Herald Português

The Bible · 5 chapters · 25 min

Isaiah: Swords into Plowshares

c. 740–701 BCJudah under Assyria

The story in brief

A Jerusalem prophet sees God in the Temple the year a king dies, and spends forty years telling kings what they don’t want to hear. Swords into plowshares, Immanuel, Assyria at the gates, a tunnel through rock, a king told to set his house in order, and a voice that cries comfort to exiles.

The chapters

  1. Chapter 1 · 5 min · Free

    Here I Am

    In the year a king dies, a man sees God in the Temple, and volunteers before he hears the job.

    Sources: Isaiah 1:1; 6; 2 Kings 15:1–7, 32–38; 2 Chronicles 26

  2. Chapter 2 · 5 min · Free

    Swords into Plowshares

    A prophet dreams of a world without war, while two armies march on his city.

    Sources: Isaiah 1:18; 2:2–4; 5:1–7; 7:1–17; 11:6–9; Micah 4:3; 2 Kings 16–17

  3. Chapter 3 · 5 min

    The Assyrian Came Down

    The greatest army on earth surrounds Jerusalem. Inside, two teams are digging toward each other through the rock.

    Sources: 2 Kings 18–19; Isaiah 22:9–11; 36–37; 2 Chronicles 32:1–5, 30; Sennacherib’s prism; Herodotus 2.141

  4. Chapter 4 · 5 min

    Set Your House in Order

    A dying king is given fifteen more years, then shows his treasure to the wrong visitors.

    Sources: 2 Kings 20; Isaiah 14:4–15; 38–39

  5. Chapter 5 · 5 min

    Comfort My People

    Exiles weep by Babylon’s rivers. A voice in Isaiah’s name says: comfort.

    Sources: Isaiah 40; 44:28–45:7; 48:22; 52:7–53:12; 65:5; Ezra 1:1–4; Acts 8:32–35

Who’s who

The people you meet. Each one is a hero card you can collect.

  • SeraphBurning One · Six-Winged · Bearer of the Coal
  • AhazKing of Judah · Vassal of Assyria
  • SennacheribKing of Assyria · Conqueror of Lachish
  • HezekiahKing of Judah · Reformer · Tunnel Builder
  • Cyrus the GreatKing of Persia · Liberator of Exiles · “His Anointed”
  • IsaiahProphet · Poet · Counselor of Kings

What you’ll be able to tell

This story belongs to the journey “Exile & Empire”. By the end of it, you can tell what the writing on the wall said, and where “swords into plowshares” comes from.

Stories in this journey

  1. Jonah: The Runaway Prophet
  2. Isaiah: Swords into Plowshares
  3. Daniel: In the Lions’ Den
  4. Esther: For Such a Time as This

Sources

  • Isaiah 1–2, 5–7, 11, 14, 22, 36–40, 44–45, 48, 52–53, 65
  • 2 Kings 15–20

Bible quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain.

The Bible: every story