An Oracle against Jerusalem

22 An oracle(A) against the Valley of Vision:(B)

What’s the matter with you?
Why have all of you gone up to the rooftops?(C)
The noisy city, the jubilant town,(D)
is filled with revelry.
Your dead did not die by the sword;
they were not killed in battle.
All your rulers have fled together,
captured without a bow.
All your fugitives were captured together;
they had fled far away.
Therefore I said,
“Look away from me! Let me weep bitterly!(E)
Do not try to comfort me
about the destruction of my dear[a] people.”
For the Lord God of Hosts
had a day of tumult, trampling, and confusion(F)
in the Valley of Vision—
people shouting[b] and crying to the mountains;
Elam took up a quiver
with chariots and horsemen,[c]
and Kir(G) uncovered the shield.
Your best valleys were full of chariots,
and horsemen were positioned at the gates.
He removed the defenses of Judah.

On that day you looked to the weapons in the House of the Forest.(H) You saw that there were many breaches in the walls of the city of David.(I) You collected water from the lower pool.(J) 10 You counted the houses of Jerusalem so that you could tear them down to fortify the wall. 11 You made a reservoir between the walls(K) for the waters of the ancient pool,(L) but you did not look to the One who made it, or consider the One who created it long ago.

12 On that day the Lord God of Hosts
called for weeping,(M) for wailing, for shaven heads,
and for the wearing of sackcloth.
13 But look: joy and gladness,
butchering of cattle, slaughtering of sheep,
eating of meat, and drinking of wine—
“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”(N)
14 The Lord of Hosts has directly revealed to me:(O)
“This sin of yours will never[d] be wiped out.”(P)
The Lord God of Hosts has spoken.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 22:4 Lit of the daughter of my
  2. Isaiah 22:5 Or Vision—a tearing down of a wall, or Vision—Kir raged; Hb obscure
  3. Isaiah 22:6 Lit chariots of man
  4. Isaiah 22:14 Lit will not until you die

Jerusalemites rebuked

22 An oracle about the Valley of Vision.

What is wrong with you,
    that you have all gone up to the rooftops,
    you who are filled with noise,
    you roaring city, you party town?
Your dead weren’t slaughtered by the sword;
    they didn’t die in battle.
All your leaders escaped together
    but were captured without a single bow shot.
    All your escapees were bound together, even though they fled far away.[a]
Therefore, I said, “Don’t look at me;
        let me weep bitterly.
    Don’t try to comfort me
        about the destruction of my dearly loved people.”
The Lord God of heavenly forces has a day of tumult and trampling and turmoil in the Valley of Vision,
        a breaking down of walls,
        a cry for help to the mountains.
Elam carried the quiver with chariots and horsemen,
    and Kir uncovered the shield.
Your finest valleys were filled with chariots,
    and horsemen doggedly guarded the gate.
Judah’s covering has been stripped away.

On that day, you trusted the weapons in the Forest House.
    You observed the many broken defenses in David’s City,
    and you collected the waters of the lower pool.
10 You counted Jerusalem’s houses,
    and you tore down houses to fortify the wall.
11 You made a reservoir between the walls for the water of the earlier pool.
    But you didn’t trust its maker;
    you didn’t consider the one who planned it long ago.

12 The Lord God of heavenly forces called on that day
    for weeping and mourning, and shaven heads, and wearing of mourning clothes.
13 But instead there was
    fun and frivolity,
    killing of cattle
    and slaughtering of sheep,
    eating of meat and drinking of wine:
    “Eat and drink! Tomorrow we will die!”
14 But the Lord of heavenly forces has revealed in my hearing:
    This iniquity won’t be forgiven you until you die, says the Lord God of heavenly forces.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 22:3 Heb uncertain