I skied over to her and helped her get untangled I tried to explain to her that this is why I didn't want her to go on the trails in the first place.

I think this might be what the Lord feels sometimes with us. When we disobey him and choose not to keep the commandments although he may be angry with us for our disobedience it doesn't stop him from reaching out to help us. He will pick us up when we fall and then remind us that the commandments are there to help us from getting hurt in the first place.

pgs. 82 and 83...And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low; and the Lord alone shall be exalted...

13 Yea, and the day of the Lord shall 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 fenced wall;
16 And upon all the ships of the sea, and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.
17 And 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 he shall utterly abolish.
19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for the fear of the Lord shall come upon them 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 shall smite them, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for wherein is he to be accounted of?

CHAPTER 13
Judah and Jerusalem shall be punished for their disobedience—The Lord pleads for and judges his people—The daughters of Zion are cursed and tormented for their worldliness—Compare Isaiah 3. Between 559 and 545 B.C.
1 For behold, the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem, and from Judah, the stay and the staff, the whole staff 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 cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.
4 And I will give children unto them to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
5 And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor; the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honorable.
6 When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, and shall say: Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let not this ruin come under thy hand—
7 In that day shall he swear, saying: I will not be a healer; for in my house there is neither bread nor clothing; make me not a ruler of the people.
8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen, because their tongues and their doings have been against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his glory.
9 The show of their countenance doth witness against them, and doth declare their sin to be even as Sodom, and they cannot hide it. Wo unto their souls, for they have rewarded evil unto themselves!
10 Say unto the righteous that it is well with them; for they shall beat the fruit of their doings.
11 Wo unto the wicked, for they shall perish; for the reward of their hands shall be upon them!
12 And my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they who lead thee cause thee to err and destroy the way of thy paths.
13 The Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.
14 The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people and the princes thereof; for ye have eaten up the vineyard and the spoil of the poor in your houses.
15 What mean ye? Ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor, saith the Lord God of Hosts.
16 Moreover, the Lord saith: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched-forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet—
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 secret parts.
18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments, and cauls, and round tires 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, and the ear-rings;
21 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 hoods, and the veils.
24 And it shall come to pass, instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle, a rent; and instead of well set hair, baldness; and instead of a stomacher, a girding of sackcloth; 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 shall be desolate, and shall sit upon the ground.

I have to admit these verses seem like a lot of doom and gloom to me.  My husband and I were trying to decide if this is referring to the destruction that happened when Jerusalem fell to Babylon after Lehi's people escaped or if it still in the future.  I have to say that I hope it already occurred but my husband pointed out that Isaiah is known for "parallel teaching" which can refer to more than one time period.  So even if it did happen already that doesn't mean it won't happen again.  Which means all of us just need to stay close to the Spirit so we will be able to be safe if the wrath of the Lord finds it's way to the earth.

P.S.  Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!!

P.P.S.  I am blogging from my husbands laptop while on vacation for the next few days.  If things look different than usual or are posted later that's why.  Thanks for your patience!