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Proclamation Against Jerusalem

22 The [a]burden against the Valley of Vision.

What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops,
You who are full of noise,
A [b]tumultuous city, (A)a joyous city?
Your slain men are not slain with the sword,
Nor dead in battle.
All your rulers have fled together;
They are captured by the archers.
All who are found in you are bound together;
They have fled from afar.
Therefore I said, “Look away from me,
(B)I will weep bitterly;
Do not labor to comfort me
Because of the plundering of the daughter of my people.”

(C)For it is a day of trouble and treading down and perplexity
(D)By the Lord God of hosts
In the Valley of Vision—
Breaking down the walls
And of crying to the mountain.
(E)Elam bore the quiver
With chariots of men and horsemen,
And (F)Kir uncovered the shield.
It shall come to pass that your choicest valleys
Shall be full of chariots,
And the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.

(G)He removed the [c]protection of Judah.
You looked in that day to the armor (H)of the House of the Forest;
(I)You also saw the [d]damage to the city of David,
That it was great;
And you gathered together the waters of the lower pool.
10 You numbered the houses of Jerusalem,
And the houses you broke down
To fortify the wall.
11 (J)You also made a reservoir between the two walls
For the water of the old (K)pool.
But you did not look to its Maker,
Nor did you have respect for Him who fashioned it long ago.

12 And in that day the Lord God of hosts
(L)Called for weeping and for mourning,
(M)For baldness and for girding with sackcloth.
13 But instead, joy and gladness,
Slaying oxen and killing sheep,
Eating meat and (N)drinking wine:
(O)“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

14 (P)Then it was revealed in my hearing by the Lord of hosts,
“Surely for this iniquity there (Q)will be no atonement for you,
Even to your death,” says the Lord God of hosts.

The Judgment on Shebna

15 Thus says the Lord God of hosts:

“Go, proceed to this steward,
To (R)Shebna, who is over the house, and say:
16 ‘What have you here, and whom have you here,
That you have hewn a sepulcher here,
As he (S)who hews himself a sepulcher on high,
Who carves a tomb for himself in a rock?
17 Indeed, the Lord will throw you away violently,
O mighty man,
(T)And will surely seize you.
18 He will surely turn violently and toss you like a ball
Into a large country;
There you shall die, and there (U)your glorious chariots
Shall be the shame of your master’s house.
19 So I will drive you out of your office,
And from your position [e]he will pull you down.

20 ‘Then it shall be in that day,
That I will call My servant (V)Eliakim the son of Hilkiah;
21 I will clothe him with your robe
And strengthen him with your belt;
I will commit your responsibility into his hand.
He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem
And to the house of Judah.
22 The key of the house of David
I will lay on his (W)shoulder;
So he shall (X)open, and no one shall shut;
And he shall shut, and no one shall open.
23 I will fasten him as (Y)a peg in a secure place,
And he will become a glorious throne to his father’s house.

24 ‘They will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the posterity, all vessels of small quantity, from the cups to all the pitchers. 25 In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘the peg that is fastened in the secure place will be removed and be cut down and fall, and the burden that was on it will be cut off; for the Lord has spoken.’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 22:1 oracle, prophecy
  2. Isaiah 22:2 boisterous
  3. Isaiah 22:8 Lit. covering
  4. Isaiah 22:9 Lit. breaches in the city walls
  5. Isaiah 22:19 LXX omits he will pull you down; Syr., Tg., Vg. I will pull you down

The Valley of Vision

22 The pronouncement concerning the (A)valley of vision:

What is the matter with you now, that you have all gone up to the (B)housetops?
You who were full of noise,
You tumultuous town, you (C)jubilant city;
Your dead were (D)not killed with the sword,
Nor [a]did they die in battle.
(E)All your rulers have fled together,
And have been captured [b]without the bow;
All of you who were found were taken captive together,
[c]Though they had fled far away.
Therefore I say, “Look away from me,
Let me (F)weep bitterly,
Do not [d]try to comfort me concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people.”
(G)For the Lord [e]God of armies has a (H)day of panic, (I)subjugation, and confusion
(J)In the valley of vision,
A breaking down of walls
And a crying [f]to the mountain.
(K)Elam picked up the quiver,
With the chariots, [g]infantry, and horsemen;
And (L)Kir uncovered the shield.
Then your choicest valleys were full of chariots,
And the horsemen took positions at the gate.
And He removed the [h]defense of Judah.
On that day you [i]depended on the weapons of the (M)house of the forest,
And you saw that the breaches
In the wall of the city of David were many;
And you (N)collected the waters of the lower pool.
10 Then you counted the houses of Jerusalem
And tore down houses to fortify the wall.
11 And you made a reservoir (O)between the two walls
For the waters of the (P)old pool.
But you did not [j]depend on Him who made it,
Nor did you [k]take into consideration Him who planned it long ago.

12 Therefore on that day the Lord [l]God of armies called you to (Q)weeping, to wailing,
To (R)shaving the head, and to wearing sackcloth.
13 Instead, there is (S)joy and jubilation,
Killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep,
Eating of meat and drinking of wine:
(T)Let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die.”
14 But the Lord of armies revealed Himself [m]to me:
“Certainly this (U)wrongdoing (V)will not be [n]forgiven you
(W)Until you die,” says the Lord [o]God of armies.

