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Isaiah chapter 22

English Standard Version

1The oracle concerning the valley of vision. What do you mean that you have gone up, all of you, to the housetops,
2you who are full of shoutings, tumultuous city, exultant town? Your slain are not slain with the sword or dead in battle. 3 All your leaders have fled together; without the bow they were captured. All of you who were found were captured, though they had fled far away. 4Therefore I said: "Look away from me; let me weep bitter tears; do not labor to comfort me concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people." 5 For the Lord God of hosts has a day of tumult and trampling and confusion in the valley of vision, a battering down of walls and a shouting to the mountains. 6And Elam bore the quiver with chariots and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield. 7Your choicest valleys were full of chariots, and the horsemen took their stand at the gates. 8He has taken away the covering of Judah. In that day you looked to the weapons of the House of the Forest, 9and you saw that the breaches of the city of David were many. You collected the waters of the lower pool, 10and you counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall. 11You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you did not look to him who did it, or see him who planned it long ago.
12In that day the Lord God of hosts called for weeping and mourning, for baldness and wearing sackcloth; 13and behold, joy and gladness, killing oxen and slaughtering sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine. "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." 14The Lord of hosts has revealed himself in my ears: "Surely this iniquity will not be atoned for you until you die," says the Lord God of hosts. 15Thus says the Lord God of hosts, "Come, go to this steward, to Shebna, who is over the household, and say to him: 16What have you to do here, and whom have you here, that you have cut out here a tomb for yourself, you who cut out a tomb on the height and carve a dwelling for yourself in the rock? 17Behold, the Lord will hurl you away violently, O you strong man. He will seize firm hold on you 18and whirl you around and around, and throw you like a ball into a wide land. There you shall die, and there shall be your glorious chariots, you shame of your master 's house. 19I will thrust you from your office, and you will be pulled down from your station. 20In that day I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, 21and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. 22And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. 23And I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his father 's house. 24And they will hang on him the whole honor of his father 's house, the offspring and issue, every small vessel, from the cups to all the flagons. 25In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, the peg that was fastened in a secure place will give way, and it will be cut down and fall, and the load that was on it will be cut off, for the Lord has spoken."
New International Version

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 seat 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 American Standard Bible

1The pronouncement concerning the valley of vision: What is the matter with you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops? 2You who were full of noise, You tumultuous town, you jubilant city; Your dead were not killed with the sword, Nor did they die in battle. 3All your rulers have fled together, And have been captured without the bow; All of you who were found were taken captive together, Though they had fled far away. 4Therefore I say, 'Look away from me, Let me weep bitterly, Do not try to comfort me concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people.' 5For the Lord God of armies has a day of panic, subjugation, and confusion In the valley of vision, A breaking down of walls And a crying to the mountain. 6Elam picked up the quiver, With the chariots, infantry, and horsemen; And Kir uncovered the shield. 7Then your choicest valleys were full of chariots, And the horsemen took positions at the gate. 8And He removed the defense of Judah. On that day you depended on the weapons of the house of the forest, 9And you saw that the breaches In the wall of the city of David were many; And you collected the waters of the lower pool. 10Then you counted the houses of Jerusalem And tore down houses to fortify the wall. 11And you made a reservoir between the two walls For the waters of the old pool. But you did not depend on Him who made it, Nor did you take into consideration Him who planned it long ago. 12Therefore on that day the Lord God of armies called you to weeping, to wailing, To shaving the head, and to wearing sackcloth. 13Instead, there is joy and jubilation, Killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, Eating of meat and drinking of wine: 'Let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die.' 14But the Lord of armies revealed Himself to me: 'Certainly this wrongdoing will not be forgiven you Until you die,' says the Lord God of armies.
15This is what the Lord God of armies says: 'Come, go to this steward, To Shebna who is in charge of the royal household,
16‘What right do you have here, And whom do you have here, That you have cut out a tomb for yourself here, You who cut out a tomb on the height, You who carve a resting place for yourself in the rock? 17Behold, the Lord is about to hurl you violently, you strong man. And He is about to grasp you firmly 18 And wrap you up tightly like a ball, To be driven into a vast country; There you will die, And there your splendid chariots will be, You shame of your master’s house!’ 19I will depose you from your office, And I will pull you down from your position. 20Then it will come about on that day, That I will summon My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, 21And I will clothe him with your tunic And tie your sash securely around him. I will hand your authority over to him, And he will become a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. 22Then I will put the key of the house of David on his shoulder; When he opens, no one will shut, When he shuts, no one will open. 23I will drive him like a peg in a firm place, And he will become a throne of glory to his father’s house.
24So they will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the descendants, all the least of vessels, from bowls to all the jars. 25On that day,' declares the Lord of armies, 'the peg driven into a firm place will give way; it will even break off and fall, and the load that is hanging on it will be cut off, for the Lord has spoken.'
Christian Standard Bible

