Isaiah 22

1 The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?

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 stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.

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 rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.

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, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling 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 treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord Yhwh of Armies in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.

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 quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered 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 it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.

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

8 And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look 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 Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool.

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 ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall.

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

11 Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.

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 Yhwh of Armies call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:

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

13 And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow 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 revealed in mine ears by Yhwh of Armies, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord Yhwh of Armies.

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 saith the Lord Yhwh of Armies, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over 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 hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock?

‘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 Behold, Yhwh will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.

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

18 He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord’s 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 will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down.

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

20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah:

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

21 And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.

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 David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none 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 nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s 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 upon him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.

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, saith Yhwh of Armies, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for Yhwh 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.