A Prophecy About Jerusalem

22 A prophecy(A) against the Valley(B) of Vision:(C)

What troubles you now,
    that you have all gone up on the roofs,(D)
you town so full of commotion,
    you city of tumult(E) and revelry?(F)
Your slain(G) were not killed by the sword,(H)
    nor did they die in battle.
All your leaders have fled(I) together;
    they have been captured(J) without using the bow.
All you who were caught were taken prisoner together,
    having fled while the enemy was still far away.
Therefore I said, “Turn away from me;
    let me weep(K) bitterly.
Do not try to console me
    over the destruction of my people.”(L)

The Lord, the Lord Almighty, has a day(M)
    of tumult and trampling(N) and terror(O)
    in the Valley of Vision,(P)
a day of battering down walls(Q)
    and of crying out to the mountains.
Elam(R) takes up the quiver,(S)
    with her charioteers and horses;
    Kir(T) uncovers the shield.
Your choicest valleys(U) are full of chariots,
    and horsemen are posted at the city gates.(V)

The Lord stripped away the defenses of Judah,
    and you looked in that day(W)
    to the weapons(X) in the Palace of the Forest.(Y)
You saw that the walls of the City of David
    were broken through(Z) in many places;
you stored up water
    in the Lower Pool.(AA)
10 You counted the buildings in Jerusalem
    and tore down houses(AB) to strengthen the wall.(AC)
11 You built a reservoir between the two walls(AD)
    for the water of the Old Pool,(AE)
but you did not look to the One who made it,
    or have regard(AF) for the One who planned(AG) it long ago.

12 The Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    called you on that day(AH)
to weep(AI) and to wail,
    to tear out your hair(AJ) and put on sackcloth.(AK)
13 But see, there is joy and revelry,(AL)
    slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep,
    eating of meat and drinking of wine!(AM)
“Let us eat and drink,” you say,
    “for tomorrow we die!”(AN)

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

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

“Go, say to this steward,
    to Shebna(AQ) the palace(AR) administrator:(AS)
16 What are you doing here and who gave you permission
    to cut out a grave(AT) for yourself(AU) 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(AV) you away, you mighty man.
18 He will roll you up tightly like a ball
    and throw(AW) you into a large country.
There you will die
    and there the chariots(AX) you were so proud of
    will become a disgrace to your master’s house.
19 I will depose you from your office,
    and you will be ousted(AY) from your position.(AZ)

20 “In that day(BA) I will summon my servant,(BB) Eliakim(BC) son of Hilkiah. 21 I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash(BD) around him and hand your authority(BE) over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah. 22 I will place on his shoulder(BF) the key(BG) to the house of David;(BH) what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.(BI) 23 I will drive him like a peg(BJ) into a firm place;(BK) he will become a seat[a] of honor(BL) for the house of his father. 24 All 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,(BM)” declares the Lord Almighty, “the peg(BN) 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.(BO)

A Prophecy Against Tyre

23 A prophecy against Tyre:(BP)

Wail,(BQ) you ships(BR) of Tarshish!(BS)
    For Tyre is destroyed(BT)
    and left without house or harbor.
From the land of Cyprus
    word has come to them.

Be silent,(BU) you people of the island
    and you merchants(BV) of Sidon,(BW)
    whom the seafarers have enriched.
On the great waters
    came the grain of the Shihor;(BX)
the harvest of the Nile[b](BY) was the revenue of Tyre,(BZ)
    and she became the marketplace of the nations.

Be ashamed, Sidon,(CA) and you fortress of the sea,
    for the sea has spoken:
“I have neither been in labor nor given birth;(CB)
    I have neither reared sons nor brought up daughters.”
When word comes to Egypt,
    they will be in anguish(CC) at the report from Tyre.(CD)

Cross over to Tarshish;(CE)
    wail, you people of the island.
Is this your city of revelry,(CF)
    the old, old city,
whose feet have taken her
    to settle in far-off lands?
Who planned this against Tyre,
    the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants(CG) are princes,
    whose traders(CH) are renowned in the earth?
The Lord Almighty planned(CI) it,
    to bring down(CJ) her pride in all her splendor
    and to humble(CK) all who are renowned(CL) on the earth.

10 Till[c] your land as they do along the Nile,
    Daughter Tarshish,
    for you no longer have a harbor.
11 The Lord has stretched out his hand(CM) over the sea
    and made its kingdoms tremble.(CN)
He has given an order concerning Phoenicia
    that her fortresses be destroyed.(CO)
12 He said, “No more of your reveling,(CP)
    Virgin Daughter(CQ) Sidon, now crushed!

