HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 991
ISAIAH 22
page 621
14
15
O people of Tema,
bring water to these thirsty people,
food to these weary refugees.
They have fled from the sword,
from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow
and the terrors of battle.
16 The Lord said to me, “Within a year, counting each day,* all the glory of Kedar will come
to an end. 17 Only a few of its courageous archers
will survive. I, the Lord, the God of Israel, have
spoken!”
But you never ask for help from the One
who did all this.
You never considered the One who
planned this long ago.
12
13
A Message about Jerusalem
This message came to me concerning Jerusalem—the Valley of Vision*:
22
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
What is happening?
Why is everyone running to the rooftops?
The 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.
All your leaders have fled.
They surrendered without resistance.
The people tried to slip away,
but they were captured, too.
That’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.”
Oh, 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.
Elamites are the archers,
with their chariots and charioteers.
The men of Kir hold up the shields.
Chariots fill your beautiful valleys,
and charioteers storm your gates.
Judah’s defenses have been stripped away.
You run to the armory* for your weapons.
You inspect the breaks in the walls of
Jerusalem.*
You store up water in the lower pool.
You survey the houses and tear some down
for stone to strengthen the walls.
Between the city walls, you build a reservoir
for water from the old pool.
21:16 Hebrew Within a year, as a servant bound by contract
would count it. Some ancient manuscripts read Within three
years, as in 16:14. 22:1 Hebrew concerning the Valley of
Vision. 22:8 Hebrew to the House of the Forest; see
1 Kgs 7:2-5. 22:9 Hebrew the city of David. 22:24 Hebrew
They will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house: its
offspring and offshoots, all its lesser vessels, from the bowls
to all the jars.
At 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.
But 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!”
14 The 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.
A Message for Shebna
15 This is what the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, said to me: “Confront Shebna, the palace
administrator, and give him this message:
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18
“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?
For the Lord is about to hurl you away,
mighty man.
He is going to grab you,
crumple 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!
19 “Yes, I will drive you out of office,” says the
Lord. “I will pull you down from your high position. 20 And then I will call my servant Eliakim son
of Hilkiah to replace you. 21 I 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. 22 I 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. 23 He will bring honor
to his family name, for I will drive him firmly in
place like a nail in the wall. 24 They will give him
great responsibility, and he will bring honor to
even the lowliest members of his family.*”
25 But 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!”