Isaiah 22:1–14

A Message About Jerusalem

22Here is a message the Lord gave me about the Valley of Vision.

People of Jerusalem, what’s the matter with you?

Why have all of you gone up on the roofs of your houses?

²Why is your town so full of noise?

Why is your city so full of the sound of wild parties?

Those among you who died weren’t killed with swords.

They didn’t die in battle.

³All of your leaders have run away.

They’ve been captured without a single arrow being shot.

All those who were caught were taken away as prisoners.

They ran off while your enemies were still far away.

⁴So I said, “Leave me alone.

Let me sob bitter tears.

Don’t try to comfort me.

My people have been destroyed.”

⁵The Lord who rules over all sent the noise of battle against you.

The Lord brought disorder and terror

to the Valley of Vision.

The walls of the city were knocked down.

Cries for help were heard in the mountains.

⁶Soldiers from Elam came armed with bows and arrows.

They came with their chariots and horses.

Soldiers from Kir got their shields ready.

⁷Your rich valleys filled up with chariots.

Horsemen took up their battle positions at your city gates.

⁸Judah wasn’t a safe place to live in anymore.

When all of that happened, you depended

on the weapons in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

⁹You saw that the City of David

had many holes in its walls.

They needed to be repaired.

You stored up water

in the Lower Pool.

¹⁰You picked out the weaker buildings in Jerusalem.

You tore them down and used their stones

to strengthen the city walls against attack.

¹¹You built a pool between the two walls.

You used it to save the water

that was running down from the Old Pool.

But you didn’t look to the One who made it all possible.

You didn’t pay any attention to the One

who planned everything long ago.

¹²The Lord who rules over all

called out to you at that time.

The Lord told you to sob and cry.

He told you to tear your hair out.

And he told you to put black clothes on.

¹³Instead, you are enjoying yourselves at wild parties!

You are killing cattle and sheep.

You are eating their meat and drinking wine.

You are saying, “Let’s eat and drink,

because tomorrow we’ll die.”

¹⁴I heard the Lord who rules over all speaking. “Your sin can never be paid for as long as you people live,” says the Lord.