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

An Oracle Concerning Jerusalem

22 The (A)oracle concerning (B)the valley of vision.

What do you mean that you have gone up,
    all of you, to the housetops,
you who are full of shoutings,
    tumultuous city, (C)exultant town?
Your slain are (D)not slain with the sword
    or dead in battle.
(E)All your leaders have fled together;
    without the bow they were captured.
All of you who were found were captured,
    though they had fled far away.
Therefore I said:
“Look away from me;
    (F)let me weep bitter tears;
do not labor to comfort me
    concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people.”

(G)For the Lord God of hosts has (H)a day
    of tumult and (I)trampling and (J)confusion
    in (K)the valley of vision,
a battering down of walls
    and a shouting to the mountains.
And (L)Elam bore the quiver
    with chariots and horsemen,
    and (M)Kir uncovered the shield.
Your choicest valleys were full of chariots,
    and the horsemen took their stand at the gates.
He has taken away (N)the covering of Judah.

In that day you looked to (O)the weapons of the House of the Forest, and you saw that (P)the breaches of the city of David were many. (Q)You collected the waters of the lower pool, 10 and you counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall. 11 (R)You made a reservoir between (S)the two walls for the water of (T)the old pool. But (U)you did not look to him who did it, or see him who planned it long ago.

12 In that day (V)the Lord God of hosts
    called for weeping and mourning,
    for (W)baldness and (X)wearing sackcloth;
13 and behold, joy and gladness,
    killing oxen and slaughtering sheep,
    eating flesh and drinking wine.
(Y)“Let us eat and drink,
    for tomorrow we die.”
14 The Lord of hosts (Z)has revealed himself in my ears:
“Surely (AA)this iniquity will not be atoned for you (AB)until you die,”
    says the Lord God of hosts.

15 Thus says the Lord God of hosts, “Come, go to this steward, to (AC)Shebna, who is over the household, and say to him: 16 What have you to do here, and whom have you here, (AD)that you have cut out here a tomb for yourself, you (AE)who cut out a tomb on the height and carve a dwelling for yourself in the rock? 17 Behold, the Lord will hurl you away violently, O you strong man. (AF)He will seize firm hold on you 18 and whirl you around and around, and throw you like a ball into a wide land. There you shall die, and there shall be (AG)your glorious chariots, you shame of your master's house. 19 (AH)I will thrust you from your office, and you will be pulled down from your station. 20 In that day I will call my servant (AI)Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, 21 and (AJ)I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be (AK)a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. 22 And I will place (AL)on his shoulder (AM)the key of the house of David. (AN)He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. 23 And I will fasten him (AO)like a peg in a secure place, and he will become (AP)a throne of honor to his father's house. 24 And they will hang on him the whole honor of his father's house, the offspring and issue, every small vessel, from the cups to all the flagons. 25 In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, (AQ)the peg that was fastened in a secure place will give way, and it will be cut down and fall, and the load that was on it will be cut off, for the Lord has spoken.”