Isaiah 22:1–14

The Valley of Vision

¹The ¹oracle concerning the ^avalley of vision.

What is the matter with you now, that you have all gone up to the ^bhousetops?

²You who were full of noise,

You boisterous town, you ^aexultant city;

Your slain were ^bnot slain with the sword,

Nor ¹did they die in battle.

^3aAll your rulers have fled together,

And have been captured ¹without the bow;

All of you who were found were taken captive together,

²Though they had fled far away.

⁴Therefore I say, “Turn your eyes away from me,

Let me ^aweep bitterly,

Do not ¹try to comfort me concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people.”

^5aFor the Lord ¹God of hosts has a ^bday of panic, ^csubjugation and confusion

^dIn the valley of vision,

A breaking down of walls

And a crying ²to the mountain.

^6aElam took up the quiver

With the chariots, ¹infantry and horsemen;

And ^bKir uncovered the shield.

⁷Then your choicest valleys were full of chariots,

And the horsemen took up fixed positions at the gate.

⁸And He removed the ¹defense of Judah.

In that day you ²depended on the weapons of the ^ahouse of the forest,

⁹And you saw that the breaches

In the wall of the city of David were many;

And you ^acollected 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 ^abetween the two walls

For the waters of the ^bold pool.

But you did not ¹depend on Him who made it,

Nor did you ²take into consideration Him who planned it long ago.

¹²Therefore in that day the Lord ¹God of hosts called you to ^aweeping, to wailing,

To ^bshaving the head and to wearing sackcloth.

¹³Instead, there is ^agaiety and gladness,

Killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep,

Eating of meat and drinking of wine:

“^bLet us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die.”

¹⁴But the Lord of hosts revealed Himself ¹to me,

“Surely this ^ainiquity ^bshall not be ²forgiven you

^cUntil you die,” says the Lord ³God of hosts.