Isaiah 22

1 A message about the Valley of Vision (Jerusalem). What's happening? Why has everyone gone up onto the rooftops?

This is the burden against the Valley of Vision: What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the rooftops,

2 There are shouts and commotion all over the city with people celebrating. Your dead weren't killed by the sword or in battle.

O city of commotion, O town of revelry? Your slain did not die by the sword, nor were they killed in battle.

3 All your leaders ran away together; they were captured without resistance. All your people trying to escape were captured together, even though they had run a long way away.

All your rulers have fled together, captured without a bow. All your fugitives were captured together, having fled to a distant place.

4 That's why I said, “Go away! Let me mourn in peace. Don't insist on comforting me as the daughter of my people is ruined.”

Therefore I said, “Turn away from me, let me weep bitterly! Do not try to console me over the destruction of the daughter of my people.”

5 For the Lord has a day of defeat, of panic and confusion in the Valley of Vision, a day of tearing down walls and crying for help to the mountains.

For the Lord GOD of Hosts has set a day of tumult and trampling and confusion in the Valley of Vision— of breaking down the walls and crying to the mountains.

6 The Elamites pick up their quivers full of arrows, and prepare their chariots and horsemen, while the people of Kir uncover their shields ready for battle.

Elam takes up a quiver, with chariots and horsemen, and Kir uncovers the shield.

7 Your most productive valleys are now full of enemy chariots; and their cavalry are at your gates!

Your choicest valleys are full of chariots, and horsemen are posted at the gates.

8 Judah's defenses have been stripped away and so at that time you went looking for weapons in the Palace of the Forest.

He has uncovered the defenses of Judah. On that day you looked to the weapons in the House of the Forest.

9 You examined the breaks in the walls of the City of David and found there were many. You had water collect in the lower pool.

You saw that there were many breaches in the walls of the City of David. You collected water from the lower pool.

10 Your reviewed the number of houses in the city and demolished some to provide stone to repair the walls.

You counted the houses of Jerusalem and tore them down to strengthen the wall.

11 You built a reservoir inside the walls for the waters from the old pool, but you did not respect its Maker or think about the One who planned it long ago.

You built a reservoir between the walls for the waters of the ancient pool, but you did not look to the One who made it, or consider Him who planned it long ago.

12 At that time the Lord, the Lord Almighty, was calling you to weep and mourn, to shave your heads and wear sackcloth.

On that day the Lord GOD of Hosts called for weeping and wailing, for shaven heads and the wearing of sackcloth.

13 Instead, you go on happily partying! You slaughter cattle and sheep so you can have your feasts, eating meat and drinking wine, saying, “Let's eat and drink, because we're going to die tomorrow!”

But look, there is joy and gladness, butchering of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

14 The Lord Almighty has made this clear to me: “I will not forgive this sin till your dying day, says the Lord, the Lord Almighty.”

The LORD of Hosts has revealed in my hearing: “Until your dying day, this sin of yours will never be atoned for,”

15 This is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, told me to do. “Go to Shebna, the palace manager, and give him this message:

This is what the Lord GOD of Hosts says: “Go, say to Shebna, the steward in charge of the palace:

16 ‘What are you doing here? Who do you think you are, cutting out a tomb for yourself high up on a hill, carving out for yourself a place to rest?

What are you doing here, and who authorized you to carve out a tomb for yourself here—to chisel your tomb in the height and cut your resting place in the rock?

17 Watch out, you “great man”! The Lord is about to grab you and violently toss you aside.

Look, O mighty man! The LORD is about to shake you violently. He will take hold of you,

18 He's going to roll you up into a ball, and throw you far away into a vast country. You will die there, and that's where the chariots you were so proud of will remain. You're a disgrace to your lord's royal family.

roll you into a ball, and sling you into a wide land. There you will die, and there your glorious chariots will remain—a disgrace to the house of your master.

19 I will push you out of office, I will strip you of your position.

I will remove you from office, and you will be ousted from your position.

20 After that I will call for my servant, Eliakim, son of Hilkiah.

On that day I will summon My servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah.

21 I will put your robe and place your sash around him, and I will give your authority to him. He will be a father to the people living in Jerusalem and Judah.

I will clothe him with your robe and tie your sash around him. I will put your authority in his hand, and he will be a father to the dwellers of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.

22 I will give him the key to the house of David. What he opens, nobody can shut; what he shuts, nobody can open.

I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.

23 I will drive him like a nail hammered securely into a wall. He will bring honor to his family.

I will drive him like a peg into a firm place, and he will be a throne of glory for the house of his father.

24 The heavy burden of his father's family will hang on him—all the descendants and the inlaws—all the little containers, bowls and all kinds of jars.

So they will hang on him the whole burden of his father’s house: the descendants and the offshoots—all the lesser vessels, from bowls to every kind of jar.

25 So the time will come, declares the Lord Almighty, when the nail will come out of the wall, even though it was hammered in securely. It will break off and fall down, and everything hanging on it will fall down too. The Lord has spoken.

In that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, the peg driven into a firm place will give way; it will be sheared off and fall, and the load upon it will be cut down.” Indeed, the LORD has spoken.