“Up, cross over to Cyprus;(CR)
    even there you will find no rest.”
13 Look at the land of the Babylonians,[d](CS)
    this people that is now of no account!
The Assyrians(CT) have made it
    a place for desert creatures;(CU)
they raised up their siege towers,(CV)
    they stripped its fortresses bare
    and turned it into a ruin.(CW)

14 Wail, you ships(CX) of Tarshish;(CY)
    your fortress is destroyed!(CZ)

15 At that time Tyre(DA) will be forgotten for seventy years,(DB) the span of a king’s life. But at the end of these seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute:

16 “Take up a harp, walk through the city,
    you forgotten prostitute;(DC)
play the harp well, sing many a song,
    so that you will be remembered.”

17 At the end of seventy years,(DD) the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her lucrative prostitution(DE) and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth.(DF) 18 Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord;(DG) they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the Lord,(DH) for abundant food and fine clothes.(DI)

The Lord’s Devastation of the Earth

24 See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth(DJ)
    and devastate(DK) it;
he will ruin its face
    and scatter(DL) its inhabitants—
it will be the same
    for priest as for people,(DM)
    for the master as for his servant,
    for the mistress as for her servant,
    for seller as for buyer,(DN)
    for borrower as for lender,
    for debtor as for creditor.(DO)
The earth will be completely laid waste(DP)
    and totally plundered.(DQ)
The Lord has spoken(DR) this word.

The earth dries up(DS) and withers,(DT)
    the world languishes and withers,
    the heavens(DU) languish with the earth.(DV)
The earth is defiled(DW) by its people;
    they have disobeyed(DX) the laws,
violated the statutes
    and broken the everlasting covenant.(DY)
Therefore a curse(DZ) consumes the earth;
    its people must bear their guilt.
Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up,(EA)
    and very few are left.
The new wine dries up(EB) and the vine withers;(EC)
    all the merrymakers groan.(ED)
The joyful timbrels(EE) are stilled,
    the noise(EF) of the revelers(EG) has stopped,
    the joyful harp(EH) is silent.(EI)
No longer do they drink wine(EJ) with a song;
    the beer is bitter(EK) to its drinkers.
10 The ruined city(EL) lies desolate;(EM)
    the entrance to every house is barred.
11 In the streets they cry out(EN) for wine;(EO)
    all joy turns to gloom,(EP)
    all joyful sounds are banished from the earth.
12 The city is left in ruins,(EQ)
    its gate(ER) is battered to pieces.
13 So will it be on the earth
    and among the nations,
as when an olive tree is beaten,(ES)
    or as when gleanings are left after the grape harvest.(ET)

14 They raise their voices, they shout for joy;(EU)
    from the west(EV) they acclaim the Lord’s majesty.
15 Therefore in the east(EW) give glory(EX) to the Lord;
    exalt(EY) the name(EZ) of the Lord, the God of Israel,
    in the islands(FA) of the sea.
16 From the ends of the earth(FB) we hear singing:(FC)
    “Glory(FD) to the Righteous One.”(FE)

But I said, “I waste away, I waste away!(FF)
    Woe(FG) to me!
The treacherous(FH) betray!
    With treachery the treacherous betray!(FI)
17 Terror(FJ) and pit and snare(FK) await you,
    people of the earth.(FL)
18 Whoever flees(FM) at the sound of terror
    will fall into a pit;(FN)
whoever climbs out of the pit
    will be caught in a snare.(FO)

The floodgates of the heavens(FP) are opened,
    the foundations of the earth shake.(FQ)
19 The earth is broken up,(FR)
    the earth is split asunder,(FS)
    the earth is violently shaken.
20 The earth reels like a drunkard,(FT)
    it sways like a hut(FU) in the wind;
so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion(FV)
    that it falls(FW)—never to rise again.(FX)

21 In that day(FY) the Lord will punish(FZ)
    the powers(GA) in the heavens above
    and the kings(GB) on the earth below.
22 They will be herded together
    like prisoners(GC) bound in a dungeon;(GD)
they will be shut up in prison
    and be punished[e] after many days.(GE)
23 The moon will be dismayed,
    the sun(GF) ashamed;
for the Lord Almighty will reign(GG)
    on Mount Zion(GH) and in Jerusalem,
    and before its elders—with great glory.(GI)

Praise to the Lord

25 Lord, you are my God;(GJ)
    I will exalt you and praise your name,(GK)
for in perfect faithfulness(GL)
    you have done wonderful things,(GM)
    things planned(GN) long ago.
You have made the city a heap of rubble,(GO)
    the fortified(GP) town a ruin,(GQ)
the foreigners’ stronghold(GR) a city no more;
    it will never be rebuilt.(GS)
Therefore strong peoples will honor you;(GT)
    cities of ruthless(GU) nations will revere you.
You have been a refuge(GV) for the poor,(GW)
    a refuge for the needy(GX) in their distress,
a shelter from the storm(GY)
    and a shade from the heat.
For the breath of the ruthless(GZ)
    is like a storm driving against a wall
    and like the heat of the desert.
You silence(HA) the uproar of foreigners;(HB)
    as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud,
    so the song of the ruthless(HC) is stilled.

