Isaiah 22

1 The oracle on the valley of vision, —What aileth thee, then, That thou art wholly gone up to the house-tops?

The burden of the valley of vision. What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops?

2 With tumults, art thou filled, thou citadel in commotion! city exultant! Thy slain, are Not the slain, of the sword, Nor the dead in battle.

You that are full of shouting, a tumultuous city, a joyous town, your slain are not slain with the sword, neither are they dead in battle.

3 All thy ruler, having fled, together, by the bow, are taken captive: All found in thee have been taken captive, together, Far away, have they fled.

All your rulers fled away together. They were bound by the archers. All who were found by you were bound together. They fled far away.

4 For this cause, I said—Look away from me, Bitterly, will I weep, —Do not press to comfort me, For the ruin of the daughter of my people.

Therefore I said, “Look away from me. I will weep bitterly. Don’t labor to comfort me for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

5 For a day of confusion and downtreading and perplexity, pertaineth to My Lord, Yahweh of hosts, in the valley of vision, an undermining of walls, and a crying for help to the mountain.

For it is a day of confusion, and of treading down, and of perplexity from the Lord, GOD of Hosts, in the valley of vision, a breaking down of the walls, and a crying to the mountains.”

6 Yea, Elam, beareth the quiver, With trains of men, [and] horsemen, —And, Kir, hath uncovered the shield.

Elam carried his quiver, with chariots of men and horsemen; and Kir uncovered the shield.

7 And it hath come to pass that the choice of thy vales, are full of chariots; Yea, the horsemen, have set themselves, in array, at the gate.

Your choicest valleys were full of chariots, and the horsemen set themselves in array at the gate.

8 Then removed he the veil of Judah, —Yea thou didst peer on that day, into the armoury of the forest-house;

He took away the covering of Judah; and you looked in that day to the armor in the house of the forest.

9 And the breaches in the city of David, ye beheld for they were many, —So ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool;

You saw the breaches of David’s city, that they were many; and you gathered together the waters of the lower pool.

10 And the houses of Jerusalem, ye counted, —And brake down the houses, to fortify the wall;

You counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall.

11 And a reservoir, ye made between the two walls, for the waters of the ancient pool, —And had no regard unto him that made it, Nor unto him that formed it long ago, had ye respect.

You also made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you didn’t look to him who had done this, neither did you have respect for him who planned it long ago.

12 And, when My Lord Yahweh of hosts called in that day, —for weeping, and for lamentation, and for shaving bare and for girding with sackcloth,

In that day, the Lord, GOD of Hosts, called to weeping, to mourning, to baldness, and to dressing in sackcloth;

13 Then lo! joy and rejoicing, killing oxen and slaughtering sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine, —Let us eat and drink, For to-morrow, we may die!

and behold, there is joy and gladness, killing cattle and killing sheep, eating meat and drinking wine: “Let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die.”

14 Therefore did Yahweh reveal himself in mine ears. Surely there shall be no propitiatory-covering put over this iniquity for you until ye die, Saith My Lord Yahweh of hosts.

The LORD of Hosts revealed himself in my ears, “Surely this iniquity will not be forgiven you until you die,” says the Lord, GOD of Hosts.

15 Thus, said My Lord Yahweh, of hosts, Come go in unto this steward, Unto Shebna, who is over the house:

The Lord, GOD of Hosts says, “Go, get yourself to this treasurer, even to Shebna, who is over the house, and say,

16 What doest thou here? And whom hast thou here? That thou hast hewn for thyself here a sepulchre, —As one hewing on high his sepulchre, Cutting out in the cliff a habitation for himself?

‘What are you doing here? Who has you here, that you have dug out a tomb here?’ Cutting himself out a tomb on high, chiseling a habitation for himself in the rock!”

17 Lo! Yahweh, is about to hurl thee, with a hurl, O mighty man, —And roll thee with a roll;

Behold, the LORD will overcome you and hurl you away violently. Yes, he will grasp you firmly.

18 He will, toss, thee, with a toss, like a ball, into a country wide on both hands, —There, shalt thou die, And there shall thy glorious chariots be the contempt of the house of thy lord.

He will surely wind you around and around, and throw you like a ball into a large country. There you will die, and there the chariots of your glory will be, you disgrace of your lord’s house.

19 Thus will I thrust thee out from thine office, —And from thy station, shall one tear thee down.

I will thrust you from your office. You will be pulled down from your station.

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

It will happen in that day that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah,

21 And will clothe him with thy tunic And with thy girdle, will I gird him, And thine authority, will I deliver into his hand, —So shall he become a father To the inhabitant of Jerusalem and To the house of Judah.

and I will clothe him with your robe, and strengthen him with your belt. I will commit your government into his hand; and he will be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.

22 And I will lay the key of the house of David upon his shoulder, —And he shall open and none shall shut, And shut and none shall open;

I will lay the key of David’s house on his shoulder. He will open, and no one will shut. He will shut, and no one will open.

23 And I will fasten him as a peg in a sure place, —And he shall become a throne of glory, to the house of his father;

I will fasten him like a nail in a sure place. He will be for a throne of glory to his father’s house.

24 And they shall hang upon him all the weight of his father’s house—The offshoots and the side-twigs—All the small vessels, Both the cups and all the jugs

They will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, every small vessel, from the cups even to all the pitchers.

25 In that day, —Declareth Yahweh of hosts Shall the peg, give way, that was fastened in a sure place, —Yea it shall be cut off and fall And the burden that was upon it shall perish, For, Yahweh, hath spoken!

“In that day,” says the LORD of Hosts, “the nail that was fastened in a sure place will give way. It will be cut down and fall. The burden that was on it will be cut off, for the LORD has spoken it.”