ABSTRACT
Prophecy is a very important element within the Old Testament and can be found in a number of different contexts. A prophet was someone, male or female, who communicated God's message, sometimes through words alone, sometimes through dramatic actions. The task of prophets was to focus on what a relationship with God required of individuals and groups in terms of faith and worship, social issues, politics and family life. They warned of the need for repentance, they offered hope of forgiveness and they spoke of God's immediate and long-term plans for his people. Sometimes, as in cases of Moses, Elijah and Elisha, they performed miracles. The book of Isaiah is a collection of prophecies relating partly to the situation in Judah during the late eighth century BCE and partly to the exile in Babylon during the sixth and fifth centuries BCE. It contains a number of prophecies which speak both of God's judgement and of hope for forgiveness and restoration.