On this mountain(HD) the Lord Almighty will prepare
    a feast(HE) of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
    the best of meats and the finest of wines.(HF)
On this mountain he will destroy
    the shroud(HG) that enfolds all peoples,(HH)
the sheet that covers all nations;
    he will swallow up death(HI) forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears(HJ)
    from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace(HK)
    from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.(HL)

In that day(HM) they will say,

“Surely this is our God;(HN)
    we trusted(HO) in him, and he saved(HP) us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
    let us rejoice(HQ) and be glad in his salvation.”(HR)

10 The hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain;(HS)
    but Moab(HT) will be trampled in their land
    as straw is trampled down in the manure.
11 They will stretch out their hands in it,
    as swimmers stretch out their hands to swim.
God will bring down(HU) their pride(HV)
    despite the cleverness[f] of their hands.
12 He will bring down your high fortified walls(HW)
    and lay them low;(HX)
he will bring them down to the ground,
    to the very dust.

A Song of Praise

26 In that day(HY) this song will be sung(HZ) in the land of Judah:

We have a strong city;(IA)
    God makes salvation
    its walls(IB) and ramparts.(IC)
Open the gates(ID)
    that the righteous(IE) nation may enter,
    the nation that keeps faith.
You will keep in perfect peace(IF)
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust(IG) in you.
Trust(IH) in the Lord forever,(II)
    for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock(IJ) eternal.
He humbles those who dwell on high,
    he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground(IK)
    and casts it down to the dust.(IL)
Feet trample(IM) it down—
    the feet of the oppressed,(IN)
    the footsteps of the poor.(IO)

The path of the righteous is level;(IP)
    you, the Upright One,(IQ) make the way of the righteous smooth.(IR)
Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,[g](IS)
    we wait(IT) for you;
your name(IU) and renown
    are the desire of our hearts.
My soul yearns for you in the night;(IV)
    in the morning my spirit longs(IW) for you.
When your judgments(IX) come upon the earth,
    the people of the world learn righteousness.(IY)
10 But when grace is shown to the wicked,(IZ)
    they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil(JA)
    and do not regard(JB) the majesty of the Lord.
11 Lord, your hand is lifted high,(JC)
    but they do not see(JD) it.
Let them see your zeal(JE) for your people and be put to shame;(JF)
    let the fire(JG) reserved for your enemies consume them.

12 Lord, you establish peace(JH) for us;
    all that we have accomplished you have done(JI) for us.
13 Lord our God, other lords(JJ) besides you have ruled over us,
    but your name(JK) alone do we honor.(JL)
14 They are now dead,(JM) they live no more;
    their spirits(JN) do not rise.
You punished them and brought them to ruin;(JO)
    you wiped out all memory of them.(JP)
15 You have enlarged the nation, Lord;
    you have enlarged the nation.(JQ)
You have gained glory for yourself;
    you have extended all the borders(JR) of the land.

16 Lord, they came to you in their distress;(JS)
    when you disciplined(JT) them,
    they could barely whisper(JU) a prayer.[h]
17 As a pregnant woman about to give birth(JV)
    writhes and cries out in her pain,
    so were we in your presence, Lord.
18 We were with child, we writhed in labor,
    but we gave birth(JW) to wind.
We have not brought salvation(JX) to the earth,
    and the people of the world have not come to life.(JY)

19 But your dead(JZ) will live, Lord;
    their bodies will rise—
let those who dwell in the dust(KA)
    wake up and shout for joy—
your dew(KB) is like the dew of the morning;
    the earth will give birth to her dead.(KC)

20 Go, my people, enter your rooms
    and shut the doors(KD) behind you;
hide(KE) yourselves for a little while
    until his wrath(KF) has passed by.(KG)
21 See, the Lord is coming(KH) out of his dwelling(KI)
    to punish(KJ) the people of the earth for their sins.
The earth will disclose the blood(KK) shed on it;
    the earth will conceal its slain no longer.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 22:23 Or throne
  2. Isaiah 23:3 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls Sidon, / who cross over the sea; / your envoys are on the great waters. / The grain of the Shihor, / the harvest of the Nile,
  3. Isaiah 23:10 Dead Sea Scrolls and some Septuagint manuscripts; Masoretic Text Go through
  4. Isaiah 23:13 Or Chaldeans
  5. Isaiah 24:22 Or released
  6. Isaiah 25:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  7. Isaiah 26:8 Or judgments
  8. Isaiah 26:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.

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