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Isaiah 18-22
New English Translation

The Lord Will Judge a Distant Land in the South

18 Beware, land of buzzing wings,[a]
the one beyond the rivers of Cush,
2 that sends messengers by sea,
who glide over the water’s surface in boats made of papyrus.
Go, you swift messengers,
to a nation of tall, smooth-skinned people,[b]
to a people that are feared far and wide,[c]
to a nation strong and victorious,[d]
whose land rivers divide.[e]
3 All you who live in the world,
who reside on the earth,
you will see a signal flag raised on the mountains;
you will hear a trumpet being blown.
4 For this is what the Lord has told me:
“I will wait[f] and watch from my place,
like scorching heat produced by the sunlight,[g]
like a cloud of mist[h] in the heat[i] of harvest.”[j]
5 For before the harvest, when the bud has sprouted,
and the ripening fruit appears,[k]
he will cut off the unproductive shoots[l] with pruning knives;
he will prune the tendrils.[m]
6 They will all be left[n] for the birds of the hills
and the wild animals;[o]
the birds will eat them during the summer,
and all the wild animals will eat them during the winter.
7 At that time
tribute will be brought to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
by a people that are tall and smooth-skinned,
a people that are feared far and wide,
a nation strong and victorious,
whose land rivers divide.[p]
The tribute[q] will be brought to the place where the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has chosen to reside, on Mount Zion.[r]

The Lord Will Judge Egypt

19 This is an oracle[s] about Egypt:
Look, the Lord rides on a swift-moving cloud
and approaches Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him;
the Egyptians lose their courage.[t]
2 “I will provoke civil strife in Egypt:[u]
brothers will fight with one another,
as will neighbors,
cities, and kingdoms.[v]
3 The Egyptians will panic,[w]
and I will confuse their strategy.[x]
They will seek guidance from the idols and from the spirits of the dead,
from the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, and from the magicians.[y]
4 I will hand Egypt over to a harsh master;
a powerful king will rule over them,”
says the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
5 The water of the sea will be dried up,
and the river will dry up and be empty.[z]
6 The canals[aa] will stink;[ab]
the streams of Egypt will trickle and then dry up;
the bulrushes and reeds will decay,
7 along with the plants by the mouth of the river.[ac]
All the cultivated land near the river
will turn to dust and be blown away.[ad]
8 The fishermen will mourn and lament;
all those who cast a fishhook into the river,
and those who spread out a net on the water’s surface will grieve.[ae]
9 Those who make clothes from combed flax will be embarrassed;
those who weave will turn pale.[af]
10 Those who make cloth[ag] will be demoralized;[ah]
all the hired workers will be depressed.[ai]
11 The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools;[aj]
Pharaoh’s wise advisers give stupid advice.
How dare you say to Pharaoh,
“I am one of the sages,
one well-versed in the writings of the ancient kings?”[ak]
12 But where, oh where, are your wise men?[al]
Let them tell you, let them find out
what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has planned for Egypt.
13 The officials of Zoan are fools,
the officials of Memphis[am] are misled;
the rulers[an] of her tribes lead Egypt astray.
14 The Lord has made them undiscerning;[ao]
they lead Egypt astray in all she does,
so that she is like a drunk sliding around in his own vomit.[ap]
15 Egypt will not be able to do a thing,
head or tail, shoots or stalk.[aq]

16 At that time[ar] the Egyptians[as] will be like women.[at] They will tremble and fear because the Lord of Heaven’s Armies brandishes his fist against them.[au] 17 The land of Judah will humiliate Egypt. Everyone who hears about Judah will be afraid because of what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is planning to do to them.[av]

18 At that time five cities[aw] in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. One will be called the City of the Sun.[ax] 19 At that time there will be an altar for the Lord in the middle of the land of Egypt, as well as a sacred pillar[ay] dedicated to the Lord at its border. 20 It[az] will become a visual reminder in the land of Egypt of[ba] the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. When they cry out to the Lord because of oppressors, he will send them a deliverer and defender[bb] who will rescue them. 21 The Lord will reveal himself to the Egyptians, and they[bc] will acknowledge the Lord’s authority[bd] at that time.[be] They will present sacrifices and offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and fulfill them. 22 The Lord will strike Egypt, striking and then healing them. They will turn to the Lord, and he will listen to their prayers[bf] and heal them.

23 At that time there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will visit Egypt, and the Egyptians will visit Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together.[bg] 24 At that time Israel will be the third member of the group, along with Egypt and Assyria, and will be a recipient of blessing[bh] in the earth.[bi] 25 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will pronounce a blessing over the earth, saying,[bj] “Blessed be my people, Egypt, and the work of my hands, Assyria, and my special possession,[bk] Israel!”

20 The Lord revealed the following message during the year in which King Sargon of Assyria sent his commanding general to Ashdod, and he fought against it and captured it.[bl] 2 At that time the Lord announced through[bm] Isaiah son of Amoz: “Go, remove the sackcloth from your waist and take your sandals off your feet.” He did as instructed and walked around in undergarments[bn] and barefoot. 3 Later the Lord explained, “In the same way that my servant Isaiah has walked around in undergarments and barefoot for the past three years, as an object lesson and omen pertaining to Egypt and Cush, 4 so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, both young and old. They will be in undergarments and barefoot, with the buttocks exposed; the Egyptians will be publicly humiliated.[bo] 5 Those who put their hope in Cush and took pride in Egypt will be afraid and embarrassed.[bp] 6 At that time[bq] those who live on this coast[br] will say, ‘Look what has happened to our source of hope to whom we fled for help, expecting to be rescued from the king of Assyria! How can we escape now?’”