1A pronouncement concerning the Valley of Vision: What’s the matter with you? Why have all of you gone up to the rooftops? 2The noisy city, the jubilant town, is filled with celebration. Your dead did not die by the sword; they were not killed in battle. 3All your rulers have fled together, captured without a bow. All your fugitives were captured together; they had fled far away. 4Therefore I said, "Look away from me! Let me weep bitterly! Do not try to comfort me about the destruction of my dear people." 5For the Lord God of Armies had a day of tumult, trampling, and confusion in the Valley of Vision— people shouting and crying to the mountains; 6Elam took up a quiver with chariots and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield. 7Your best valleys were full of chariots, and horsemen were positioned at the city gates.
8He removed the 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 so that you could tear them down to fortify the wall. 11You made a reservoir between the walls for the water of the ancient pool, but you did not look to the one who made it, or consider the one who created it long ago.
12On that day the Lord God of Armies called for weeping, for wailing, for shaven heads, and for the wearing of sackcloth. 13But look: joy and gladness, butchering of cattle, slaughtering of sheep and goats, eating of meat, and drinking of wine— "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!" 14The Lord of Armies has directly revealed to me: "This iniquity will not be wiped out for you people as long as you live." The Lord God of Armies has spoken.
15The Lord God of Armies said: "Go to Shebna, that steward who is in charge of the palace, and say to him: 16What are you doing here? Who authorized you to carve out a tomb for yourself here, carving your tomb on the height and cutting a resting place for yourself out of rock? 17Look, you strong man! The Lord is about to shake you violently. He will take hold of you, 18wind you up into a ball, and sling you into a wide land. There you will die, and there your glorious chariots will be—a disgrace to the house of your lord. 19I will remove you from your office; you will be ousted from your position.
20"On that day I will call for my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. 21I will clothe him with your robe and tie your sash around him. I will hand your authority over to him, and he will be like a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. 22I will place the key of the house of David on his shoulder; what he opens, no one can close; what he closes, no one can open. 23I will drive him, like a peg, into a firm place. He will be a throne of honor for his father’s family. 24They will hang on him all the glory of his father’s family: the descendants and the offshoots—all the small vessels, from bowls to every kind of jar. 25On that day"—the declaration of the Lord of Armies—"the peg that was driven into a firm place will give way, be cut off, and fall, and the load on it will be destroyed." Indeed, the Lord has spoken.
New Living Translation

