A Prophecy About Jerusalem

22 A prophecy(A) against the Valley(B) of Vision:(C)

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

The Lord, the Lord Almighty, has a day(M)
    of tumult and trampling(N) and terror(O)
    in the Valley of Vision,(P)
a day of battering down walls(Q)
    and of crying out to the mountains.
Elam(R) takes up the quiver,(S)
    with her charioteers and horses;
    Kir(T) uncovers the shield.
Your choicest valleys(U) are full of chariots,
    and horsemen are posted at the city gates.(V)

The Lord stripped away the defenses of Judah,
    and you looked in that day(W)
    to the weapons(X) in the Palace of the Forest.(Y)
You saw that the walls of the City of David
    were broken through(Z) in many places;
you stored up water
    in the Lower Pool.(AA)
10 You counted the buildings in Jerusalem
    and tore down houses(AB) to strengthen the wall.(AC)
11 You built a reservoir between the two walls(AD)
    for the water of the Old Pool,(AE)
but you did not look to the One who made it,
    or have regard(AF) for the One who planned(AG) it long ago.

12 The Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    called you on that day(AH)
to weep(AI) and to wail,
    to tear out your hair(AJ) and put on sackcloth.(AK)
13 But see, there is joy and revelry,(AL)
    slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep,
    eating of meat and drinking of wine!(AM)
“Let us eat and drink,” you say,
    “for tomorrow we die!”(AN)

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

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Jerusalem is Rebuked

22 A message[a] concerning the Valley of Vision.[b]

“What troubles you,
    now that you’ve all gone up
        to the rooftops,
you who are full of commotion,
    you passionate city,
        you rollicking town?
Your slain weren’t killed by the sword,
    nor are they dead in battle.
All your leaders have fled together;
    she is captured[c] without using bows.
All of you who were caught were captured together,
although they had fled
        while the enemy was still[d] far away.
Therefore I said:
    “Look away from me;
        and let me weep bitter tears;
don’t try to console[e] me
    over the destruction of the daughter of my people.”[f]
For to the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies
    belongs the day of tumult, trampling, and confusion
        in the Valley of Vision,[g]
and the pulling down of his Temple on[h] its mountain.
Elam takes up the quiver
    with chariots and cavalry,
        while Kir unsheathes the shield.
And it will come about[i]
    that your choicest valleys will be filled with chariots,
        and horsemen will take their positions at the gates.
He has uncovered the defenses of Judah.”

At that time,[j] you looked at the arsenal of the Palace of the Forest,[k] and saw that there were many breaches in the City of David. So you stored up water from the Lower Pool, 10 counted the houses of Jerusalem, tore down certain houses to strengthen the wall, 11 and built a reservoir between the walls to store water from the Old Pool. But you did not look at[l] the One who did it, nor did you see the One who planned it long ago.

12 On that day the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies
    called for weeping and mourning,
        for shaving heads[m] and wearing sackcloth.
13 But look!
    There is joy and festivity,
slaughtering of cattle
    and killing of sheep,
eating meat
    and drinking[n] wine.
“Let us eat and drink, you say,
    because we die tomorrow.”

14 “Nevertheless, the Lord of the Heavenly Armies has revealed himself to my hearing:
‘“Surely because of you[o]
    this iniquity will not be forgiven
        you until you die,’
says the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies.”

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 22:1 Lit. An oracle
  2. Isaiah 22:1 I.e. a poetic allusion to the Hinnom Valley in Jerusalem
  3. Isaiah 22:3 So 1QIsaa; MT reads they were captured
  4. Isaiah 22:3 The Heb. lacks while the enemy was still
  5. Isaiah 22:4 Lit. don’t insist on consoling
  6. Isaiah 22:4 I.e. the Lord’s beloved people
  7. Isaiah 22:5 I.e. a poetic allusion to the Hinnom Valley in Jerusalem
  8. Isaiah 22:5 Or his Holy Place on; so 1QIsaa; MT reads and a crying out for help to
  9. Isaiah 22:7 So 1QIsaa; MT reads it came about
  10. Isaiah 22:8 Lit. On that day
  11. Isaiah 22:8 Cf. 1King 10:16-17
  12. Isaiah 22:11 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX 4QIsac read to
  13. Isaiah 22:12 Lit. for baldness
  14. Isaiah 22:13 So 1QIsaa MT; 1QIsac reads and they drink
  15. Isaiah 22:14 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsac MT LXX lack because of you