Isaiah 22

1 The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee nowe that thou art wholy gone vp vnto the house toppes?

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

2 Thou that art full of noise, a citie full of brute, a ioyous citie: thy slaine men shall not bee slaine with sworde, nor die in battell.

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

3 All thy princes shall flee together from the bowe: they shalbe bound: all that shall be found in thee, shall be bound together, which haue fled from farre.

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.

4 Therefore said I, Turne away from me: I wil weepe bitterly: labour not to comfort mee for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

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.”

5 For it is a day of trouble, and of ruine, and of perplexitie by the Lord God of hostes in the valley of vision, breaking downe the citie: and a crying vnto the mountaines.

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.

6 And Elam bare the quiuer in a mans charet with horsemen, and Kir vncouered the shield.

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.

7 And thy chiefe valleis were full of charets, and the horsemen set themselues in aray against the gate.

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

8 And hee discouered the couering of Iudah: and thou didest looke in that day to the armour of the house of the forest.

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

9 And ye haue seene the breaches of the citie of Dauid: for they were many, and ye gathered the waters of the lower poole.

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.

10 And yee nombred the houses of Ierusalem, and the houses haue yee broken downe to fortifie the wall,

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

11 And haue also made a ditche betweene the two walles, for the waters of the olde poole, and haue not looked vnto the maker thereof, neither had respect vnto him that formed it of olde.

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.

12 And in that day did the Lord God of hosts call vnto weeping and mourning, and to baldnes and girding with sackecloth.

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

13 And beholde, ioy and gladnes, slaying oxen and killing sheepe, eating flesh, and drinking wine, eating and drinking: for to morowe we shall die.

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!”

14 And it was declared in ye eares of the Lord of hostes. Surely this iniquitie shall not be purged from you, til ye die, saith the Lord God of hostes.

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.”

15 Thus sayeth the Lord God of hostes, Goe, get thee to that treasurer, to Shebna, the steward of the house, and say,

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

16 What haste thou to doe here? and whome hast thou here? that thou shouldest here hewe thee out a sepulchre, as he that heweth out his sepulchre in an hie place, or that graueth an habitation for him selfe in a rocke?

‘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?

17 Beholde, the Lord wil carie thee away with a great captiuitie, and will surely couer thee.

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

18 He wil surely rolle and turne thee like a bal in a large countrey: there shalt thou die, and there the charets of thy glory shalbe the shame of thy lordes house.

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.

19 And I wil driue thee from thy station, and out of thy dwelling will he destroy thee.

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

20 And in that day will I call my seruant Eliakim the sonne of Hilkiah,

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

21 And with thy garments will I clothe him, and with thy girdle will I strengthen him: thy power also will I commit into his hande, and hee shalbe a father of the inhabitats of Ierusalem, and of the house of Iudah.

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.

22 And the key of the house of Dauid will I lay vpon his shoulder: so hee shall open, and no man shall shut: and he shall shut, and no man shall open.

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

23 And I will fasten him as a naile in a sure place, and hee shall be for the throne of glorie to his fathers house.

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

24 And they shall hang vpon him all the glorie of his fathers house, euen of the nephewes and posteritie all small vessels, from the vessels of the cuppes, euen to all the instruments of musike.

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.

25 In that day, sayeth the Lord of hostes, shall the naile, that is fastned in the sure place, depart and shall be broken, and fall: and the burden, that was vpon it, shall bee cut off: for the Lord hath spoken it.

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.