The Lord Will Judge Babylon

21 This is an oracle[bs] about the wilderness by the Sea:[bt]
Like strong winds blowing in the south,[bu]
one invades from the wilderness,
from a land that is feared.
2 I have received a distressing message:[bv]
“The deceiver deceives,
the destroyer destroys.
Attack, you Elamites!
Lay siege, you Medes!
I will put an end to all the groaning.”[bw]
3 For this reason my stomach churns;[bx]
cramps overwhelm me
like the contractions of a woman in labor.
I am disturbed[by] by what I hear,
horrified by what I see.
4 My heart palpitates,[bz]
I shake in fear;[ca]
the twilight I desired
has brought me terror.
5 Arrange the table,
lay out[cb] the carpet,
eat and drink![cc]
Get up, you officers,
smear oil on the shields![cd]

6 For this is what the Lord[ce] has told me:

“Go, post a guard!
He must report what he sees.
7 When he sees chariots,
teams of horses,[cf]
riders on donkeys,
riders on camels,
he must be alert,
very alert.”
8 Then the guard[cg] cries out:
“On the watchtower, O Lord,[ch]
I stand all day long;
at my post
I am stationed every night.
9 Look what’s coming!
A charioteer,
a team of horses.”[ci]
When questioned, he replies,[cj]
“Babylon has fallen, fallen!
All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!”
10 O my downtrodden people, crushed like stalks on the threshing floor,[ck]
what I have heard
from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
the God of Israel,
I have reported to you.

Bad News for Seir

11 This is an oracle about Dumah:[cl]
Someone calls to me from Seir,[cm]
“Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night?”[cn]
12 The watchman replies,
“Morning is coming, but then night.[co]
If you want to ask, ask;
come back again.”[cp]

The Lord Will Judge Arabia

13 This is an oracle about Arabia:
In the thicket of Arabia you spend the night,
you Dedanite caravans.
14 Bring out some water for the thirsty.
You who live in the land of Tema,
bring some food for the fugitives.
15 For they flee from the swords—
from the drawn sword,
and from the battle-ready bow,
and from the severity of the battle.

16 For this is what the Lord[cq] has told me: “Within exactly one year[cr] all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. 17 Just a handful of archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be left.”[cs] Indeed,[ct] the Lord God of Israel has spoken.

The Lord Will Judge Jerusalem

22 This is an oracle[cu] about the Valley of Vision:[cv]
What is the reason[cw]
that all of you go up to the rooftops?
2 The noisy city is full of raucous sounds;
the town is filled with revelry.[cx]
Your slain were not cut down by the sword;
they did not die in battle.[cy]
3 [cz] All your leaders ran away together—
they fled to a distant place;
all your refugees[da] were captured together—
they were captured without a single arrow being shot.[db]
4 So I say:
“Don’t look at me![dc]
I am weeping bitterly.
Don’t try[dd] to console me
concerning the destruction of my defenseless people.”[de]
5 For the Sovereign[df] Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
has planned a day of panic, defeat, and confusion.[dg]
In the Valley of Vision[dh] people shout[di]
and cry out to the hill.[dj]
6 The Elamites picked up the quiver,
and came with chariots and horsemen;[dk]
the men of Kir[dl] prepared[dm] the shield.[dn]
7 Your very best valleys were full of chariots;[do]
horsemen confidently took their positions[dp] at the gate.
8 They[dq] removed the defenses[dr] of Judah.
At that time[ds] you looked
for the weapons in the House of the Forest.[dt]
9 You saw the many breaks
in the walls of the City of David;[du]
you stored up water in the lower pool.
10 You counted the houses in Jerusalem,
and demolished houses so you could have material to reinforce the wall.[dv]
11 You made a reservoir between the two walls
for the water of the old pool—
but you did not trust in[dw] the one who made it;[dx]
you did not depend on[dy] the one who formed it long ago.
12 At that time the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies called for weeping and mourning,
for shaved heads and sackcloth.[dz]
13 But look, there is outright celebration![ea]
You say, “Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep,
eat meat and drink wine.
Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”[eb]

14 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies told me this:[ec] “Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,”[ed] says the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

15 This is what the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“Go visit this administrator, Shebna, who supervises the palace,[ee] and tell him:[ef]
16 ‘What right do you have to be here? What relatives do you have buried here?[eg]
Why[eh] do you chisel out a tomb for yourself here?
He chisels out his burial site in an elevated place,
he carves out his tomb on a cliff.
17 Look, the Lord will throw you far away,[ei] you mere man![ej]
He will wrap you up tightly.[ek]
18 He will wind you up tightly into a ball
and throw you into a wide, open land.[el]
There you will die,
and there with you will be your impressive chariots,[em]
which bring disgrace to the house of your master.[en]
19 I will remove you from[eo] your office;
you will be thrown down[ep] from your position.

20 “‘At that time[eq] I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah. 21 I will put your robe on him, tie your belt around him, and transfer your authority to him.[er] He will become a protector of[es] the residents of Jerusalem and of the people[et] of Judah. 22 I will place the key[eu] to the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens the door, no one can close it; when he closes the door, no one can open it. 23 I will fasten him like a peg into a solid place;[ev] he will bring honor and respect to his father’s family.[ew] 24 His father’s family will gain increasing prominence because of him,[ex] including the offspring and the offshoots.[ey] All the small containers, including the bowls and all the jars, will hang from this peg.’[ez]

