Isaiah 22

¹The prophecy concerning the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, That all thine inhabitants are gone up to the house-tops?

²Thou that wast full of noise, A tumultuous city, a joyous city! Thy slain fall not by the sword; They are not slain in battle.

³All thy leaders flee together, By the bowmen are they bound; All found within thee are made captive together, Even they who have fled from afar.

⁴Therefore, say I, look away from me, that I may weep bitterly; Strive not to comfort me for the desolation of the daughter of my people!

⁵For a day of trouble, of desolation, and of perplexity cometh From the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, in the valley of vision. They break down the walls; The cry reacheth to the mountains.

⁶Elam beareth the quiver, With chariots full of men, and with horsemen; Kir uncovereth the shield.

⁷Thy fairest valleys, [O Jerusalem,] are full of chariots; The horsemen set themselves in array against the gate;

⁸The veil of Judah is torn from her. But in such a day ye look to the armor of the house of the forest;

⁹Ye mark how many are the breaches of the city of David, And collect the waters of the lower pool;

¹⁰Ye number the houses of Jerusalem, And ye break down the houses to prepare the wall;

¹¹Ye make a reservoir between the two walls for the waters of the old pool; But ye look not to Him who hath done this; Ye regard not Him that hath prepared this from afar.

¹²The Lord, Jehovah of hosts, calleth you this day To weeping and to lamentation, To baldness and to girding with sackcloth.

¹³But, behold, joy and gladness, Slaying oxen and killing sheep, Eating flesh and drinking wine! "Let us eat and drink, For to-morrow we die!"

¹⁴Therefore it hath been revealed in my ears by Jehovah of hosts; "This iniquity shall not be forgiven you, till ye die," Saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.

¹⁵Thus saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts: Go in to this steward, To Shebna, who is over the household, and say,

¹⁶What hast thou here, and whom hast thou here, That thou here hewest thee out a sepulchre,—That thou hewest out thy sepulchre on high, And gravest out a habitation for thyself in the rock?

¹⁷Behold, Jehovah will cast thee headlong with a mighty thrust;

¹⁸He will violently roll thee together like a ball; Like a ball will he hurl thee into a wide country. There shalt thou die; And there shall be thy splendid chariots, Thou disgrace of the house of thy lord!

¹⁹I will drive thee from thy post, And from thy station I will pull thee down.

²⁰In that day I will call my servant, Even Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah;

²¹I will clothe him with thy robe, And bind thy girdle around him; Thy government will I commit to his hand, And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, And to the house of Judah.

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

²³I will fasten him as a peg in a sure place, And he shall be a glorious seat for his father’s house.

²⁴Upon him shall hang all the glory of his father’s house, The offspring and the offshoots; Every small vessel, from the goblet even to all the pitchers.

²⁵In that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, The peg that was once fastened in a sure place shall be moved; It shall be cut down, and fall, And the burden which was upon it shall come to the ground. For Jehovah hath said it.

Isaiah 22

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

²Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.

³All 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.

⁴Therefore 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.

⁵For 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.

⁶And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.

⁷And 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.

⁸And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest.

⁹Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool.

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

¹¹Ye 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.

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

¹³And 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.

¹⁴And 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.

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

¹⁶What 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?

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

¹⁸He 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.

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

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

²¹And 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.

²²And 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.

²³And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house.

²⁴And 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.

²⁵In 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.