Isaiah 22
New American Standard Bible
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?
2 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.
3 (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.
4 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.”
5 (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.
6 (K)Elam picked up the quiver,
With the chariots, [g]infantry, and horsemen;
And (L)Kir uncovered the shield.
7 Then your choicest valleys were full of chariots,
And the horsemen took positions at the gate.
8 And He removed the [h]defense of Judah.
On that day you [i]depended on the weapons of the (M)house of the forest,
9 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
- Isaiah 22:2 Lit dead in battle
- Isaiah 22:3 Lit from a bow
- Isaiah 22:3 As in ancient versions; MT They fled far away
- Isaiah 22:4 Lit insist
- Isaiah 22:5 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 22:5 Or against
- Isaiah 22:6 Lit man
- Isaiah 22:8 Lit covering
- Isaiah 22:8 Lit looked to
- Isaiah 22:11 Or look to, consider
- Isaiah 22:11 Lit see Him
- Isaiah 22:12 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 22:14 Lit in my ears
- Isaiah 22:14 Lit atoned for
- Isaiah 22:14 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 22:15 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 22:16 Lit himself
- Isaiah 22:19 As in many ancient versions; MT He
- Isaiah 22:21 Lit dominion
- Isaiah 22:24 Or perhaps, leaf
Isaiah 22
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
A Warning of Destruction of Jerusalem
22 The oracle concerning the valley of vision.
What has happened that you have gone up,
all of you, to the housetops,(A)
2 city full of shouting,
tumultuous city, panic-stricken town?
Your slain are not slain by the sword,
nor are they dead in battle.(B)
3 Your rulers have all fled together;
they were captured without the use of a bow.[a]
All of your people who were found were captured,
though they had fled far away.[b](C)
4 Therefore I said:
“Look away from me;
let me weep bitter tears;
do not try to comfort me
for the destruction of my beloved people.”(D)
5 For the Lord God of hosts has a day
of tumult and trampling and confusion
in the valley of vision,
a battering down of walls
and a cry for help to the mountains.(E)
6 Elam bore the quiver
with chariots and cavalry,[c]
and Kir uncovered the shield.(F)
7 Your choicest valleys were full of chariots,
and the cavalry took their stand at the gates.(G)
8 He has taken away the covering of Judah.
On that day you looked to the weapons of the House of the Forest,(H) 9 and you saw that there were many breaches in the city of David, and you collected the waters of the lower pool.(I) 10 You counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall. 11 You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you did not look to him who did it or have regard for him who planned it long ago.(J)
12 On that day the Lord God of hosts
called for weeping and mourning,
for baldness and putting on sackcloth,(K)
13 but instead there was joy and festivity,
killing oxen and slaughtering sheep,
eating meat and drinking wine.
“Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.”(L)
14 The Lord of hosts has revealed himself in my ears:
“Surely this iniquity will not be forgiven you until you die,”
says the Lord God of hosts.(M)
Denunciation of Self-Seeking Officials
15 Thus says the Lord God of hosts: “Go to the steward Shebna, who is master of the household, and say to him:(N) 16 What right do you have here? Who are your relatives here, that you have cut out a tomb here for yourself, cutting a tomb[d] on the height and carving a habitation for yourself[e] in the rock?(O) 17 The Lord is about to hurl you away violently, my fellow. He will seize firm hold on you, 18 whirl you round and round, and throw you like a ball into a wide land; there you shall die, and there your splendid chariots shall lie, O you disgrace to your master’s house!(P) 19 I will thrust you from your office, and you will be pulled down from your post.
20 “On that day I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah(Q) 21 and will clothe him with your robe and bind your sash on him. I will commit your authority to his hand, and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. 22 I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open.(R) 23 I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his ancestral house.(S) 24 And they will hang on him the whole weight of his ancestral house, the offspring and issue, every small vessel, from the cups to all the flagons. 25 On that day, says the Lord of hosts, the peg that was fastened in a secure place will give way; it will be cut down and fall, and the load that was on it will perish, for the Lord has spoken.”(T)
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.