Isaiah 22

¹ Prophecy on the Valley of Vision: Now what is the matter with you for you al to be up on thehousetops,

² ful of excitement, boisterous town, joyful city? Your slain have not fal en to the sword nor died in battle.

³ Your leaders have al fled together, captured without a bow between them, al who could be found havebeen captured at a blow, far though they had fled.

⁴ That is why I said, 'Turn your eyes away from me, let me weep bitterly; do not try to comfort me overthe ruin of the daughter of my people.'

⁵ For this is a day of rout, panic and confusion, the work of the Lord Yahweh Sabaoth in the Val ey ofVision. The wal is sapped, cries for help ring out to the mountains.

⁶ Elam has picked up his quiver, with manned chariots and horsemen, and Kir has bared his shield.

⁷ Your fairest val eys are full of chariots and the horsemen take up positions at the gates;

⁸ thus falls the defence of Judah. That day you turned your gaze to the weapons in the House of theForest.

⁹ You saw how many breaches there were in the City of David. You col ected the waters of the lowerpool.

¹⁰ You surveyed the houses in Jerusalem and pul ed houses down to strengthen the wal .

¹¹ Between the two wal s you made a reservoir for the waters of the old pool. But you did not look to theCreator of these things, you did not look to the One who fashioned them long ago.

¹² That day the Lord Yahweh Sabaoth cal ed on you to weep and mourn, to shave your heads, to put onsackcloth.

¹³ But instead there is joy and merriment, killing of oxen, slaughtering of sheep, eating of meat, drinkingof wine, 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shal be dead.'

¹⁴ Then Yahweh Sabaoth revealed this to my ears, 'This guilt wil never be forgiven you, until you aredead,' says the Lord Yahweh Sabaoth.

¹⁵ The Lord Yahweh Sabaoth says this: Go and find that steward, Shebna, the master of the palace:

¹⁶ 'What do you own here, who gave you the right for you to hew yourself a tomb here?' He is hewinghimself a tomb, is digging a resting-place for himself in the rock.

¹⁷ But Yahweh wil throw you away, strong as you are, wil grasp you in his grip,

¹⁸ will screw you up into a bal , a ball thrown into a vast space. There you will die, with your splendidchariots, disgrace to your master's palace!

¹⁹ I shal hound you from your office, I shal snatch you from your post

²⁰ and, when that day comes, I shal summon my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah.

²¹ I shal dress him in your tunic, I shal put your sash round his waist, I shall invest him with yourauthority; and he wil be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the House of Judah.

²² I shal place the key of David's palace on his shoulder; when he opens, no one will close, when hecloses, no one wil open.

²³ I shal drive him like a nail into a firm place; and he wil become a throne of glory for his family.

²⁴ 'On him wil depend al the glory of his family, the descendants and offspring, al the vessels of smalcapacity too, from cups to pitchers.

²⁵ That day, declares Yahweh Sabaoth, the nail driven into a firm place wil give way, wil be torn out andfal . And the whole load hanging on it will be lost. For Yahweh has spoken.'