Isaiah prophesies the fall of proud Babylon and of Lucifer, the “son of the morning.” He sees a world that has broken the everlasting covenant, and a Lord who is “a refuge from the storm” and will “swallow up death in victory.” Then comes one of the clearest prophecies of the Restoration: a people that “speak out of the ground,” a sealed book the learned can't read, and “a marvellous work and a wonder.” The week ends with the desert blossoming like a rose.
Chapter
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Study guide
These chapters swing between judgment and great hope. These notes help you follow Isaiah's symbols and see the Restoration in Isaiah 29.
How to read this week
Read Babylon as more than a city. Babylon fell to Persia in 539 BC. It also stands for the proud, worldly order that will fall before Christ comes (D&C 1:16).
Read Isaiah 29 with 2 Nephi 27. Nephi quotes and expands Isaiah 29 as a prophecy of the Book of Mormon. Compare the two side by side.
Look for comfort amid judgment. Even the darkest chapters contain verses like 25:4, 26:3 and 30:21. Mark them.
Notice the cornerstone and the nail. Isaiah uses building images for Christ (22:23; 28:16): a sure place, a tried stone, a sure foundation.
End with chapter 35. It pictures the blossoming of the land and the return of the ransomed. Latter-day Saints have seen it in the gathering and in the Savior's healing.
Isaiah's prophecies this week
Chs. 13–14 — The fall of Babylon and of Lucifer
Ch. 22 — Jerusalem's false confidence
Chs. 24–27 — The world judged; death swallowed up
Ch. 28 — Line upon line; a cornerstone in Zion
Ch. 29 — A voice from the dust; a sealed book; a marvellous work
Ch. 30 — Quietness and confidence
Ch. 35 — The desert blossoms; the ransomed return
Images and ideas to recognize
Passage
Image
What it means
Isa 14:12
Lucifer, son of the morning
Pride that rebels against God and falls.
Isa 22:23
A nail in a sure place
Christ, who holds firm.
Isa 28:16
Precious cornerstone
Christ, the sure foundation.
Isa 29:4
A voice from the dust
The Book of Mormon, from the ground.
Isa 29:11
A sealed book
The Book of Mormon and the Anthon episode.
Isa 35:1
Desert blossoming as a rose
Restoration and renewal.
Restoration connections
2 Nephi 26–27 — Nephi's commentary on Isaiah 29.
Joseph Smith—History 1:19, 63–65 — The First Vision and the Anthon transcript.
D&C 4:1 — “A marvelous work is about to come forth.”
D&C 76:25–28 — Lucifer, “a son of the morning,” fell.
Questions for the week
How is pride the root of Lucifer's fall and Babylon's (14:12–15)?
When has the Lord been a “refuge from the storm” for you (25:4)?
What does Isaiah 29 add to your testimony of the Book of Mormon and the Restoration?
How have you heard a voice saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it” (30:21)?
What “desert” in your life has the Lord helped blossom (35:1)?
Conference talks & Church resources
Talks the Church's lesson points to this week, plus other Church resources that teach from these chapters.
Scholarly papers
Faithful scholarship from BYU and related publishers, tagged with the chapters each one discusses.
Podcasts & video
Come, Follow Me shows and episodes covering this week's reading.