15 This is what the Lord [p]God of armies says:

“Come, go to this steward,
To (X)Shebna who is in charge of the royal household,
16 ‘What right do you have here,
And whom do you have here,
That you have (Y)cut out a tomb for yourself here,
You who cut out a tomb on the height,
You who carve a resting place for [q]yourself in the rock?
17 Behold, the Lord is about to hurl you violently, you strong man.
And He is about to grasp you firmly
18 And wrap you up tightly like a ball,
To be (Z)driven into a vast country;
There you will die,
And there your splendid chariots will be,
You shame of your master’s house!’
19 I will (AA)depose you from your office,
And [r]I will pull you down from your position.
20 Then it will come about on that day,
That I will summon My servant (AB)Eliakim the son of Hilkiah,
21 And I will clothe him with your tunic
And tie your sash securely around him.
I will hand your [s]authority over to him,
And he will become a (AC)father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
22 Then I will put (AD)the key of the (AE)house of David on his shoulder;
When he opens, no one will shut,
When he shuts, no one will (AF)open.
23 I will drive him like a (AG)peg in a firm place,
And he will become a (AH)throne of glory to his father’s house.

24 So they will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the [t]descendants, all the least of vessels, from bowls to all the jars. 25 On that day,” declares the Lord of armies, “the (AI)peg driven into a firm place will give way; it will even (AJ)break off and fall, and the load that is hanging on it will be cut off, for the (AK)Lord has spoken.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 22:2 Lit dead in battle
  2. Isaiah 22:3 Lit from a bow
  3. Isaiah 22:3 As in ancient versions; MT They fled far away
  4. Isaiah 22:4 Lit insist
  5. Isaiah 22:5 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  6. Isaiah 22:5 Or against
  7. Isaiah 22:6 Lit man
  8. Isaiah 22:8 Lit covering
  9. Isaiah 22:8 Lit looked to
  10. Isaiah 22:11 Or look to, consider
  11. Isaiah 22:11 Lit see Him
  12. Isaiah 22:12 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  13. Isaiah 22:14 Lit in my ears
  14. Isaiah 22:14 Lit atoned for
  15. Isaiah 22:14 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  16. Isaiah 22:15 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  17. Isaiah 22:16 Lit himself
  18. Isaiah 22:19 As in many ancient versions; MT He
  19. Isaiah 22:21 Lit dominion
  20. Isaiah 22:24 Or perhaps, leaf

The Valley of Vision

22 The [mournful, inspired] oracle ([a]a burden to be carried) concerning the Valley of Vision:

What is the matter with you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops,

You [Jerusalem] who were full of noise,
A tumultuous city, a joyous and exuberant city;
Your slain were not slain [in a glorious death] with the sword,
Nor did they die in battle.

All your leaders have fled together [with your king],
And have been captured without the bow [which they had thrown away];
All of you who were found were taken captive together,
Though they had fled far away.

Therefore I say, “Look away from me;
Let me weep bitterly.
Do not try to comfort me over the destruction of the daughter of my people.”

For the Lord God of hosts has a day of panic and of tumult, of trampling, of confusion
In the Valley of Vision,
A [day of] breaking down walls
And a crying [for help] to the mountain.

Elam took up the quiver
With the chariots, infantry and horsemen;
And Kir uncovered the shield.

And it came to pass that your choicest valleys were full of chariots,
And the horsemen took their fixed positions [in an offensive array] at the gate [of Jerusalem].(A)

Then God removed the [protective] covering of Judah;
And in that day you looked to the weapons of the House of the Forest (Solomon’s armory).(B)

You saw that the breaches
In the wall of the City of David [the citadel of Zion] were many;
You collected [within the city’s walls] the waters of the Lower Pool (Siloam).
10 
Then you counted the houses of Jerusalem
And you tore down the houses [to get materials] to fortify the city wall [by extending it].
11 
You also made a reservoir between the two walls
For the waters of the [b]Old Pool,
But you did not look to its Maker,
Nor did you recognize Him who planned it long ago.

12 
Therefore in that day the Lord God of hosts called you to weeping, to mourning,
To shaving the head and to wearing sackcloth [in humiliation].
13 
Instead, there is joy and jubilation,
Killing of oxen and slaughtering of sheep,
Eating meat and drinking wine, saying,
“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die.”
14 
But the Lord of hosts revealed Himself in my ears,
“This sin absolutely will not be forgiven you
Until you die,” says the Lord God of hosts.