25 “At that time,”[fa] says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “the peg fastened into a solid place will come loose. It will be cut off and fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut off.”[fb] Indeed,[fc] the Lord has spoken.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 18:1 sn The significance of the qualifying phrase “buzzing wings” is uncertain. Some suggest that the designation points to Cush as a land with many insects. Another possibility is that it refers to the swiftness with which this land’s messengers travel (v. 2a); they move over the sea as swiftly as an insect flies through the air. For a discussion of the options, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:359-60.
  2. Isaiah 18:2 tn The precise meaning of the qualifying terms is uncertain. מְמֻשָּׁךְ (memushakh) appears to be a Pual participle from the verb מָשַׁךְ (mashakh, “to draw, extend”). Lexicographers theorize that it here refers to people who “stretch out,” as it were, or are tall. See BDB 604 s.v. מָשַׁךְ, and HALOT 645-46 s.v. משׁךְ. מוֹרָט (morat) is taken as a Pual participle from מָרַט (marat), which can mean “to pull out [hair],” in the Qal, “become bald” in the Niphal, and “be wiped clean” in the Pual. Lexicographers theorize that the word here refers to people with bare, or smooth, skin. See BDB 598-99 s.v. מָרַט, and HALOT 634-35 s.v. מרט. These proposed meanings, which are based on etymological speculation, must be regarded as tentative.
  3. Isaiah 18:2 tn Heb “from it and onwards.” HALOT 245 s.v. הָלְאָה suggests the translation “far and wide.”
  4. Isaiah 18:2 tn Once more the precise meaning of the qualifying terms is uncertain. The expression קַו קָו (qav qav) is sometimes related to a proposed Arabic cognate and taken to mean “strength” (see BDB 876 II קַו). Others, on the basis of Isa 28:10, 13, understand the form as gibberish (literally, “kav, kav”) and take it to be a reference to this nation’s strange, unknown language. The form מְבוּסָה (mevusah) appears to be derived from בּוּס (bus, “to trample”), so lexicographers suggest the meaning “trampling” or “subjugation,” i.e., a nation that subdues others. See BDB 101 s.v. בּוּס and HALOT 541 s.v. מְבוּסָה. These proposals, which are based on etymological speculation, must be regarded as tentative.
  5. Isaiah 18:2 tn The precise meaning of the verb בָּזָא (bazaʾ), which occurs only in this oracle (see also v. 7) in the OT, is uncertain. BDB 102 s.v. suggests “divide” on the basis of alleged Aramaic and Arabic cognates; HALOT 117 s.v., citing an alleged Arabic cognate, suggests “wash away.”
  6. Isaiah 18:4 tn Or “be quiet, inactive”; NIV “will remain quiet.”
  7. Isaiah 18:4 tn Heb “like the glowing heat because of light.” The precise meaning of the line is uncertain.
  8. Isaiah 18:4 tn Heb “a cloud of dew,” or “a cloud of light rain.”
  9. Isaiah 18:4 tc Some medieval Hebrew mss, with support from the LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and Latin Vulgate, read “the day.”
  10. Isaiah 18:4 sn It is unclear how the comparisons in v. 4b relate to the preceding statement. How is waiting and watching similar to heat or a cloud? For a discussion of interpretive options, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:362.
  11. Isaiah 18:5 tn Heb “and the unripe, ripening fruit is maturing.”
  12. Isaiah 18:5 tn On the meaning of זַלְזַל (zalzal, “shoot [of the vine] without fruit buds”) see HALOT 272 s.v. *זַלְזַל.
  13. Isaiah 18:5 tn Heb “the tendrils he will remove, he will cut off.”
  14. Isaiah 18:6 tn Heb “they will be left together” (so NASB).
  15. Isaiah 18:6 tn Heb “the beasts of the earth” (so KJV, NASB).
  16. Isaiah 18:7 tn On the interpretive difficulties of this verse, see the notes at v. 2, where the same terminology is used.
  17. Isaiah 18:7 tn The words “the tribute” are repeated here in the translation for clarity.
  18. Isaiah 18:7 tn Heb “to the place of the name of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts], Mount Zion.”
  19. Isaiah 19:1 tn See note at Isa 13:1.
  20. Isaiah 19:1 tn Heb “and the heart of Egypt melts within it.”
  21. Isaiah 19:2 tn Heb I will provoke Egypt against Egypt” (NAB similar).
  22. Isaiah 19:2 tn Heb “and they will fight, a man against his brother, and a man against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.” Civil strife will extend all the way from the domestic level to the provincial arena.
  23. Isaiah 19:3 tn Heb “and the spirit of Egypt will be laid waste in its midst.”
  24. Isaiah 19:3 tn The verb בָּלַע (balaʿ, “confuse”) is a homonym of the more common בָּלַע (balaʿ, “swallow”); see HALOT 135 s.v. I בלע.
  25. Isaiah 19:3 tn Heb “they will inquire of the idols and of the spirits of the dead and of the ritual pits and of the magicians.” Hebrew אוֹב (ʾov, “ritual pit”) refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. See the note on “incantations” in 8:19.
  26. Isaiah 19:5 tn Heb “will dry up and be dry.” Two synonyms are joined for emphasis.
  27. Isaiah 19:6 tn Heb “rivers” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, CEV “streams”; TEV “channels.”
  28. Isaiah 19:6 tn The verb form appears as a Hiphil in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa; the form in MT may be a so-called “mixed form,” reflecting the Hebrew Hiphil stem and the functionally corresponding Aramaic Aphel stem. See HALOT 276 s.v. I זנח.
  29. Isaiah 19:7 tn Heb “the plants by the river, by the mouth of the river.”
  30. Isaiah 19:7 tn Heb “will dry up, [being] scattered, and it will vanish.”
  31. Isaiah 19:8 tn Or perhaps, “will disappear”; cf. TEV “will be useless.”
  32. Isaiah 19:9 tn BDB 301 s.v. חוֹרִי suggests the meaning “white stuff” for חוֹרִי (khori); the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has חָוֵרוּ (khaveru), probably a Qal perfect, third plural form of חוּר, (khur, “be white, pale”). See HALOT 299 s.v. I חור. The latter reading is assumed in the translation above.
  33. Isaiah 19:10 tn Some interpret שָׁתֹתֶיהָ (shatoteha) as “her foundations,” i.e., leaders, nobles. See BDB 1011 s.v. שָׁת. Others, on the basis of alleged cognates in Akkadian and Coptic, repoint the form שְׁתִיתֶיהָ (shetiteha) and translate “her weavers.” See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:370.
  34. Isaiah 19:10 tn Heb “crushed.” Emotional distress is the focus of the context (see vv. 8-9, 10b).
  35. Isaiah 19:10 tn Heb “sad of soul”; cf. NIV, NLT “sick at heart.”
  36. Isaiah 19:11 tn Or “certainly the officials of Zoan are fools.” אַךְ (’akh) can carry the sense, “only, nothing but,” or “certainly, surely.”
