Isaiah 22

1The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?

2Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.

3All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.footnote a

4Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.footnote b

5For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.

6And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.footnote c

7And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.footnote dfootnote e

8And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest.

9Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool.

10And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall.

11Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.

12And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:

13And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.

14And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

15Thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say,

16What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock?footnote f

17Behold, the LORD will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.footnote gfootnote h

18He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord’s house.footnote i

19And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down.

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

21And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.

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

23And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house.

24And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.footnote j

25In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it.

The Valley of Vision

1This is the burden against the Valley of Vision:What ails you now,that you have all gone up to the rooftops, 2O city of commotion,O town of revelry?Your slain did not die by the sword,nor were they killed in battle. 3All your rulers have fled together,captured without a bow.All your fugitives were captured together,having fled to a distant place. 4Therefore I said,“Turn away from me, let me weep bitterly!Do not try to console meover the destruction of the daughter of my people.”

5For the Lord GOD of Hosts has set a dayof tumult and trampling and confusion in the Valley of Vision—of breaking down the wallsand crying to the mountains. 6Elam takes up a quiver, with chariots and horsemen,and Kir uncovers the shield. 7Your choicest valleys are full of chariots,and horsemen are posted at the gates. 8He has uncoveredthe defenses of Judah.On that day you looked to the weapons in the House of the Forest. 9You saw that there were many breaches in the walls of the City of David. You collected water from the lower pool. 10You counted the houses of Jerusalem and tore them down to strengthen the wall. 11You built a reservoir between the walls for the waters of the ancient pool, but you did not look to the One who made it, or consider Him who planned it long ago.

12On that day the Lord GOD of Hostscalled for weeping and wailing,for shaven headsand the wearing of sackcloth. 13But look, there is joy and gladness,butchering of cattle and slaughtering of sheep,eating of meat and drinking of wine:“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”footnote a

14The LORD of Hosts has revealed in my hearing:“Until your dying day,this sin of yours will never be atoned for,”says the Lord GOD of Hosts.

A Message for Shebna

15This is what the Lord GOD of Hosts says: “Go, say to Shebna, the steward in charge of the palace: 16What are you doing here, and who authorized you to carve out a tomb for yourself here—to chisel your tomb in the height and cut your resting place in the rock?

17Look, O mighty man! The LORD is about to shake you violently. He will take hold of you, 18roll you into a ball, and sling you into a wide land. There you will die, and there your glorious chariots will remain—a disgrace to the house of your master. 19I will remove you from office, and you will be ousted from your position.

20On that day I will summon My servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. 21I will clothe him with your robe and tie your sash around him. I will put your authority in his hand, and he will be a father to the dwellers of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. 22I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.footnote b 23I will drive him like a peg into a firm place, and he will be a throne of glory for the house of his father.

24So they will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house: the descendants and the offshoots—all the lesser vessels, from bowls to every kind of jar.

25In that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, the peg driven into a firm place will give way; it will be sheared off and fall, and the load upon it will be cut down.”
Indeed, the LORD has spoken.