Isaiah 22 – NIV & NIRV

New International Version

Isaiah 22:1-25

A Prophecy About Jerusalem

1A prophecy against the Valley of Vision:

What troubles you now,

that you have all gone up on the roofs,

2you town so full of commotion,

you city of tumult and revelry?

Your slain were not killed by the sword,

nor did they die in battle.

3All your leaders have fled together;

they have been captured without using the bow.

All you who were caught were taken prisoner together,

having fled while the enemy was still far away.

4Therefore I said, “Turn away from me;

let me weep bitterly.

Do not try to console me

over the destruction of my people.”

5The Lord, the Lord Almighty, has a day

of tumult and trampling and terror

in the Valley of Vision,

a day of battering down walls

and of crying out to the mountains.

6Elam takes up the quiver,

with her charioteers and horses;

Kir uncovers the shield.

7Your choicest valleys are full of chariots,

and horsemen are posted at the city gates.

8The Lord stripped away the defenses of Judah,

and you looked in that day

to the weapons in the Palace of the Forest.

9You saw that the walls of the City of David

were broken through in many places;

you stored up water

in the Lower Pool.

10You counted the buildings in Jerusalem

and tore down houses to strengthen the wall.

11You built a reservoir between the two walls

for the water of the Old Pool,

but you did not look to the One who made it,

or have regard for the One who planned it long ago.

12The Lord, the Lord Almighty,

called you on that day

to weep and to wail,

to tear out your hair and put on sackcloth.

13But see, there is joy and revelry,

slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep,

eating of meat and drinking of wine!

“Let us eat and drink,” you say,

“for tomorrow we die!”

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

15This is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says:

“Go, say to this steward,

to Shebna the palace administrator:

16What are you doing here and who gave you permission

to cut out a grave for yourself here,

hewing your grave on the height

and chiseling your resting place in the rock?

17“Beware, the Lord is about to take firm hold of you

and hurl you away, you mighty man.

18He will roll you up tightly like a ball

and throw you into a large country.

There you will die

and there the chariots you were so proud of

will become a disgrace to your master’s house.

19I will depose you from your office,

and you will be ousted from your position.

20“In that day I will summon my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. 21I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash around him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people 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. 23I will drive him like a peg into a firm place; he will become a seat22:23 Or throne of honor for the house of his father. 24All the glory of his family will hang on him: its offspring and offshoots—all its lesser vessels, from the bowls to all the jars.

25“In that day,” declares the Lord Almighty, “the peg driven into the firm place will give way; it will be sheared off and will fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut down.” The Lord has spoken.

New International Reader’s Version

Isaiah 22:1-25

A Prophecy Against Jerusalem

1Here is a prophecy against Jerusalem that the Lord gave me. Jerusalem is also known as the Valley of Vision.

People of Jerusalem, what’s the matter with you?

Why have all of you gone up on the roofs of your houses?

2Why is your town so full of noise?

Why is your city so full of the sound of wild parties?

Those among you who died weren’t killed by swords.

They didn’t die in battle.

3All your leaders have run away.

They’ve been captured without a single arrow being shot.

All you who were caught were taken away as prisoners.

You ran off while your enemies were still far away.

4So I said, “Leave me alone.

Let me weep bitter tears.

Don’t try to comfort me.

My people have been destroyed.”

5The Lord who rules over all sent the noise of battle against you.

The Lord brought disorder and terror

to the Valley of Vision.

The walls of the city were knocked down.

Cries for help were heard in the mountains.

6Soldiers from Elam came armed with bows and arrows.

They came with their chariots and horses.

Soldiers from Kir got their shields ready.

7Your rich valleys filled up with chariots.

Horsemen took up their battle positions at your city gates.

8The Lord made Judah a place where it wasn’t safe to live anymore.

At that time, you depended

on the weapons in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

9You saw that the walls of the City of David

were broken through in many places.

You stored up water

in the Lower Pool.

10You picked out the weaker buildings in Jerusalem.

You tore them down and used their stones

to strengthen the city walls against attack.

11You built a pool between the two walls.

You used it to save the water

that was running down from the Old Pool.

But you didn’t look to the God who made it all possible.

You didn’t pay any attention to the God

who planned everything long ago.

12The Lord who rules over all

called out to you at that time.

The Lord told you to weep and cry.

He told you to tear your hair out.

And he told you to put on the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad.

13Instead, you are enjoying yourselves at wild parties!

You are killing cattle and sheep.

You are eating their meat and drinking wine.

You are saying, “Let’s eat and drink,

because tomorrow we’ll die.”

14I heard the Lord who rules over all speaking. “Your sin can never be paid for as long as you live,” says the Lord.

15The Lord who rules over all speaks. The Lord says,

“Go and speak to Shebna, the head servant.

He is in charge of the palace. Tell him,

16‘What are you doing here outside the city?

Who allowed you to cut out a tomb for yourself here?

Who said you could carve out your grave on the hillside?

Who allowed you to cut out your resting place in the rock?

17“ ‘Watch out, you mighty man!

The Lord is about to grab you.

He is about to throw you away.

18He will roll you up tightly like a ball.

He will throw you into a very large country.

There you will die.

And that’s where the chariots you were so proud of will be.

Those chariots will then bring nothing but shame on your master’s family!

19The Lord will remove you from your job.

You will be brought down from your high position.

20“ ‘At that time he will send for his servant Eliakim. He is the son of Hilkiah. 21The Lord will put your robe on Eliakim. He will tie your belt around him. He will hand your authority over to him. Eliakim will be like a father to the people of Jerusalem and Judah. 22The Lord will give Eliakim the key of authority in David’s royal house. No one can shut what he opens. And no one can open what he shuts. 23The Lord will set him firmly in place like a peg driven into a wall. He will hold a position of honor in his family. 24The good name of his whole family will depend on him. They will be like bowls and jars hanging on a peg.

25“ ‘But a new day is coming,’ ” announces the Lord who rules over all. “ ‘At that time the peg that was driven into the wall will give way. It will break off and fall down. And the heavy load hanging on it will also fall.’ ” The Lord has spoken.