Isaiah 22

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

The burden of the Valley of Vision. What — to thee, now, that thou hast gone up, All of thee — to the roofs?

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

Full of stirs — a noisy city — an exulting city, Thy pierced are not pierced of the sword, Nor dead 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 thy rulers fled together from the bow, Bound have been all found of thee, They have been kept bound together, Afar off they have fled.

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, 'Look ye from me, I am bitter in my weeping, Haste not to comfort me, For 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 a day of noise, and of treading down, And of perplexity, [is] to the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, In the valley of vision, digging down a wall, And crying unto the mountain.

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.

And Elam hath borne a quiver, In a chariot of men — horsemen, And Kir hath exposed a shield.

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

And it cometh to pass, The choice of thy valleys have been full of chariots, And the horsemen place themselves diligently at the gate.

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

And one removeth the covering of Judah, And thou lookest in that day Unto the armour of 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.

And the breaches of the city of David ye have seen, For they have become many, And ye gather the waters of the lower pool,

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

And the houses of Jerusalem ye did number, And ye break down the houses to fence 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.

And a ditch ye made between the two walls, For the waters of the old pool, And ye have not looked unto its Maker, And its Framer of old ye have not seen.

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

And call doth the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, In that day, to weeping and to lamentation, And to baldness and to girding on 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!”

And lo, joy and gladness, slaying of oxen, And slaughtering of sheep, Eating of flesh, and drinking of wine, Eat and drink, for to-morrow 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.”

And revealed it hath been in mine ears, [By] Jehovah of Hosts: Not pardoned is this iniquity to you, Till ye die, said the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts.

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

Thus said the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts: 'Go, enter in unto this steward, Unto Shebna, who [is] over the house:

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 — to thee here? And who — to thee here? That thou hast hewn out to thee here — a sepulchre? Hewing on high his sepulchre, Graving in a rock a dwelling for himself.

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

Lo, Jehovah is casting thee up and down, A casting up and down, O mighty one,

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.

And thy coverer covering, wrapping round, Wrappeth thee round, O babbler, On a land broad of sides — there thou diest, And there the chariots of thine honour [Are] the shame of the house of thy lord.

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

And I have thrust thee from thy station, And from thine office he throweth thee down.

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

And it hath come to pass, in that day, That I have called to my servant, To 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.

And I have clothed him with thy coat, And with thy girdle I strengthen him, And thy garment I give into his hand, And he hath been for a father to the inhabitant 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.

And I have placed the key Of the house of David on his shoulder, And he hath opened, and none is shutting, And hath shut, and none is opening.

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

And I have fixed him a nail in a stedfast place, And he hath been for a throne of honour To 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.

And they have hanged on him All the honour of the house of his father, The offspring and the issue, All vessels of small quality, From vessels of basins to all vessels of flagons.

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 — an affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, Moved is the nail that is fixed In a stedfast place, Yea, it hath been cut down, and hath fallen, And cut off hath been the burden that [is] on it, For Jehovah hath spoken!'