Isaiah 18:3

Updated Bible Version

All you inhabitants of the world, and you dwellers on the earth, when an ensign is lifted up on the mountains, see; and when the trumpet is blown, hear.

Parallel Translations

Legacy Standard Bible
All you inhabitants of the world and dwellers on earth,As soon as a standard is raised on the mountains, you will see it,And as soon as the trumpet is blown, you will hear it.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
All you inhabitants of the world and dwellers on earth, As soon as a standard is raised on the mountains, you will see it, And as soon as the trumpet is blown, you will hear it.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
All the inhabitours of the worlde, and indwellers of the earth, loke vp whe he setteth vp a token in the mountaynes, and hearken when he bloweth with the trumpe.

Darby Translation
All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, when a banner is lifted up on the mountains, see ye, and when a trumpet is blown, hear ye!

New King James Version
All inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth: When he lifts up a banner on the mountains, you see it; And when he blows a trumpet, you hear it.

Literal Translation
All you inhabitants of the world and those living on the earth, as one lifts a banner on the peaks, you will see. And you will hear as the blowing of a ram's horn.

Easy-to-Read Version
Like a flag on a hill, everyone on earth will see what happens. Like a trumpet call, everyone in the country will hear it.

World English Bible
All you inhabitants of the world, and you dwellers on the earth, when an ensign is lifted up on the mountains, look; and when the trumpet is blown, listen.

King James Version (1611)
All yee inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see yee, when hee lifteth vp an ensigne on the mountaines; and when he bloweth a trumpet, heare yee.

King James Version
All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yee all ye yt syt in the compasse of the worlde, and dwell vpon the earth: when the token shalbe geuen vpo the mountaynes, then loke vp: and when the horne bloweth, then herken to,

THE MESSAGE
Everybody everywhere, all earth-dwellers: When you see a flag flying on the mountain, look! When you hear the trumpet blown, listen!

Amplified Bible
All you inhabitants of the world, you who dwell on the earth, When a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it! When a trumpet is blown, you will hear it!

American Standard Version
All ye inhabitants of the world, and ye dwellers on the earth, when an ensign is lifted up on the mountains, see ye; and when the trumpet is blown, hear ye.

Bible in Basic English
All you peoples of the world, and you who are living on the earth, when a flag is lifted up on the mountains, give attention; and when the horn is sounded, give ear.

Webster's Bible Translation
All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.

New English Translation
All you who live in the world, who reside on the earth, you will see a signal flag raised on the mountains; you will hear a trumpet being blown.

Contemporary English Version
Everyone on this earth, listen with care! A signal will be given on the mountains, and you will hear a trumpet.

Complete Jewish Bible
All you inhabitants of the world, you who live on the earth: when a banner is hoisted on the mountains, look! When the shofar is blown, listen!

Geneva Bible (1587)
Al ye the inhabitants of ye world and dwellers in the earth, shall see when he setteth vp a signe in the mountaines, and when he bloweth the trumpe, ye shall heare.

George Lamsa Translation
All you inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, you shall see when the ensign shall be lifted up upon the mountains; and when he blows a trumpet, you shall hear.

Hebrew Names Version
All you inhabitants of the world, and you dwellers on the eretz, when an ensign is lifted up on the mountains, look; and when the shofar is blown, listen.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
All ye inhabitants of the world, and ye dwellers on the earth, when an ensign is lifted up on the mountains, see ye; and when the horn is blown, hear ye.

New Living Translation
All you people of the world, everyone who lives on the earth— when I raise my battle flag on the mountain, look! When I blow the ram's horn, listen!

New Life Bible
All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, as soon as a flag is raised on the mountain, you will see it. As soon as the horn is sounded, you will hear it.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Now all the rivers of the land shall be inhabited as an inhabited country; their land shall be as when a signal is raised from a mountain; it shall be audible as the sound of a trumpet.

English Revised Version
All ye inhabitants of the world, and ye dwellers on the earth, when an ensign is lifted up on the mountains, see ye; and when the trumpet is blown, hear ye.

Berean Standard Bible
All you people of the world and dwellers of the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it; when a trumpet sounds, you will hear it.

New Revised Standard
All you inhabitants of the world, you who live on the earth, when a signal is raised on the mountains, look! When a trumpet is blown, listen!

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
All ye inhabitants of the world And ye, that dwell in the earth, - When there is lifted up an ensign on the mountains, Ye shall look, And when there is blown a horn, Ye shall hearken.

Douay-Rheims Bible
All ye inhabitants of the world, who dwell on the earth, when the sign shall be lifted up on the mountains, you shall see, and you shall hear the sound of the trumpet.

Lexham English Bible
All you inhabitants of the world and dwellers of the earth, when a signal is raised on the mountains, you must look, and when a trumpet is blown, you must listen!

English Standard Version
All you inhabitants of the world, you who dwell on the earth, when a signal is raised on the mountains, look! When a trumpet is blown, hear!

New American Standard Bible
All you who inhabit the world, and live on earth, As soon as a flag is raised on the mountains, you will see it, And as soon as the trumpet is blown, you will hear it.

New Century Version
All you people of the world, look! Everyone who lives in the world, look! You will see a banner raised on a mountain. You will hear a trumpet sound.

Good News Translation
Listen, everyone who lives on earth! Look for a signal flag to be raised on the mountaintops! Listen for the blowing of the bugle!

Christian Standard Bible®
All you inhabitants of the world and you who live on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, look! When a trumpet sounds, listen!