1This message came to me concerning Jerusalem — the Valley of Vision : What is happening? Why is everyone running to the rooftops? 2The whole city is in a terrible uproar. What do I see in this reveling city? Bodies are lying everywhere, killed not in battle but by famine and disease. 3All your leaders have fled. They surrendered without resistance. The people tried to slip away, but they were captured, too. 4That’s why I said, 'Leave me alone to weep; do not try to comfort me. Let me cry for my people as I watch them being destroyed.'
5Oh, what a day of crushing defeat! What a day of confusion and terror brought by the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, upon the Valley of Vision! The walls of Jerusalem have been broken, and cries of death echo from the mountainsides. 6Elamites are the archers, with their chariots and charioteers. The men of Kir hold up the shields. 7Chariots fill your beautiful valleys, and charioteers storm your gates. 8Judah’s defenses have been stripped away. You run to the armory for your weapons. 9You inspect the breaks in the walls of Jerusalem. You store up water in the lower pool. 10You survey the houses and tear some down for stone to strengthen the walls. 11Between the city walls, you build a reservoir for water from the old pool. But you never ask for help from the One who did all this. You never considered the One who planned this long ago.
12At that time the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, called you to weep and mourn. He told you to shave your heads in sorrow for your sins and to wear clothes of burlap to show your remorse. 13But instead, you dance and play; you slaughter cattle and kill sheep. You feast on meat and drink wine. You say, 'Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!'
14The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has revealed this to me: 'Till the day you die, you will never be forgiven for this sin.' That is the judgment of the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
15This is what the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, said to me: 'Confront Shebna, the palace administrator, and give him this message:
16'Who do you think you are, and what are you doing here, building a beautiful tomb for yourself — a monument high up in the rock? 17For the Lord is about to hurl you away, mighty man. He is going to grab you, 18crumple you into a ball, and toss you away into a distant, barren land. There you will die, and your glorious chariots will be broken and useless. You are a disgrace to your master!
19Yes, I will drive you out of office,' says the Lord. 'I will pull you down from your high position. 20And then I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah to replace you. 21I will dress him in your royal robes and will give him your title and your authority. And he will be a father to the people of Jerusalem and Judah. 22I will give him the key to the house of David — the highest position in the royal court. When he opens doors, no one will be able to close them; when he closes doors, no one will be able to open them. 23He will bring honor to his family name, for I will drive him firmly in place like a nail in the wall. 24They will give him great responsibility, and he will bring honor to even the lowliest members of his family. '
25But the Lord of Heaven’s Armies also says: 'The time will come when I will pull out the nail that seemed so firm. It will come out and fall to the ground. Everything it supports will fall with it. I, the Lord, have spoken!'
King James Version

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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
17Behold, the Lord will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.
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.
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.
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.
New King James Version

1The burden against the Valley of Vision. What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops, 2You who are full of noise, A tumultuous city, a joyous city? Your slain men are not slain with the sword, Nor dead in battle. 3All your rulers have fled together; They are captured by the archers. All who are found in you are bound together; They have fled from afar. 4Therefore I said, “Look away from me, I will weep bitterly; Do not labor to comfort me Because of the plundering of the daughter of my people.” 5 For it is a day of trouble and treading down and perplexity By the Lord God of hosts In the Valley of Vision— Breaking down the walls And of crying to the mountain. 6 Elam bore the quiver With chariots of men and horsemen, And Kir uncovered the shield. 7It shall come to pass that your choicest valleys Shall be full of chariots, And the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate. 8 He removed the protection of Judah. You looked in that day to the armor of the House of the Forest; 9 You also saw the damage to the city of David, That it was great; And you gathered together the waters of the lower pool. 10You numbered the houses of Jerusalem, And the houses you broke down To fortify the wall. 11 You also made a reservoir between the two walls For the water of the old pool. But you did not look to its Maker, Nor did you have respect for Him who fashioned it long ago. 12And in that day the Lord God of hosts Called for weeping and for mourning, For baldness and for girding with sackcloth. 13But instead, joy and gladness, Slaying oxen and killing sheep, Eating meat and drinking wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” 14 Then it was revealed in my hearing by the Lord of hosts, “Surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you, Even to your death,” says the Lord God of hosts.
15Thus says the Lord God of hosts: “Go, proceed to this steward, To Shebna, who is over the house, and say: 16‘What have you here, and whom have you here, That you have hewn a sepulcher here, As he who hews himself a sepulcher on high, Who carves a tomb for himself in a rock? 17Indeed, the Lord will throw you away violently, O mighty man, And will surely seize you. 18He will surely turn violently and toss you like a ball Into a large country; There you shall die, and there your glorious chariots Shall be the shame of your master’s house. 19So I will drive you out of your office, And from your position he will pull you down. 20‘Then it shall be in that day, That I will call My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah; 21I will clothe him with your robe And strengthen him with your belt; I will commit your responsibility into his hand. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem And to the house of Judah. 22The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; So he shall open, and no one shall shut; And he shall shut, and no one shall open. 23I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place, And he will become a glorious throne to his father’s house.
24‘They will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the posterity, all vessels of small quantity, from the cups to all the pitchers. 25In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘the peg that is fastened in the secure place will be removed and be cut down and fall, and the burden that was on it will be cut off; for the Lord has spoken.’ ”

