Isaiah 22

1 The burden of the Valley of Vision. What is [troubling] you now, that you have gone up, All of you—to the roofs?

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

2 Full of stirs—a noisy city—an exulting city, Your pierced are not pierced of 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 your rulers fled from the bow together, All found of you have been bound, They have been kept bound together, They have fled far off.

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 I said, “Look [away] from me, I am bitter in my weeping, do not hurry to comfort me, 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 a day of noise, and of treading down, And of perplexity, [is] to the Lord, YHWH of Hosts, In the Valley of Vision, digging down a wall, And crying to the mountain.

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 has carried a quiver, In a chariot of men—horsemen, And Kir has exposed a 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 comes to pass, The choice of your valleys have been full of chariots, And the horsemen diligently place themselves at the gate.

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

8 And one removes the covering of Judah, And in that day you look To the armor 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 you have seen the breaches of the City of David, For they have become many, And you gather 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 you numbered the houses of Jerusalem, And you break down the houses to fortify the wall.

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

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

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 the Lord calls, YHWH of Hosts, In that day, to weeping and to lamentation, And to baldness and to girding on of 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 of oxen, And slaughtering of sheep, Eating of flesh, and drinking of wine, Eat and drink, for tomorrow we 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 has been revealed in my ears, [By] YHWH of Hosts: This iniquity is not pardoned to you, Until you die, said the Lord, YHWH of Hosts.

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 said the Lord, YHWH of Hosts: “Go forth, go to this steward, To Shebna, who [is] over the house:

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 are you [doing] here? And who has [allowed] you here? That you have hewn out a tomb for yourself here? Hewing his tomb on high, Carving a dwelling 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 is casting you up and down, A casting up and down, O mighty one,

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

18 And your coverer covering, wrapping around, Wraps you around, O babbler, On a land of broad sides—there you die, And there the chariots of your glory [are] the shame of the house of your lord.

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 have thrust you from your station, And he throws you down from your office.

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

20 And it has come to pass in that day, That I have called to My servant, To Eliakim son of Hilkiah.

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

21 And I have clothed him with your coat, And I strengthen him with your girdle, And I give your garment into his hand, And he has been for a father to the inhabitant 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 I have placed the key Of the house of David on his shoulder, And he has opened, and none is shutting, And has shut, and none is opening.

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 have fixed him [as] a nail in a steadfast place, And he has been for a throne of glory To the house of his father.

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

24 And they have hanged on him All the glory 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.

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—a declaration of YHWH of Hosts, The nail that is fixed is moved In a steadfast place, Indeed, it has been cut down, and has fallen, And the burden that [is] on it has been cut off, For YHWH has spoken!”

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.