Isaiah 22

1 The oracle on the valley of vision, —What aileth thee, then, That thou art wholly gone up to the house-tops?

The burden of the Valley of Vision. What — to thee, now, that thou hast gone up, All of thee — to the roofs?

2 With tumults, art thou filled, thou citadel in commotion! city exultant! Thy slain, are Not the slain, of the sword, Nor the dead in battle.

Full of stirs — a noisy city — an exulting city, Thy pierced are not pierced of the sword, Nor dead in battle.

3 All thy ruler, having fled, together, by the bow, are taken captive: All found in thee have been taken captive, together, Far away, have they fled.

All thy rulers fled together from the bow, Bound have been all found of thee, They have been kept bound together, Afar off they have fled.

4 For this cause, I said—Look away from me, Bitterly, will I weep, —Do not press to comfort me, For the ruin of the daughter of my people.

Therefore I said, 'Look ye from me, I am bitter in my weeping, Haste not to comfort me, For the destruction of the daughter of my people.'

5 For a day of confusion and downtreading and perplexity, pertaineth to My Lord, Yahweh of hosts, in the valley of vision, an undermining of walls, and a crying for help to the mountain.

For a day of noise, and of treading down, And of perplexity, [is] to the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, In the valley of vision, digging down a wall, And crying unto the mountain.

6 Yea, Elam, beareth the quiver, With trains of men, [and] horsemen, —And, Kir, hath uncovered the shield.

And Elam hath borne a quiver, In a chariot of men — horsemen, And Kir hath exposed a shield.

7 And it hath come to pass that the choice of thy vales, are full of chariots; Yea, the horsemen, have set themselves, in array, at the gate.

And it cometh to pass, The choice of thy valleys have been full of chariots, And the horsemen place themselves diligently at the gate.

8 Then removed he the veil of Judah, —Yea thou didst peer on that day, into the armoury of the forest-house;

And one removeth the covering of Judah, And thou lookest in that day Unto the armour of the house of the forest,

9 And the breaches in the city of David, ye beheld for they were many, —So ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool;

And the breaches of the city of David ye have seen, For they have become many, And ye gather the waters of the lower pool,

10 And the houses of Jerusalem, ye counted, —And brake down the houses, to fortify the wall;

And the houses of Jerusalem ye did number, And ye break down the houses to fence the wall.

11 And a reservoir, ye made between the two walls, for the waters of the ancient pool, —And had no regard unto him that made it, Nor unto him that formed it long ago, had ye respect.

And a ditch ye made between the two walls, For the waters of the old pool, And ye have not looked unto its Maker, And its Framer of old ye have not seen.

12 And, when My Lord Yahweh of hosts called in that day, —for weeping, and for lamentation, and for shaving bare and for girding with sackcloth,

And call doth the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, In that day, to weeping and to lamentation, And to baldness and to girding on of sackcloth,

13 Then lo! joy and rejoicing, killing oxen and slaughtering sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine, —Let us eat and drink, For to-morrow, we may die!

And lo, joy and gladness, slaying of oxen, And slaughtering of sheep, Eating of flesh, and drinking of wine, Eat and drink, for to-morrow we die.

14 Therefore did Yahweh reveal himself in mine ears. Surely there shall be no propitiatory-covering put over this iniquity for you until ye die, Saith My Lord Yahweh of hosts.

And revealed it hath been in mine ears, [By] Jehovah of Hosts: Not pardoned is this iniquity to you, Till ye die, said the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts.

15 Thus, said My Lord Yahweh, of hosts, Come go in unto this steward, Unto Shebna, who is over the house:

Thus said the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts: 'Go, enter in unto this steward, Unto Shebna, who [is] over the house:

16 What doest thou here? And whom hast thou here? That thou hast hewn for thyself here a sepulchre, —As one hewing on high his sepulchre, Cutting out in the cliff a habitation for himself?

What — to thee here? And who — to thee here? That thou hast hewn out to thee here — a sepulchre? Hewing on high his sepulchre, Graving in a rock a dwelling for himself.

17 Lo! Yahweh, is about to hurl thee, with a hurl, O mighty man, —And roll thee with a roll;

Lo, Jehovah is casting thee up and down, A casting up and down, O mighty one,

18 He will, toss, thee, with a toss, like a ball, into a country wide on both hands, —There, shalt thou die, And there shall thy glorious chariots be the contempt of the house of thy lord.

And thy coverer covering, wrapping round, Wrappeth thee round, O babbler, On a land broad of sides — there thou diest, And there the chariots of thine honour [Are] the shame of the house of thy lord.

19 Thus will I thrust thee out from thine office, —And from thy station, shall one tear thee down.

And I have thrust thee from thy station, And from thine office he throweth thee down.

20 And it shall come to pass in that day, That I will call for my servant, for Eliakim son of Hilkiah,

And it hath come to pass, in that day, That I have called to my servant, To Eliakim son of Hilkiah.

21 And will clothe him with thy tunic And with thy girdle, will I gird him, And thine authority, will I deliver into his hand, —So shall he become a father To the inhabitant of Jerusalem and To the house of Judah.

And I have clothed him with thy coat, And with thy girdle I strengthen him, And thy garment I give into his hand, And he hath been for a father to the inhabitant of Jerusalem, And to the house of Judah.

22 And I will lay the key of the house of David upon his shoulder, —And he shall open and none shall shut, And shut and none shall open;

And I have placed the key Of the house of David on his shoulder, And he hath opened, and none is shutting, And hath shut, and none is opening.

23 And I will fasten him as a peg in a sure place, —And he shall become a throne of glory, to the house of his father;

And I have fixed him a nail in a stedfast place, And he hath been for a throne of honour To the house of his father.

24 And they shall hang upon him all the weight of his father’s house—The offshoots and the side-twigs—All the small vessels, Both the cups and all the jugs

And they have hanged on him All the honour of the house of his father, The offspring and the issue, All vessels of small quality, From vessels of basins to all vessels of flagons.

25 In that day, —Declareth Yahweh of hosts Shall the peg, give way, that was fastened in a sure place, —Yea it shall be cut off and fall And the burden that was upon it shall perish, For, Yahweh, hath spoken!

In that day — an affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, Moved is the nail that is fixed In a stedfast place, Yea, it hath been cut down, and hath fallen, And cut off hath been the burden that [is] on it, For Jehovah hath spoken!'