  37. Isaiah 19:11 tn Heb “A son of wise men am I, a son of ancient kings.” The term בֶּן (ben, “son of”) could refer to literal descent, but many understand the word, at least in the first line, in its idiomatic sense of “member [of a guild].” See HALOT 138 s.v. בֶּן and J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:371. If this is the case, then one can take the word in a figurative sense in the second line as well, the “son of ancient kings” being one devoted to their memory as preserved in their literature.
  38. Isaiah 19:12 tn Heb “Where are they? Where are your wise men?” The juxtaposition of the interrogative pronouns is emphatic. See HALOT 38 s.v. אֶי.
  39. Isaiah 19:13 tn Heb “Noph” (so KJV); most recent English versions substitute the more familiar “Memphis.”
  40. Isaiah 19:13 tn Heb “the cornerstone.” The singular form should be emended to a plural.
  41. Isaiah 19:14 tn Heb “the Lord has mixed into her midst a spirit of blindness.”
  42. Isaiah 19:14 tn Heb “like the going astray of a drunkard in his vomit.”
  43. Isaiah 19:15 tn Heb “And there will not be for Egypt a deed, which head and tail, shoot and stalk, can do.” In 9:14-15 the phrase “head or tail” refers to leaders and prophets, respectively. This interpretation makes good sense in this context, where both leaders and advisers (probably including prophets and diviners) are mentioned (vv. 11-14). Here, as in 9:14, “shoots or stalk” picture a reed, which symbolizes the leadership of the nation in its entirety.
  44. Isaiah 19:16 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV); likewise at the beginning of vv. 18 and 19.
  45. Isaiah 19:16 tn Heb “Egypt,” which stands by metonymy for the country’s inhabitants.
  46. Isaiah 19:16 sn As the rest of the verse indicates, the point of the simile is that the Egyptians will be relatively weak physically and will wilt in fear before the Lord’s onslaught.
  47. Isaiah 19:16 tn Heb “and he will tremble and be afraid because of the brandishing of the hand of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies [traditionally, “the Lord of hosts”], which he brandishes against him.” Since according to the imagery here the Lord’s “hand” is raised as a weapon against the Egyptians, the term “fist” has been used in the translation.
  48. Isaiah 19:17 tn Heb “and the land of Judah will become [a source of] shame to Egypt. Everyone to whom one mentions it [i.e., the land of Judah] will fear because of the plan of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies [traditionally, “the Lord of hosts”] which he is planning against him.”
  49. Isaiah 19:18 sn The significance of the number “five” in this context is uncertain. For a discussion of various proposals, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:376-77.
  50. Isaiah 19:18 tc The Hebrew text has עִיר הַהֶרֶס (ʿir haheres, “City of Destruction”; cf. NASB, NIV) but this does not fit the positive emphasis of vv. 18-22. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa and some medieval Hebrew mss read עִיר הָחֶרֶס (ʿir hakheres, “City of the Sun,” i.e., Heliopolis). This reading also finds support from Symmachus’ Greek version, the Targum, and the Vulgate. See HALOT 257 s.v. חֶרֶס and HALOT 355 s.v. II חֶרֶס.
  51. Isaiah 19:19 tn This word is sometimes used of a sacred pillar associated with pagan worship, but here it is associated with the worship of the Lord.
  52. Isaiah 19:20 tn The masculine noun מִזְבֵּחַ (mizbeakh, “altar”) in v. 19 is probably the subject of the masculine singular verb הָיָה (hayah) rather than the feminine noun מַצֵּבָה (matsevah, “sacred pillar”), also in v. 19.
  53. Isaiah 19:20 tn Heb “a sign and a witness to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies [traditionally, “the Lord of hosts”] in the land of Egypt.”
  54. Isaiah 19:20 tn רָב (rav) is a substantival participle (from רִיב, riv) meaning “one who strives, contends.”
  55. Isaiah 19:21 tn Heb “Egypt.” For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, the present translation uses the pronoun (“they”) here.
  56. Isaiah 19:21 tn Heb “will know the Lord.”
  57. Isaiah 19:21 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV); likewise at the beginning of vv. 23 and 24.
  58. Isaiah 19:22 tn Heb “he will be entreated.” The Niphal has a tolerative sense here, “he will allow himself to be entreated.”
  59. Isaiah 19:23 tn The text could be translated, “and Egypt will serve Assyria” (cf. NAB), but subjugation of one nation to the other does not seem to be a theme in vv. 23-25. Rather the nations are viewed as equals before the Lord (v. 25). Therefore it is better to take אֶת (ʾet) in v. 23b as a preposition, “together with,” rather than the accusative sign. The names of the two countries are understood to refer by metonymy to their respective inhabitants.
  60. Isaiah 19:24 tn Heb “will be a blessing” (so NCV).
  61. Isaiah 19:24 tn Or “land” (KJV, NAB).
  62. Isaiah 19:25 tn Heb “which the Lord of Heaven’s Armies [traditionally, “the Lord of hosts”] will bless [it], saying.” The third masculine singular suffix on the form בֵּרֲכוֹ (berakho) should probably be emended to a third feminine singular suffix בֵּרֲכָהּ (berakhah), for its antecedent would appear to be the feminine noun אֶרֶץ (ʾerets, “earth”) at the end of v. 24.
  63. Isaiah 19:25 tn Or “my inheritance” (NAB, NASB, NIV).
  64. Isaiah 20:1 tn Heb “In the year the commanding general came to Ashdod, when Sargon king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and captured it.”sn This probably refers to the Assyrian campaign against Philistia in 712 or 711 b.c.
  65. Isaiah 20:2 tn Heb “spoke by the hand of.”
  66. Isaiah 20:2 tn The word used here (עָרוֹם, ʿarom) sometimes means “naked,” but here it appears to mean simply “lightly dressed,” i.e., stripped to one’s undergarments. See HALOT 883 s.v. עָרוֹם. The term also occurs in vv. 3, 4.
  67. Isaiah 20:4 tn Heb “lightly dressed and barefoot, and bare with respect to the buttocks, the nakedness of Egypt.”
  68. Isaiah 20:5 tn Heb “and they will be afraid and embarrassed because of Cush their hope and Egypt their beauty.”
  69. Isaiah 20:6 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).
  70. Isaiah 20:6 sn This probably refers to the coastal region of Philistia (cf. TEV).
  71. Isaiah 21:1 tn See note at Isa 13:1.
