Isaiah 22
New King James Version
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,
2 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.
3 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.
4 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.”
5 (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.
6 (E)Elam bore the quiver
With chariots of men and horsemen,
And (F)Kir uncovered the shield.
7 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.
8 (G)He removed the [c]protection of Judah.
You looked in that day to the armor (H)of the House of the Forest;
9 (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
- Isaiah 22:1 oracle, prophecy
- Isaiah 22:2 boisterous
- Isaiah 22:8 Lit. covering
- Isaiah 22:9 Lit. breaches in the city walls
- Isaiah 22:19 LXX omits he will pull you down; Syr., Tg., Vg. I will pull you down
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
Yeshayah 22
Orthodox Jewish Bible
22 The massa (burden) of the Gey Chizayon (Valley of Vision). What is it to thee now, that thou art all gone up to the rooftops?
2 Thou that art full of noise, a tumultuous city, exultant city; thy slain men are not slain with the cherev, nor dead in milchamah.
3 All thy rulers are fled together, they are captured by the keshet (bow); all that are found in thee are captured together, which have fled far away.
4 Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labor not to comfort me, because of the shod (catastrophe) of Bat Ami.
5 For it is a day of tumult, and of treading down, and of confusion by Adonoi Hashem Tzva’os in the Gey Chizayon (valley of vision), battering down the walls, and of crying to the har.
6 And Elam bore the ashpah (quiver) with chariots of adam and parashim, and Kir uncovered the mogen (shield).
7 And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the parashim shall set themselves in array at the sha’ar.
8 And He removed the masakh Yehudah (covering of Yehudah, defense, protection) and thou didst look in that day to the armor of the bais of the forest [the King’s armory].
9 Ye have seen also the damage of Ir Dovid, that they are many; and ye gathered together the waters of the Lower Pool.
10 And ye have numbered the batim (buildings) of Yerushalayim, and the batim (houses) have ye torn down to fortify the chomah (wall).
11 Ye made also a mikveh (reservoir) between the two walls for the mayim of the Old Pool; but ye have not looked unto the Maker thereof, neither had respect unto her Yotzer from long ago.
12 And in that day did Adonoi Hashem Tzva’os call to weeping, and to wailing, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth;
13 And hinei sasson and simchah, slaughter of bakar and ritual slaughter of tzon, eating basar, and drinking yayin; let us eat and drink; for makhar we shall die.
14 And it was revealed in mine oznayim by Hashem Tzva’os, Till ye die for this avon there will be no kapporah, saith Adonoi Hashem Tzva’os.
15 Thus saith Adonoi Hashem Tzva’os, Go, get thee unto this sochen (steward) even unto Shevna, which is over the Bais (palace), and say,
16 What hast thou here? And whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a kever here, as he that heweth him out a kever on high, and that carveth a mishkan for himself in the rock?
17 Hinei, Hashem will throw thee out, gever, and will surely seize thee.
18 He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a kadoor (ball) into a wide country; there shalt thou die, and there the merkevot (chariots) of thy kavod shall be the disgrace of the Bais Adonecha.
19 And I will drive thee from thy matzav (position) and from thy position shall He pull thee down.
20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will summon My eved Elyakim Ben Chilkiyah;
21 And I will clothe him with thy kesones, and strengthen him with thy avnet (sash) and I will commit thy memshelet (authority) into his yad; and he shall be an av to the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, and to the Bais Yehudah.
22 And the mafte’ach Bais Dovid (key of the House of Dovid) will I lay upon his shekhem (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 yated (peg) in a makom ne’eman (firm place); and he shall be for a kisse kavod to the Bais Aviv.
24 And they shall hang upon him kol kavod Bais Aviv, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of bowls, even to all that of large vessels.
25 In that day, saith Hashem Tzva’os, shall the yated (peg) that is fastened in the makom ne’eman give away, and be cut down, and fall; and the massa (burden) that was upon it shall be [violently] cut off; for Hashem hath spoken.
Isaiah 22
Living Bible
22 This is God’s message concerning Jerusalem:[a]
What is happening? Where is everyone going? Why are they running to the rooftops? What are they looking at? 2 The whole city is in terrible uproar. What’s the trouble in this busy, happy city?[b] Bodies! Lying everywhere, slain by plague and not by sword. 3 All your leaders flee; they surrender without resistance. The people slip away but they are captured too. 4 Leave me alone to weep. Don’t try to comfort me—let me cry for my people as I watch them being destroyed. 5 Oh, what a day of crushing trouble! What a day of confusion and terror from the Lord God of heaven’s armies! The walls of Jerusalem are breached, and the cry of death echoes from the mountainsides. 6-7 Elamites are the archers; Syrians drive the chariots; the men of Kir hold up the shields. They fill your choicest valleys and crowd against your gates.
8 God has removed his protecting care. You run to the armory for your weapons! 9-11 You inspect the walls of Jerusalem to see what needs repair! You check over the houses and tear some down for stone for fixing walls. Between the city walls, you build a reservoir for water from the lower pool! But all your feverish plans will not avail, for you never ask for help from God, who lets this come upon you. He is the one who planned it long ago. 12 The Lord God called you to repent, to weep and mourn, to shave your heads in sorrow for your sins, and to wear clothes made of sackcloth to show your remorse. 13 But instead, you sing and dance and play, and feast and drink. “Let us eat, drink, and be merry,” you say: “What’s the difference, for tomorrow we die.” 14 The Lord Almighty has revealed to me that this sin will never be forgiven you until the day you die.
15-16 Furthermore, the same Lord God of the armies of heaven has told me this: Go and say to Shebna, the palace administrator: “And who do you think you are, building this beautiful sepulchre in the rock for yourself? 17 For the Lord who allowed you to be clothed so gorgeously will hurl you away, sending you into captivity, O strong man! 18 He will wad you up in his hands like a ball and toss you away into a distant, barren land; there you will die, O glorious one—you who disgrace your nation!
19 “Yes, I will drive you out of office,” says the Lord, “and pull you down from your high position. 20 And then I will call my servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, to replace you. 21 He shall have your uniform and title and authority, and he will be a father to the people of Jerusalem and all Judah. 22 I will give him responsibility over all my people; whatever he says will be done; none will be able to stop him. 23-24 I will make of him a strong and steady peg to support my people; they will load him with responsibility, and he will be an honor to his family name.” 25 But the Lord will pull out that other peg that seems to be so firmly fastened to the wall! It will come out and fall to the ground, and everything it supports will fall with it, for the Lord has spoken.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 22:1 Jerusalem, literally, “the Valley of Vision.”
- Isaiah 22:2 happy city and slain by plague, implied.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.