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?

[I received] this message [from Yahweh] about Jerusalem, about the valley where [Yahweh showed me] this vision. Why is everyone foolishly running up to their [flat] rooftops?

2 Full of stirs—a noisy city—an exulting city, Your pierced are not pierced of the sword, Nor dead in battle.

Everyone in the city [seems to] be shouting. [There are a lot of] corpses [in the city], [but they] were not killed by [their enemies’] swords. They did not die in battles; [instead, they died from diseases and hunger].

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 the leaders of the city fled. [But then] they were captured because they did not have bows [and arrows to defend themselves]. Your [soldiers tried to] flee while the enemy [army] was still far away, but they also were captured.

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 is why I said, “Allow me to cry alone; do not try to comfort me [about my people being slaughtered].”

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.

The Commander of the armies of angels has [chosen] a time when there will be a great uproar, [soldiers] marching, and people being terrified in the valley [where I received this] vision. [It will be a time when our city] walls will be battered down and [the people’s] cries [for help] will be heard in the mountains.

6 And Elam has carried a quiver, In a chariot of men—horsemen, And Kir has exposed a shield.

The armies from Elam and Kir [in Media] will attack, driving chariots and carrying shields.

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.

Our beautiful valleys will be filled with [our enemies’] chariots and the men who drive the chariots will stand outside [our city] gates.

8 And one removes the covering of Judah, And in that day you look To the armor of the house of the forest,

The walls that protect [the cities in] Judah will fall down. You [people of Jerusalem] will run to get the weapons [that are stored in the building called] “the Hall 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 will see that there are many breaks/holes in the walls of Jerusalem. You will store water in the lower pool [in the city].

10 And you numbered the houses of Jerusalem, And you break down the houses to fortify the wall.

You will inspect the houses in Jerusalem, and [some of] them you will tear down to use the stones to repair the [city] wall.

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.

Between the walls [of the city] you will build a reservoir to [store] water from the old pool. But you will never request help from the one who made the city; you have never depended on Yahweh, who planned this city 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,

The Commander of the armies of angels told you to weep and mourn; he told you to shave your heads and to wear rough sackcloth to show that you were sorry for the sins that you had committed.

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.

But instead of doing that, you were happy and celebrating; you slaughtered cattle and sheep, [in order to cook their] meat and eat it and drink wine. You said, “Let’s eat and drink [all that we want to], because [it is possible that] we will 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.

[So] the Commander of the armies of angels revealed this to me: “I will never forgive my people for sinning like this!”

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

The Commander of the armies of angels said this [to me]: “Go to Shebna, the official who supervises the workers in the palace, and give this message to him:

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.

'[Who do you think you are?] Who gave you the authority to build a beautiful tomb where you will be buried, chiseling it out of the rocky cliff high above this valley?

17 Behold, YHWH is casting you up and down, A casting up and down, O mighty one,

You [think that you are] [IRO] a great man, but Yahweh is about to hurl you away. [It will be as though] he will seize you,

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.

and roll/crumple you into a ball and throw you away into a large distant land. You will die [and be buried] there, and your beautiful chariots will stay there [in the hands of your enemies]. And [because of what happens to you], your master, [the king], will be [very] ashamed/disgraced.

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

Yahweh will force you to quit working in the palace; you will be demoted from your important position.

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

Then I will summon Hilkiah’s son Eliakim, who has served serve me [well], to replace you.

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 allow him to wear your robe, and to fasten your sash around him, and I will give to him the authority that you had. He will be like [MET] a father to the people of Jerusalem and [all the other] towns in 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 to him authority [MTY] over [what happens in] the palace where King David [lived]; when he decides something [MET], no one will be able to oppose it; when he refuses to do something, no one will be able to force him to do it.

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 cause his family to be greatly respected, because I will put him firmly in his position [as supervisor of the workers in the palace], like [SIM] a nail that is firmly hammered into a wall.

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.

Others will enable him to have much responsibility, with the result that all the members of his family, even the most insignificant ones, will be honored.'”

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!”

[But] the Commander of the armies of angels also says, “[Shebna is like] [MET] a peg that is firmly fastened to the wall. But there will be a time when I will [remove him from his position]; he will lose his power/influence, and everything that he promoted [MET] will fail. [That will surely happen] because [I], Yahweh, have said it.”