  72. Isaiah 21:1 sn The phrase is quite cryptic, at least to the modern reader. Verse 9 seems to indicate that this message pertains to Babylon. Southern Mesopotamia was known as the Sealand in ancient times, because of its proximity to the Persian Gulf. Perhaps the reference to Babylon as a “wilderness” foreshadows the destruction that would overtake the city, making it like an uninhabited wilderness.
  73. Isaiah 21:1 tn Or “in the Negev” (NASB).
  74. Isaiah 21:2 tn Heb “a severe revelation has been related to me.”
  75. Isaiah 21:2 sn This is often interpreted to mean “all the groaning” that Babylon has caused others.
  76. Isaiah 21:3 tn Heb “my waist is filled with shaking [or “anguish”].”
  77. Isaiah 21:3 tn Or perhaps, “bent over [in pain]”; cf. NRSV “I am bowed down.”
  78. Isaiah 21:4 tn Heb “wanders”; perhaps here, “is confused.”
  79. Isaiah 21:4 tn Heb “shuddering terrifies me.”
  80. Isaiah 21:5 tn The precise meaning of the verb in this line is debated. Some prefer to derive the form from the homonymic צָפֹה (tsafoh, “keep watch”) and translate “post a guard” (cf. KJV “watch in the watchtower”; ASV “set the watch”).
  81. Isaiah 21:5 tn The verbal forms in the first three lines are infinitives absolute, which are functioning here as finite verbs. It is uncertain if the forms should have an imperatival or indicative/descriptive force here.
  82. Isaiah 21:5 sn Smearing the shields with oil would make them more flexible and effective in battle. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:394.
  83. Isaiah 21:6 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 8, 16 is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
  84. Isaiah 21:7 tn Or “a pair of horsemen.”
  85. Isaiah 21:8 tn The Hebrew text has, “the lion,” but this makes little sense here. אַרְיֵה (ʾaryeh, “lion”) probably needs to be emended to an original הָרֹאֶה (haroʾeh, “the one who sees”), i.e., the guard mentioned previously in v. 6. The Dead Sea Scrolls (1Q Isaa) and the Syriac support an original הָרֹאֶה (haroʾeh, “the one who sees”).
  86. Isaiah 21:8 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay). Some translations take this to refer to the Lord (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV), while others take it to refer to the guard’s human master (“my lord”; cf. NIV, NLT).
  87. Isaiah 21:9 tn Or “[with] teams of horses,” or perhaps, “with a pair of horsemen.”
  88. Isaiah 21:9 tn Heb “and he answered and said” (so KJV, ASV).
  89. Isaiah 21:10 tn Heb “My trampled one, and the son of the threshing floor.”
  90. Isaiah 21:11 tn The noun דּוּמָה (dumah) means “silence,” but here it is a proper name, probably referring to a site in northern Arabia or to the nation of Edom. See BDB 189 s.v. II דּוּמָה. If Dumah was an area in northern Arabia, it would be of interest to the Edomites because of its strategic position on trade routes which they used. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:398.
  91. Isaiah 21:11 sn Seir is another name for Edom. See BDB 973 s.v. שֵׂעִיר.
  92. Isaiah 21:11 sn The “night” probably here symbolizes distress and difficult times. See BDB 539 s.v. לַיְלָה.
  93. Isaiah 21:12 sn Dumah will experience some relief, but it will be short-lived as night returns.
  94. Isaiah 21:12 sn The point of the watchman’s final instructions (“if you want to ask, ask; come again”) is unclear. Perhaps they are included to add realism to the dramatic portrayal. The watchman sends the questioner away with the words, “Feel free to come back and ask again.”
  95. Isaiah 21:16 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
  96. Isaiah 21:16 tn Heb “in still a year, like the years of a hired worker.” See the note at 16:14.
  97. Isaiah 21:17 tn Heb “and the remnant of the number of the bow, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, will be few.”
  98. Isaiah 21:17 tn Or “for” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
  99. Isaiah 22:1 tn See note at Isa 13:1.
  100. Isaiah 22:1 sn The following message pertains to Jerusalem. The significance of referring to the city as the Valley of Vision is uncertain. Perhaps the Hinnom Valley is in view, but why it is associated with a prophetic revelatory “vision” is not entirely clear. Maybe the Hinnom Valley is called this because the destruction that will take place there is the focal point of this prophetic message (see v. 5).
  101. Isaiah 22:1 tn Heb “What to you, then?”
  102. Isaiah 22:2 tn Heb “the boisterous town.” The phrase is parallel to “the noisy city” in the preceding line.
  103. Isaiah 22:2 sn Apparently they died from starvation during the siege that preceded the final conquest of the city. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:409.
  104. Isaiah 22:3 tn Verse 3 reads literally, “All your leaders ran away; apart from a bow they were captured; all your found ones were captured together; to a distant place they fled.” J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:403, n. 3) suggests that the lines of the verse are arranged chiastically; lines 1 and 4 go together, while lines 2 and 3 are parallel. To translate the lines in the order they appear in the Hebrew text is misleading to the English reader, who is likely unfamiliar with, or at least insensitive to, chiastic parallelism. Consequently, the main translation arranges the lines as follows: line 1 (Hebrew) = line 1 (in translation); line 2 (Hebrew) = line 4 (in translation); line 3 (Hebrew) = line 3 (in translation); line 4 (Hebrew) = line 2 (in translation).
  105. Isaiah 22:3 tn Heb “all your found ones.” To achieve tighter parallelism (see “your leaders”) some prefer to emend the form to אַמִּיצַיִךְ (ʾammitsayikh, “your strong ones”) or to נֶאֱמָצַיִךְ (neʾematsayikh, “your strengthened ones”).
  106. Isaiah 22:3 tn Heb “apart from [i.e., without] a bow they were captured”; cf. NAB, NRSV “without the use of a bow.”
  107. Isaiah 22:4 tn Heb “look away from me” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).
  108. Isaiah 22:4 tn Heb “don’t hurry” (so NCV).
  109. Isaiah 22:4 tn Heb “the daughter of my people.” “Daughter” is here used metaphorically to express the speaker’s emotional attachment to his people, as well as their vulnerability and weakness.
  110. Isaiah 22:5 tn The Hebrew term translated “Sovereign” here and in vv. 12, 14, 15 is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
  111. Isaiah 22:5 tn Heb “For [there is] a day of panic, and trampling, and confusion for the master, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies [traditionally, “the Lord of hosts”].”
  112. Isaiah 22:5 tn The traditional accentuation of the Hebrew text suggests that this phrase goes with what precedes.
