If you find the Isaiah chapters in 2 Nephi hard to understand, you’re not alone. Isaiah lived 2,700 years ago and used a lot of symbolic language. It would be surprising if his messages weren’t a little tricky for people in our century to comprehend.
Nephi, a prophet, was inspired by the Lord to include many of Isaiah’s words in his record. He said: “The words of Isaiah … are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy” (2 Nephi 25:4).
Does that mean that only prophets can understand Isaiah? No! Elsewhere in the scriptures, the Apostle John defines the spirit of prophecy as “the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 19:10).
So if you have a testimony of Heavenly Father’s plan and the Savior’s role as our Redeemer, the words of Isaiah can be … maybe not easy to understand, but easier. And the stronger your testimony gets, the more the Spirit can “enlighten [your] understanding” (Alma 32:28).
Remember Nephi’s reason for sharing Isaiah’s words: “That whoso of my people shall see these words may lift up their hearts and rejoice for all men” (2 Nephi 11:8).
Some of Isaiah’s prophecies sound pretty dire—especially for the unrighteous. But Nephi wasn’t trying to scare people. He wanted to encourage them. He wanted his descendants to know that God remembers His people and keeps His promises.
That is a good reason to rejoice!