Isaiah 22 - Easy To Read Version

¹ The sad message about the Valley of Vision: {\cf2\super [213]}

² \{In the past,\} this city was a very busy city.\par This city was very noisy—\par and very happy.\par \{But now, things have changed.\}\par Your people have been killed—\par but not with swords.\par The people died—\par but not while fighting.\par

³ All of your leaders ran away together.\par But they have all been captured—\par and without bows.\par All the leaders ran far away together.\par But they have been captured.\par

⁴ So I say,\par “Don’t look at me!\par Let me cry!\par Don’t rush to comfort me about\par the destruction of Jerusalem.”\par

⁵ The Lord has chosen a special day. On that day there will be riots and confusion. People will trample (walk on) each other in the Valley of Vision. {\cf2\super [214]} The city walls will be pulled down. The people in the valley will be shouting at the people in the city on the mountain.

⁶ The horse soldiers from Elam will take their bags of arrows and ride to battle. The people from Kir will make noise with their shields.

⁷ The armies will meet in your special valley. The valley will be filled with chariots. {\cf2\super [215]} Horse soldiers will be put in front of the city gates.

^8-11 At that time, the people of Judah will want to use the weapons they keep at the Forest Palace. {\cf2\super [216]}

¹² So, my Master, the Lord All-Powerful, will tell the people to cry and be sad \{for their dead friends\}. People will shave their heads and wear clothes of sadness.

¹³ But look! The people are happy now. The people are rejoicing. \{The people are saying\}:

¹⁴ The Lord All-Powerful said these things to me and I heard it with my ears: “You are guilty of doing wrong things. And I promise, you will die before this guilt is forgiven.” My Master, the Lord All-Powerful said those things.

¹⁵ My Master, the Lord All-Powerful, told me these things: “Go to that servant Shebna. That servant is the palace manager.

^16-18 \{Ask that servant,\} ‘What are you doing here? Is any person from your family buried here? Why are you making a grave here?’”

¹⁹ I will force you out of your important job here. Your new leader will take you away from your important job.

²⁰ At that time, I will call for my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah.

²¹ I will take your robe and put it on that servant. I will give him your scepter. {\cf2\super [218]} I will give him the important job you have. That servant will be like a father to the people of Jerusalem and Judah’s family.

²² “I will put the key to David’s house around that man’s neck. If he opens a door, that door will stay opened. No person will be able to close it. If he closes a door, that door will stay closed. No person will be able to open it. That servant will be like a very honored chair in his father’s house.

²³ I will make him strong like a nail that is hammered into a very strong board.

²⁴ All the honored and important things of his father’s house will hang on him. All the adults and little children will depend on him. Those people will be like small dishes and large water bottles hanging on him.

²⁵ “At that time, the nail (Shebna) that is now hammered into a very strong board will become weak and it will break. That nail will fall to the ground and all the things hanging on that nail will be destroyed. Then everything I said in this message will happen.” \{(Those things will happen because the Lord said them.)