What does Isaiah chapter 22 mean?

After oracles, or prophecies, against several other nations, Isaiah delivers an oracle about Jerusalem. This regards a specific moment in the city's history. Commentators are divided about which event Isaiah is describing in this chapter.

One of the possible events here is the siege of Jerusalem by King Sennacherib and the Assyrians in 701 BC. This interpretation of Isaiah's prophecy seems the most likely. Isaiah experienced that siege firsthand. Another option is the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC, in which Isaiah is prophesying about events yet to happen. Some scholars suggest Isaiah's oracle is intended to speak to both events.

Isaiah begins by calling attention to the loud shouts and exultation in Jerusalem and asks why the people have gone up on their rooftops. He may be writing this following the Lord's victory over the Assyrians. This took place when the angel of the Lord killed 185,000 of the soldiers surrounding the city in a single night and those who survived fled (Isaiah 37:33–38). If this is the event Isaiah has in mind, he may be telling the citizens of Jerusalem to stop celebrating. Rather, they should think about what has happened to them. This was a time to be sober-minded, not partying (Isaiah 22:1–2).

The nation of Judah had been overrun and destroyed by Assyrian sieges of the towns. Everyone of any importance had fled to Jerusalem and been trapped inside the walls by the siege. Isaiah tells the people not to look at him while he is weeping for those who have died. He recalls how loud the noise became from outside the walls as the siege was being established. There was a great racket and loud shouting. Mass confusion fill the air, perhaps inside the city as well as outside. The valleys around Jerusalem were filled with war chariots. The enemy horsemen were right outside the city gates. Judah was uncovered and helpless (Isaiah 22:3–7).

What did the leaders do when they knew the siege was coming? They inventoried and distributed the weapons from the armory. They found breaches in the walls and repaired them. They diverted springs from outside the walls into the city for a water supply. They even tore down houses between the inner and outer walls and flooded that area as a reservoir. They did all they could except the one thing they should do: call out to their Lord God (Isaiah 22:8–11).

The prophet Isaiah does not condemn any of these strategic actions. What he does do is point out that the people did not look to the Lord for help. After all, God knew about the siege from the beginning. What the Lord wanted for His people when they were faced with certain destruction was to turn to Him for salvation. Instead, the people partied and feasted with the attitude that nothing mattered because they were going to die anyway. They did not believe their own God could save them. Therefore, they did not even bother to ask for deliverance. The Lord says their sin in this attitude will only be atoned for by their deaths (Isaiah 22:12–14).

The Lord sends Isaiah to confront the steward of the king's house. Instead of seeking the Lord, or serving the king or the people during this time, Shebna was preparing his elaborate tomb for his burial and legacy. He demonstrated his lack of confidence in the Lord to provide. Shebna also showed that his highest motivation was to seek his own glory (Isaiah 22:15–16).

The Lord declares that He will grab Shebna and throw him violently far away to another country to die without glory. Then the Lord will give Shebna's authority and position to a man named Eliakim. This new leader will become a great steward of the king's household and serve as a father figure to the people. He will be given the key to the city and will handle all the burdens that are placed upon him. Eventually, Eliakim will fall away, and all the honor of the king's household will go with him (Isaiah 22:17–25).
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