The Book of the Prophet Isaiah

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- Chapter 22 -

The burden of the valley of vision. What does it mean to you, then, that each of you have even climbed to the rooftops?(a)

Filled with clamor, a busy city, an exultant city: your dead have not been slain by the sword, nor did they die in battle.

All your leaders have fled together, and they have been bound by hardship. All who were found were chained together. They have fled far away.

For this reason, I said: “Depart from me. I will weep bitterly. Make no attempt to console me, over the devastation of the daughter of my people.”

For it is a day of death, and of trampling, and of weeping to the Lord, the God of hosts, in the valley of vision: examining the wall and the magnificence above the mountain.

And Elam took up the quiver and the chariot of the horseman; and he stripped the wall of the shield.

And your elect valleys will be filled with chariots, and the horsemen will position themselves at the gates.

And the covering of Judah will be exposed, and in that day, you will see the weaponry of the forest house.

And you will see breaches in the city of David, for these have been multiplied. But you have gathered together the waters of the lower fish-pool.

And you have numbered the houses of Jerusalem. And you have destroyed the houses in order to fortify the wall.

And you have made a pit between two walls for the waters of the ancient fish-pool. But you have not gazed upward to him who made it, and you have not considered, even from a distance, its Maker.

And in that day, the Lord, the God of hosts, will call to weeping and mourning, to baldness and the wearing of sackcloth.(b)

But behold: gladness and rejoicing, the killing of calves and the slaughter of rams, the eating of meat and the drinking of wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die.”(c)

And the voice of the Lord of hosts was revealed in my ears: “Surely this iniquity will not be forgiven you, until you die,” says the Lord, the God of hosts.

A Message for Shebna

Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts: Go forth and enter to him who lives in the tabernacle, to Shebna, who is in charge of the temple, and you shall say to him:

“What are you here, or who are you claiming to be here? For you have hewn a sepulcher for yourself here. You have diligently hewn a memorial in a rock, as a tabernacle to yourself.

Behold, the Lord will cause you to be carried away, like a domesticated rooster, and he will remove you, like an outer garment.(d)

He will crown you with a crown of tribulation. He will toss you like a ball into a broad and spacious land. There you will die, and there the chariot of your glory will be, for it is a shame to the house of your Lord.”

And I will expel you from your station, and I will depose you from your ministry.

And this shall be in that day: I will call my servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah.

And I will clothe him with your vestment, and I will strengthen him with your belt, and I will give your authority to his hand. And he shall be like a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.

And I will place the key of the house of David upon his shoulder. And when he opens, no one will close. And when he closes, no one will open.

And I will fasten him like a peg in a trustworthy place. And he will be upon a throne of glory in the house of his father.

And they will suspend over him all the glory of his father’s house: various kinds of vessels and every little article, from the vessels of bowls even to every instrument of music.(e)

In that day, says the Lord of hosts, the peg which was fastened in a trustworthy place shall be taken away. And he will be broken, and he will fall, and he will perish, along with all that had depended upon him, because the Lord has spoken it.(f)

Footnotes

(a)22:1 The valley of vision:Jerusalem. The temple of Jerusalem was built upon mount Moria, or the mountain of vision. But the city is here called the valley of vision; either because it was lower than the temple, or because of the low condition to which it was to be reduced.(Challoner)

(b)22:12 This refers to the Day of Repentance, i.e. the Warning of Garabandal, when God will call everyone to repentance.(Conte)

(c)22:13 This refers to the reaction to the Warning by persons who reject sorrow for their own sins and the gift of repentance. They will immerse themselves in food and drink and entertainment and sinful conduct, because they refuse to repent and so they know that their own end is near. Many will even mistakenly think that the end of the world is near.(Conte)

(d)22:17 An ‘amictum’ is not any garment, but a cloak or coat or other outer garment. The verb sublevabit, in the context of an outer garment, refers to removing that garment.(Conte)

(e)22:24 The word ‘vas’ (also vasorum, vasis) has a broader meaning in Latin than ‘vessel’ or ‘container.’ It can refer to various kinds of utensils, equipment, tools, etc.(Conte)

(f)22:25 This passage refers to the end of the great Catholic monarch.(Conte)

The burden of the valley of vision. What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops?

You that are full of shouting, a tumultuous city, a joyous town, your slain are not slain with the sword, neither are they dead in battle.

All your rulers fled away together. They were bound by the archers. All who were found by you were bound together. They fled far away.

Therefore I said, “Look away from me. I will weep bitterly. Don’t labor to comfort me for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

For it is a day of confusion, and of treading down, and of perplexity from the Lord, the LORD of Armies, in the valley of vision, a breaking down of the walls, and a crying to the mountains.”

Elam carried his quiver, with chariots of men and horsemen; and Kir uncovered the shield.

Your choicest valleys were full of chariots, and the horsemen set themselves in array at the gate.

He took away the covering of Judah; and you looked in that day to the armor in the house of the forest.

You saw the breaches of David’s city, that they were many; and you gathered together the waters of the lower pool.

You counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall.

You also made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you didn’t look to him who had done this, neither did you have respect for him who planned it long ago.

In that day, the Lord, the LORD of Armies, called to weeping, to mourning, to baldness, and to dressing in sackcloth;

and behold, there is joy and gladness, killing cattle and killing sheep, eating meat and drinking wine: “Let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die.”

The LORD of Armies revealed himself in my ears, “Surely this iniquity will not be forgiven you until you die,” says the Lord, the LORD of Armies.

A Message for Shebna

The Lord, the LORD of Armies says, “Go, get yourself to this treasurer, even to Shebna, who is over the house, and say,

‘What are you doing here? Who has you here, that you have dug out a tomb here?’ Cutting himself out a tomb on high, chiseling a habitation for himself in the rock!”

Behold, the LORD will overcome you and hurl you away violently. Yes, he will grasp you firmly.

He will surely wind you around and around, and throw you like a ball into a large country. There you will die, and there the chariots of your glory will be, you disgrace of your lord’s house.

I will thrust you from your office. You will be pulled down from your station.

It will happen in that day that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah,

and I will clothe him with your robe, and strengthen him with your belt. I will commit your government into his hand; and he will be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.

I will lay the key of David’s house on his shoulder. He will open, and no one will shut. He will shut, and no one will open.

I will fasten him like a nail in a sure place. He will be for a throne of glory to his father’s house.

They will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, every small vessel, from the cups even to all the pitchers.

“In that day,” says the LORD of Armies, “the nail that was fastened in a sure place will give way. It will be cut down and fall. The burden that was on it will be cut off, for the LORD has spoken it.”