Come, Let us Walk in Yahweh’s Light: Isa 1:21–2:5
"Come, let us walk in Yahweh's light": these words appear to echo those that introduce the concluding lines of another pericope in the book of Isaiah (1:2-20): "Come, let us settle the case" (1:18). In my view, "Come, let us walk in Yahweh's light" is the concluding admonition of a speech that originally consisted of Isa 1:21-26 and 2:2-5.
Questions of author, unit delimitation, and original historical context aside, 1:21-26 + 2:2-5 on the one hand and 1:21-26 + 27-31 on the other make for a bracing read. Neither sequence will be seem suitable to the reader who is looking for sweetness and light. Light emerges out of the darkness in both prophecies, and cannot be understood apart from it.
Isa 2:2-5 is one of the most famous passages in all of Jewish scripture. Bernard Duhm called it Isaiah’s “swan song,” his prophetic last will and testament. Isa 2:2-5 is sobering to read in light of the prophecies which precede it. Its grandeur is all the more palpable when read in light of Isa 1:21-26 and 1:27-31.
Go to Isa_1_21-31_Scansion.pdf
Isa_1_21-26_2_2-5_Scansion.pdf
Isa_1_21-31_A_new_translation.pdf
Isa_1_21-26_2_2-5_A_new_translation.pdf
Isa_1_21-31_Bilingual_edition.pdf
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