Isaiah, 22

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

1. An oracle concerning the Valley of Vision. What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops,

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

2. you with your hustle and bustle a tumultuous city, a wanton town? Your slain men have not been killed by the sword, nor have they died in battle.

3. All 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.

3. Together your leaders have fled; they were captured under the threat of the bow. Your valiant were caught together, they had fled far away.

4. Therefore 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.

4. That is why I say, "Look away from me. I will weep bitterly. Do not try to comfort me over the ruin of the daughter of my people."

5. For [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.

5. There comes from the Lord Yahweh Sabaoth a day of trampling and rout. In the Valley of Vision they undermine the walls and the cries for help ascend to the mountains.

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

6. Elam bears the quiver with charioteers and horsemen; Kir uncovers the shield.

7. And 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.

7. Chariots are all over your choicest valleys; horsemen are stationed at the gates.

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

8. Judah is stripped of her defenses. On that day you turned your eyes to the arsenal at the Palace of the Forest.

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

9. You saw the many breaches in the defenses of the city of David. You gathered together the waters of the lower pool.

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

10. You counted the houses of Jerusalem and tore down some of them to strengthen the wall.

11. Ye 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.

11. You built a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old Pool. But you gave no thought to its Maker. You had no regard for him who had planned it long ago.

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

12. On that day the Lord Yahweh Sabaoth called you to weep and mourn, to shave your head and put on sackcloth.

13. And 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.

13. But look, instead of that, there is wanton revelry: oxen are butchered and sheep are slaughtered. You eat meat and get drunk, saying, "Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die."

14. And 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.

14. A word from Yahweh Sabaoth has reached my ears: "This sin will not be forgiven until they die."

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

15. Thus says the Lord Yahweh Sabaoth: Go and talk to this man Shebna, who is the palace steward. Ask him:

16. What 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?

16. Who are you and what right have you to carve a resting place on the heights, to cut out a burial place for yourself here in the rock?

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

17. Look here, O you strongman, Yahweh will seize you; he will take you captive and take firm hold of you.

18. He 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.

18. He will roll you up, toss you like a ball, then violently hurl you down into a large open land. There you will perish with the chariots of your glory, O you, the shame of your master's house!

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

19. You will be deposed, strongman. I will hurl you down from where you are.

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

20. On that day I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah.

21. And 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.

21. I will clothe him with your robe, I will strengthen him with your girdle, I will give him your authority, and he will be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the people of Judah.

22. And 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.

22. Upon his shoulder I will place the key of the House of David: what he opens, no one shall shut; what he shuts, no one shall open.

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

23. I will fasten him like a peg in a sure spot, and he will be a seat of honor in the house of his father.

24. And 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.

24. (Upon him will hang all the load of his father's house - offspring and descendants, all the little vessels from bowls to jars.

25. In 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].

25. On that day, says Yahweh Sabaoth, the peg fastened in a sure spot will give way; it will be cut down and the load hanging on it will fall. Thus Yahweh has spoken.)