  113. Isaiah 22:5 tn The precise meaning of this statement is unclear. Some take קִר (qir) as “wall” and interpret the verb to mean “tear down.” However, tighter parallelism (note the reference to crying for help in the next line) is achieved if one takes both the verb and noun from a root, attested in Ugaritic and Arabic, meaning “make a sound.” See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:404, n. 5.
  114. Isaiah 22:5 sn Perhaps “the hill” refers to the temple mount.
  115. Isaiah 22:6 tn Heb “[with] the chariots of men, horsemen.”
  116. Isaiah 22:6 sn A distant region in the direction of Mesopotamia; see Amos 1:5; 9:7.
  117. Isaiah 22:6 tn Heb “Kir uncovers” (so NAB, NIV).
  118. Isaiah 22:6 sn The Elamites and men of Kir may here symbolize a fierce army from a distant land. If this oracle anticipates a Babylonian conquest of the city (see 39:5-7), then the Elamites and men of Kir are perhaps viewed here as mercenaries in the Babylonian army. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:410.
  119. Isaiah 22:7 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
  120. Isaiah 22:7 tn Heb “taking a stand, take their stand.” The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following finite verb. The translation attempts to bring out this emphasis with the adverb “confidently.”
  121. Isaiah 22:8 tn Heb “he,” i.e., the enemy invader. NASB, by its capitalization of the pronoun, takes this to refer to the Lord.
  122. Isaiah 22:8 tn Heb “covering.”
  123. Isaiah 22:8 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV); likewise at the beginning of v. 12.
  124. Isaiah 22:8 sn Perhaps this refers to a royal armory, or to Solomon’s “House of the Forest of Lebanon,” where weapons may have been kept (see 1 Kgs 10:16-17).
  125. Isaiah 22:9 tn Heb “the breaks of the City of David, you saw that they were many.”
  126. Isaiah 22:10 tn Heb “you demolished the houses to fortify the wall.”
  127. Isaiah 22:11 tn Heb “look at”; NAB, NRSV “did not look to.”
  128. Isaiah 22:11 tn The antecedent of the third feminine singular suffix here and in the next line is unclear. The closest feminine noun is “pool” in the first half of the verse. Perhaps this “old pool” symbolizes the entire city, which had prospered because of God’s provision and protection through the years.
  129. Isaiah 22:11 tn Heb “did not see.”
  130. Isaiah 22:12 tn Heb “for baldness and the wearing of sackcloth.” See the note at 15:2.
  131. Isaiah 22:13 tn Heb “happiness and joy.”
  132. Isaiah 22:13 tn The prophet here quotes what the fatalistic people are saying. The introductory “you say” is supplied in the translation for clarification; the concluding verb “we die” makes it clear the people are speaking. The six verbs translated as imperatives are actually infinitives absolute, functioning here as finite verbs.
  133. Isaiah 22:14 tn Heb “it was revealed in my ears [by?] the Lord of Heaven’s Armies [traditionally, “the Lord of hosts”].”
  134. Isaiah 22:14 tn Heb “Certainly this sin will not be atoned for until you die.” This does not imply that their death will bring atonement; rather it emphasizes that their sin is unpardonable. The statement has the form of an oath.
  135. Isaiah 22:15 tn Heb “who is over the house” (so ASV); NASB “who is in charge of the royal household.”
  136. Isaiah 22:15 tn The words “and tell him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  137. Isaiah 22:16 tn Heb “What to you here? And who to you here?” The point of the second question is not entirely clear. The interpretation reflected in the translation is based on the following context, which suggests that Shebna has no right to think of himself so highly and arrange such an extravagant burial place for himself.
  138. Isaiah 22:16 tn Heb “that you chisel out.”
  139. Isaiah 22:17 tn Heb “will throw you with a throwing.”
  140. Isaiah 22:17 tn Heb “O man” (so NASB); NAB “mortal man”; NRSV “my fellow.”
  141. Isaiah 22:17 tn Heb “and the one who wraps you [will] wrap.”
  142. Isaiah 22:18 tn Heb “and he will tightly [or “surely”] wind you [with] winding like a ball, to a land broad of hands [i.e., “sides”].”
  143. Isaiah 22:18 tn Heb “and there the chariots of your splendor.”
  144. Isaiah 22:18 sn Apparently the reference to chariots alludes to Shebna’s excessive pride, which in turn brings disgrace to the royal family.
  145. Isaiah 22:19 tn Heb “I will push you away from.”
  146. Isaiah 22:19 tn Heb “he will throw you down.” The shift from the first to third person is peculiar and abrupt, but certainly not unprecedented in Hebrew poetry. See GKC 462 §144.p. The third person may be indefinite (“one will throw you down”), in which case the passive translation is justified.
  147. Isaiah 22:20 tn Or “in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
  148. Isaiah 22:21 tn Heb “and your dominion I will place in his hand.”
  149. Isaiah 22:21 tn Heb “a father to.” The Hebrew term אָב (ʾav, “father”) is here used metaphorically of one who protects and supports those under his care and authority, like a father does his family. For another example of this metaphorical use of the word, see Job 29:16.
  150. Isaiah 22:21 tn Heb “house.”
  151. Isaiah 22:22 sn This may refer to a literal insignia worn by the chief administrator. Even so, it would still symbolize the administrator’s authority to grant or exclude access to the king. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:422.
  152. Isaiah 22:23 sn The metaphor depicts how secure his position will be.
  153. Isaiah 22:23 tn Heb “and he will become a glorious throne for the house of his father.”
  154. Isaiah 22:24 tn Heb “and all the glory of the house of his father they will hang on him.” The Lord returns to the peg metaphor of v. 23a. Eliakim’s secure position of honor will bring benefits and jobs to many others in the family.
  155. Isaiah 22:24 tn The precise meaning and derivation of this word are uncertain. Cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “the issue”; CEV “relatives.”
  156. Isaiah 22:24 tn Heb “all the small vessels, from the vessels that are bowls to all the vessels that are jars.” The picture is that of a single peg holding the weight of all kinds of containers hung from it.
  157. Isaiah 22:25 tn Or “In that day” (KJV).
  158. Isaiah 22:25 sn Eliakim’s authority, though seemingly secure, will eventually be removed, and with it his family’s prominence.
  159. Isaiah 22:25 tn Or “for” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
Listen to Isaiah 18-22
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Isaiah 18-22
New International Version