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Alle ye dwelleris of the world, that dwellen in the lond, schulen se whanne a signe schal be reisid in the hillis, and ye schulen here the cry of a trumpe.

Revised Standard Version
All you inhabitants of the world, you who dwell on the earth, when a signal is raised on the mountains, look! When a trumpet is blown, hear!

Young's Literal Translation
All ye inhabitants of the world, And ye dwellers of earth, At the lifting up of an ensign on hills ye look, And at the blowing of a trumpet ye hear.

Contextual Overview

¹ Ah, the land of the rustling of wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia; ² that sends ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of papyrus on the waters, [saying], Go, you swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth, to a people awesome from their beginning onward, a nation that metes out and treads down, whose land the rivers divide! ³ All you inhabitants of the world, and you dwellers on the earth, when an ensign is lifted up on the mountains, see; and when the trumpet is blown, hear. ⁴ For thus has Yahweh said to me, I will be still, and I will behold in my dwelling-place, like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. ⁵ For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the sprigs with pruning-hooks, and the spreading branches he will take away [and] cut down. ⁶ They shall be left together to the ravenous birds of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth; and the ravenous birds shall summer on them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter on them. ⁷ In that time shall a present be brought to Yahweh of hosts from a people tall and smooth, even from a people awesome from their beginning onward, a nation that metes out and treads down, whose land the rivers divide, to the place of the name of Yahweh of hosts, the mount Zion.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

All ye: Isaiah 1:2, Psalms 49:1, Psalms 49:2, Psalms 50:1, Jeremiah 22:29, Micah 6:2

see ye: Isaiah 5:26, Isaiah 7:18, Isaiah 13:2, Isaiah 13:4, Isaiah 26:11, Amos 3:6-8, Micah 6:9, Zechariah 9:14, Matthew 13:9, Matthew 13:16

Reciprocal: Numbers 2:2 - the ensign Numbers 10:9 - then ye shall Isaiah 11:12 - set up Isaiah 27:13 - the great Isaiah 31:9 - he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear Isaiah 33:13 - Hear Isaiah 34:1 - Come Isaiah 62:10 - go through Isaiah 66:19 - I will set Jeremiah 49:14 - an ambassador Jeremiah 51:27 - ye up Hosea 8:1 - the trumpet Obadiah 1:1 - and an Zechariah 6:8 - quieted 1 Corinthians 15:52 - last

Cross-References

Genesis 32:5
and I have oxen, and donkeys, [and] flocks, and male slaves, and female slaves: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth,.... All the men of the world are here called upon, either by the Lord, or rather by the prophet, to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation, and of the salvation of his own people; which should be so manifest, that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain; and the news of it should ring through the earth, and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown: unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation, addressing them in such terms, assuring them, that, however stupid and secure they were now, they should quickly see the sign and hear the alarm of war; it being usual to call any large kingdom the world, and the earth:

see ye, when be lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; or ye shall see this as clearly as when a flag is set up on a mountain; or ye shall be sensible of this judgment coming on, when a standard shall be set up on the mountains, to gather the people to war. Vitringa interprets this of the mountains of Judea, where the Assyrians would set up their banners, and blow their trumpets, as follows:

and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye; or, "ye shall hear"; the trumpet sounding as an alarm of war, by which the people will be summoned, and come to execute the judgment threatened. The Targum is,

"ye shall hear the redemption;''

that is, of Israel, in the times of the Messiah, and in the war of Gog and Magog; of which times Jarchi and Kimchi interpret this whole prophecy.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

All ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur. Grotius, however, and some others, suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians. The meaning is, that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world.

When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea. But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia, mustering their forces for war. ‘All nations behold when that people collects an army; sounds the trumpet for war; and arrays its military forces for battle. See then the judgments that God will inflict on them - their discomfiture Isaiah 18:4-7, and their turning to Yahweh, and sending an offering to him Isaiah 18:7.’ According to this interpretation, it will refer to the people making preparation for battle; and perhaps it may mean that they were preparing to join the enemies of Judea - “not improbably preparing to join the forces of Sennacherib, and to invade Judea.” For this purpose it may have been that the messengers were sent to negotiate the terms of alliance with Sennacherib; and the object of the prophecy is, to assure the Jews that this people, as well as Sennacherib, would be discomfited, and that they would yet bring an offering to God Isaiah 18:7.

Lifteth up an ensign - A military standard (see the note at Isaiah 5:26).

And when he bloweth a trumpet - Also a signal for an army to assemble (see the note at Isaiah 13:2).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 18:3. When he lifteth up an ensign - "When the standard is lifted up"] I take God to be the Agent in this verse; and that by the standard and the trumpet are meant the meteors, the thunder, the lightning, the storm, earthquake, and tempest, by which Sennacherib's army shall be destroyed, or by which at least the destruction of it shall be accompanied; as it is described in Isaiah 10:16-17; Isaiah 29:6, and Isaiah 30:30-31. See also Psalms 76:1-12, and the title of it, according to the Septuagint, Vulgate and AEthiopic. They are called, by a bold metaphor, the standard lifted up, and the trumpet sounded. The latter is used by Homer, I think with great force, in his introduction to the battle of the gods; though I find it has disgusted some of the minor critics: -

Βραχε δ' ευρεια χθων,

Αμφι δε σαλπιγζεν μεγας ουρανος.

Il. xxi. 388.

"Heaven in loud thunders bids the trumpet sound,

And wide beneath them groans the rending ground."

POPE.