15 
For the Lord God of hosts says this, “Go to this [contemptible] steward,
To [c]Shebna, who is in charge of the royal household [but is building himself a tomb worthy of a king, and say to him],
16 
‘What business do you have here?
And whom do you have here,
That you have hewn out a tomb here for yourself,
You who hew a sepulcher on the height,
You who carve a resting place for yourself in the rock?
17 
‘Listen carefully, the Lord is about to hurl you away violently, O man;
And He is about to grasp you firmly
18 
And roll you up tightly like a ball
And toss you into a vast country;
There you will die
And there your splendid chariots will be,
You shame of your master’s house.’
19 
“I will depose you from your office,
And you will be pulled down from your position [of importance].
20 
“Then it will come to pass in that day
That I will summon My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah.
21 
“And I will clothe him with your tunic [of distinction]
And tie your sash securely around him.
I will entrust him with your authority;
He will become a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
22 
“Then I will set on his shoulder the key of the house of David;
When he opens no one will shut,
When he shuts no one will open.
23 
“I will drive him like a peg in a firm place,
And he will become a throne of honor and glory to his father’s house.

24 “So they will hang on him all the honor and glory [the complete responsibility] of his father’s house, offspring and issue [of the family, high and low], all the least of the articles, from the bowls to all the jars. 25 In that day,” declares the Lord of hosts, “the peg (Eliakim) that was driven into the firm place will give way; it will even break off and fall, and the burden hanging on it will be cut off, for the Lord has spoken.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 22:1 I.e. an urgent message the prophet is under compulsion to proclaim.
  2. Isaiah 22:11 Perhaps a reference to the Gihon Spring, also called the Upper Pool.
  3. Isaiah 22:15 Shebna would have been second in command to King Hezekiah before being deposed from steward (administrator) to the position of scribe (36:3).

A Prophecy About Jerusalem

22 A prophecy(A) against the Valley(B) of Vision:(C)

What troubles you now,
    that you have all gone up on the roofs,(D)
you town so full of commotion,
    you city of tumult(E) and revelry?(F)
Your slain(G) were not killed by the sword,(H)
    nor did they die in battle.
All your leaders have fled(I) together;
    they have been captured(J) without using the bow.
All you who were caught were taken prisoner together,
    having fled while the enemy was still far away.
Therefore I said, “Turn away from me;
    let me weep(K) bitterly.
Do not try to console me
    over the destruction of my people.”(L)

The Lord, the Lord Almighty, has a day(M)
    of tumult and trampling(N) and terror(O)
    in the Valley of Vision,(P)
a day of battering down walls(Q)
    and of crying out to the mountains.
Elam(R) takes up the quiver,(S)
    with her charioteers and horses;
    Kir(T) uncovers the shield.
Your choicest valleys(U) are full of chariots,
    and horsemen are posted at the city gates.(V)

The Lord stripped away the defenses of Judah,
    and you looked in that day(W)
    to the weapons(X) in the Palace of the Forest.(Y)
You saw that the walls of the City of David
    were broken through(Z) in many places;
you stored up water
    in the Lower Pool.(AA)
10 You counted the buildings in Jerusalem
    and tore down houses(AB) to strengthen the wall.(AC)
11 You built a reservoir between the two walls(AD)
    for the water of the Old Pool,(AE)
but you did not look to the One who made it,
    or have regard(AF) for the One who planned(AG) it long ago.

12 The Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    called you on that day(AH)
to weep(AI) and to wail,
    to tear out your hair(AJ) and put on sackcloth.(AK)
13 But see, there is joy and revelry,(AL)
    slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep,
    eating of meat and drinking of wine!(AM)
“Let us eat and drink,” you say,
    “for tomorrow we die!”(AN)

14 The Lord Almighty has revealed this in my hearing:(AO) “Till your dying day this sin will not be atoned(AP) for,” says the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

15 This is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says:

“Go, say to this steward,
    to Shebna(AQ) the palace(AR) administrator:(AS)
16 What are you doing here and who gave you permission
    to cut out a grave(AT) for yourself(AU) here,
hewing your grave on the height
    and chiseling your resting place in the rock?

17 “Beware, the Lord is about to take firm hold of you
    and hurl(AV) you away, you mighty man.
18 He will roll you up tightly like a ball
    and throw(AW) you into a large country.
There you will die
    and there the chariots(AX) you were so proud of
    will become a disgrace to your master’s house.
19 I will depose you from your office,
    and you will be ousted(AY) from your position.(AZ)

20 “In that day(BA) I will summon my servant,(BB) Eliakim(BC) son of Hilkiah. 21 I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash(BD) around him and hand your authority(BE) over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah. 22 I will place on his shoulder(BF) the key(BG) to the house of David;(BH) what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.(BI) 23 I will drive him like a peg(BJ) into a firm place;(BK) he will become a seat[a] of honor(BL) for the house of his father. 24 All the glory of his family will hang on him: its offspring and offshoots—all its lesser vessels, from the bowls to all the jars.

25 “In that day,(BM)” declares the Lord Almighty, “the peg(BN) driven into the firm place will give way; it will be sheared off and will fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut down.” The Lord has spoken.(BO)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 22:23 Or throne

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

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

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.

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.

For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord God of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.

And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.

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.

And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest.

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.

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

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.

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

14 And it was revealed in mine ears by the Lord of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord God of hosts.

15 Thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say,

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?

17 Behold, the Lord will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.

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.

19 And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down.

20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the 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.

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.

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.

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.

25 In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, 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 the Lord hath spoken it.