A Prophecy Against Cush

18 Woe(A) to the land of whirring wings[a]
    along the rivers of Cush,[b](B)
2 which sends envoys(C) by sea
    in papyrus(D) boats over the water.

Go, swift messengers,
to a people tall and smooth-skinned,(E)
    to a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive(F) nation of strange speech,
    whose land is divided by rivers.(G)

3 All you people of the world,(H)
    you who live on the earth,
when a banner(I) is raised on the mountains,
    you will see it,
and when a trumpet(J) sounds,
    you will hear it.
4 This is what the Lord says to me:
    “I will remain quiet(K) and will look on from my dwelling place,(L)
like shimmering heat in the sunshine,(M)
    like a cloud of dew(N) in the heat of harvest.”
5 For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone
    and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
he will cut off(O) the shoots with pruning knives,
    and cut down and take away the spreading branches.(P)
6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey(Q)
    and to the wild animals;(R)
the birds will feed on them all summer,
    the wild animals all winter.

7 At that time gifts(S) will be brought to the Lord Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned,(T)
    from a people feared(U) far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech,
    whose land is divided by rivers(V)—

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.(W)

A Prophecy Against Egypt

19 A prophecy(X) against Egypt:(Y)

See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud(Z)
    and is coming to Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him,
    and the hearts of the Egyptians melt(AA) with fear.

2 “I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian—
    brother will fight against brother,(AB)
    neighbor against neighbor,
    city against city,
    kingdom against kingdom.(AC)
3 The Egyptians will lose heart,(AD)
    and I will bring their plans(AE) to nothing;(AF)
they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead,
    the mediums and the spiritists.(AG)
4 I will hand the Egyptians over
    to the power of a cruel master,
and a fierce king(AH) will rule over them,”
    declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

5 The waters of the river will dry up,(AI)
    and the riverbed will be parched and dry.(AJ)
6 The canals will stink;(AK)
    the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.(AL)
The reeds(AM) and rushes will wither,(AN)
7     also the plants(AO) along the Nile,
    at the mouth of the river.
Every sown field(AP) along the Nile
    will become parched, will blow away and be no more.(AQ)
8 The fishermen(AR) will groan and lament,
    all who cast hooks(AS) into the Nile;
those who throw nets on the water
    will pine away.
9 Those who work with combed flax(AT) will despair,
    the weavers of fine linen(AU) will lose hope.
10 The workers in cloth will be dejected,
    and all the wage earners will be sick at heart.

11 The officials of Zoan(AV) are nothing but fools;
    the wise counselors(AW) of Pharaoh give senseless advice.(AX)
How can you say to Pharaoh,
    “I am one of the wise men,(AY)
    a disciple of the ancient kings”?

12 Where are your wise men(AZ) now?
    Let them show you and make known
what the Lord Almighty
    has planned(BA) against Egypt.
13 The officials of Zoan(BB) have become fools,
    the leaders of Memphis(BC) are deceived;
the cornerstones(BD) of her peoples
    have led Egypt astray.
14 The Lord has poured into them
    a spirit of dizziness;(BE)
they make Egypt stagger in all that she does,
    as a drunkard staggers(BF) around in his vomit.
15 There is nothing Egypt can do—
    head or tail, palm branch or reed.(BG)

16 In that day(BH) the Egyptians will become weaklings.(BI) They will shudder with fear(BJ) at the uplifted hand(BK) that the Lord Almighty raises against them. 17 And the land of Judah will bring terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be terrified,(BL) because of what the Lord Almighty is planning(BM) against them.

18 In that day(BN) five cities(BO) in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance(BP) to the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun.[c](BQ)

19 In that day(BR) there will be an altar(BS) to the Lord in the heart of Egypt,(BT) and a monument(BU) to the Lord at its border. 20 It will be a sign and witness(BV) to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior(BW) and defender, and he will rescue(BX) them. 21 So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge(BY) the Lord. They will worship(BZ) with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them.(CA) 22 The Lord will strike(CB) Egypt with a plague;(CC) he will strike them and heal them. They will turn(CD) to the Lord, and he will respond to their pleas and heal(CE) them.

