Isaiah 22

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

1This is a heavy message about the Valley of Vision. What is wrong with you now? Why have you all climbed up on your roofs?

NoteA "burden" here means a heavy message from God about trouble that is coming.

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.

2You are a city full of noise and shouting. You are a city having fun. But your dead did not die by the sword. They did not die fighting in a 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.

3All your leaders ran away together. They were caught, and no one even shot a bow. Your people who ran far away were caught too.

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.

4So I said, "Turn away from me. Let me cry hard. Do not try to make me feel better. My own dear people have been ruined."

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.

5The Lord GOD, who leads the armies of heaven, has picked a day for this. It is a day of noise and stomping and mixed-up fear in the Valley of Vision. Walls are knocked down. People shout toward the mountains.

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

6Soldiers from Elam carry their bags of arrows. They come with horses and war carts. Soldiers from Kir hold up their shields.

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.

7Your best valleys are full of war carts. Men on horses stand ready in front of your city gates.

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

8God pulled away the things that kept Judah safe. That day you looked for weapons in the House of the Forest.

NoteThe House of the Forest was a large building in Jerusalem where weapons were kept.

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.

9You saw the many broken places in the wall of David's city. You gathered water from the lower pool.

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

10You counted the houses in Jerusalem. You pulled some houses down to make the wall stronger.

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.

11You made a place between the two walls to hold water from the old pool. But you did not look to God, who made that water. You did not think about him who planned 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:

12That day the Lord GOD, who leads the armies of heaven, called you to cry and be sad. He called you to shave your heads and wear rough cloth to show your sorrow.

NoteShaving the head and wearing rough, scratchy cloth were ways people showed they were very sad.

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.

13But look, there was fun and feasting instead. People killed cattle and sheep and ate the meat and drank wine. They said, "Let's eat and drink, for tomorrow we 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.

14The LORD who leads the armies of heaven let me hear this: "You will carry this wrong until the day you die. It will not be taken away," says the Lord GOD, who leads the armies of heaven.

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

15This is what the Lord GOD, who leads the armies of heaven, says. Go to Shebna, the man in charge of the king's house, and say to him:

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?

16What are you doing here? Who said you could cut a grave for yourself here? You are carving a resting place for yourself high up in the rock.

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

17Look, strong man. The LORD is about to shake you hard. He will take hold of you.

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.

18He will roll you up like a ball and throw you far into a wide land. You will die there. Your fancy war carts will stay there. They will bring shame to your master's house.

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

19I will push you out of your job. You will be pulled down from your high place.

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

20On that day I will call for 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.

21I will put your robe on him and tie your belt around him. I will hand him your job of leading. He will be like a father to the people of Jerusalem and 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.

22I will lay the key of David's house on his shoulder. When he opens a door, no one can shut it. When he shuts a door, no one can open it.

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.

23I will fix him in place like a peg hammered into a strong wall. He will bring honor to his family.

NoteA peg is a strong wooden pin hammered into a wall. People hung things on it.

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.

24All the weight of his family will hang on him. His children and their children will hang on him. So will every small dish, from little cups to big jars.

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.

25The LORD who leads the armies of heaven says this. On that day the peg in the strong wall will come loose. It will break off and fall. Everything hanging on it will fall too. The LORD has said it.