Ever hear the one about 2 Nephi? No one gets through it!

Raise your hand if you love to read Isaiah! Okay, maybe we can say we like it when someone explains it to us. Anyone who knows multiple languages also knows that it is not possible to directly translate word for word from one language to another. In the case of Isaiah, that is almost painfully obvious.

Isaiah was a prophet who happened to be a poet. I liken his writing to Elder Neal A. Maxwell. Elder Maxwell is no longer with us, but anyone who remembers hearing him speak probably also felt he was a particular favorite. One could not be a casual listener of Elder Maxwell’s talks. He used beautiful words, lots of alliteration, and an intelligent way of speaking. His talks were the kind best listened to closely, taking what notes were possible, then going to the written talk later and poring over it, probably underlining, highlighting, and taking notes along the way. While his contemporaries were not able to do so, we have the writings of Isaiah and many tools and helps to make understanding his words easier.

I learned something this week about Isaiah. The Book of Mormon’s 2 Nephi 12-24 can be compared to Isaiah 2-14; however, the Isaiah chapters have far more footnotes. I plan in the next few weeks, and for the rest of my life, if necessary, to set those two books of scripture side by side and study them that way. The old joking adage “No one gets through 2 Nephi” is no longer going to apply. I do get through it, but most of the time it seems just like that, getting through it.

In our college gathering this week we discussed 2 Nephi 16. A quick read might make one think, “Oh, this is about heaven and the end days,” but it is really about Isaiah’s personal experience when he was called to be a prophet. He saw Jesus Christ in a vision, declared himself to be unworthy, and the response was forgiveness and the declaration that he was now clean. Then he was called, and he immediately accepted the call. Then he was warned about how hard his calling would be because no one would hear him. He would basically be serving the least rewarding mission ever. Of course, the fact that millions of us are now studying Isaiah’s words and recognizing the profound doctrines he taught means that he was far more successful than he experienced while in his mortal life.

I am very grateful to have this opportunity to study Isaiah. I am eager for the day when I will be able to look back and say, “Every time I read Isaiah, I truly understand why Nephi loved his writing so much and why he painstakingly stamped those words into the plates and why he exhorted us to feast upon them. I can hardly wait to study this again!”

Isn’t learning awesome?