23 In that day(CF) there will be a highway(CG) from Egypt to Assyria.(CH) The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship(CI) together. 24 In that day(CJ) Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria,(CK) a blessing[d](CL) on the earth. 25 The Lord Almighty will bless(CM) them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people,(CN) Assyria my handiwork,(CO) and Israel my inheritance.(CP)”

A Prophecy Against Egypt and Cush

20 In the year that the supreme commander,(CQ) sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod(CR) and attacked and captured it— 2 at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz.(CS) He said to him, “Take off the sackcloth(CT) from your body and the sandals(CU) from your feet.” And he did so, going around stripped(CV) and barefoot.(CW)

3 Then the Lord said, “Just as my servant(CX) Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years,(CY) as a sign(CZ) and portent(DA) against Egypt(DB) and Cush,[e](DC) 4 so the king(DD) of Assyria will lead away stripped(DE) and barefoot the Egyptian captives(DF) and Cushite(DG) exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared(DH)—to Egypt’s shame.(DI) 5 Those who trusted(DJ) in Cush(DK) and boasted in Egypt(DL) will be dismayed and put to shame.(DM) 6 In that day(DN) the people who live on this coast will say, ‘See what has happened(DO) to those we relied on,(DP) those we fled to for help(DQ) and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?(DR)’”

A Prophecy Against Babylon

21 A prophecy(DS) against the Desert(DT) by the Sea:

Like whirlwinds(DU) sweeping through the southland,(DV)
    an invader comes from the desert,
    from a land of terror.

2 A dire(DW) vision has been shown to me:
    The traitor betrays,(DX) the looter takes loot.
Elam,(DY) attack! Media,(DZ) lay siege!
    I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.

3 At this my body is racked with pain,(EA)
    pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;(EB)
I am staggered by what I hear,
    I am bewildered(EC) by what I see.
4 My heart(ED) falters,
    fear makes me tremble;(EE)
the twilight I longed for
    has become a horror(EF) to me.

5 They set the tables,
    they spread the rugs,
    they eat, they drink!(EG)
Get up, you officers,
    oil the shields!(EH)

6 This is what the Lord says to me:

“Go, post a lookout(EI)
    and have him report what he sees.
7 When he sees chariots(EJ)
    with teams of horses,
riders on donkeys
    or riders on camels,(EK)
let him be alert,
    fully alert.”

8 And the lookout[f](EL) shouted,

“Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower;
    every night I stay at my post.
9 Look, here comes a man in a chariot(EM)
    with a team of horses.
And he gives back the answer:
    ‘Babylon(EN) has fallen,(EO) has fallen!
All the images of its gods(EP)
    lie shattered(EQ) on the ground!’”

10 My people who are crushed on the threshing floor,(ER)
    I tell you what I have heard
from the Lord Almighty,
    from the God of Israel.

A Prophecy Against Edom

11 A prophecy against Dumah[g]:(ES)

Someone calls to me from Seir,(ET)
    “Watchman, what is left of the night?
    Watchman, what is left of the night?”
12 The watchman replies,
    “Morning is coming, but also the night.
If you would ask, then ask;
    and come back yet again.”

A Prophecy Against Arabia

13 A prophecy(EU) against Arabia:(EV)

You caravans of Dedanites,(EW)
    who camp in the thickets of Arabia,
14     bring water for the thirsty;
you who live in Tema,(EX)
    bring food for the fugitives.
15 They flee(EY) from the sword,(EZ)
    from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow
    and from the heat of battle.

16 This is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a servant bound by contract(FA) would count it, all the splendor(FB) of Kedar(FC) will come to an end. 17 The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.(FD)” The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.(FE)

A Prophecy About Jerusalem

22 A prophecy(FF) against the Valley(FG) of Vision:(FH)

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

5 The Lord, the Lord Almighty, has a day(FR)
    of tumult and trampling(FS) and terror(FT)
    in the Valley of Vision,(FU)
a day of battering down walls(FV)
    and of crying out to the mountains.
6 Elam(FW) takes up the quiver,(FX)
    with her charioteers and horses;
    Kir(FY) uncovers the shield.
7 Your choicest valleys(FZ) are full of chariots,
    and horsemen are posted at the city gates.(GA)

8 The Lord stripped away the defenses of Judah,
    and you looked in that day(GB)
    to the weapons(GC) in the Palace of the Forest.(GD)
9 You saw that the walls of the City of David
    were broken through(GE) in many places;
you stored up water
    in the Lower Pool.(GF)
10 You counted the buildings in Jerusalem
    and tore down houses(GG) to strengthen the wall.(GH)
11 You built a reservoir between the two walls(GI)
    for the water of the Old Pool,(GJ)
but you did not look to the One who made it,
    or have regard(GK) for the One who planned(GL) it long ago.

12 The Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    called you on that day(GM)
to weep(GN) and to wail,
    to tear out your hair(GO) and put on sackcloth.(GP)
13 But see, there is joy and revelry,(GQ)
    slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep,
    eating of meat and drinking of wine!(GR)
“Let us eat and drink,” you say,
    “for tomorrow we die!”(GS)

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

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

“Go, say to this steward,
    to Shebna(GV) the palace(GW) administrator:(GX)
16 What are you doing here and who gave you permission
    to cut out a grave(GY) for yourself(GZ) 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(HA) you away, you mighty man.
18 He will roll you up tightly like a ball
    and throw(HB) you into a large country.
There you will die
    and there the chariots(HC) 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(HD) from your position.(HE)

20 “In that day(HF) I will summon my servant,(HG) Eliakim(HH) son of Hilkiah. 21 I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash(HI) around him and hand your authority(HJ) 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(HK) the key(HL) to the house of David;(HM) what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.(HN) 23 I will drive him like a peg(HO) into a firm place;(HP) he will become a seat[h] of honor(HQ) 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,(HR)” declares the Lord Almighty, “the peg(HS) 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.(HT)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 18:1 Or of locusts
  2. Isaiah 18:1 That is, the upper Nile region
  3. Isaiah 19:18 Some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, Symmachus and Vulgate; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text City of Destruction
  4. Isaiah 19:24 Or Assyria, whose names will be used in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or Assyria, who will be seen by others as blessed
  5. Isaiah 20:3 That is, the upper Nile region; also in verse 5
  6. Isaiah 21:8 Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac; Masoretic Text A lion
  7. Isaiah 21:11 Dumah, a wordplay on Edom, means silence or stillness.
  8. Isaiah 22:23 Or throne
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Isaiah 23
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