Isaiah 22-25

New International Version

What troubles you now,
    that you have all gone up on the roofs,^(D)
2 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.
³ 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.
⁴ 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)

⁵ 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.
⁶ Elam^(R) takes up the quiver,^(S)
    with her charioteers and horses;
    Kir^(T) uncovers the shield.
⁷ Your choicest valleys^(U) are full of chariots,
    and horsemen are posted at the city gates.^(V)

⁸ 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)
9 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)

“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)

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.

² Be silent,^(BU) you people of the island
    and you merchants^(BV) of Sidon,^(BW)
    whom the seafarers have enriched.
³ 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.

⁴ 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.”
⁵ When word comes to Egypt,
    they will be in anguish^(CC) at the report from Tyre.^(CD)

⁶ Cross over to Tarshish;^(CE)
    wail, you people of the island.
⁷ Is this your city of revelry,^(CF)
    the old, old city,
whose feet have taken her
    to settle in far-off lands?
⁸ Who planned this against Tyre,
    the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants^(CG) are princes,
    whose traders^(CH) are renowned in the earth?
⁹ 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)

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.”

⁴ The earth dries up^(DS) and withers,^(DT)
    the world languishes and withers,
    the heavens^(DU) languish with the earth.^(DV)
5 The earth is defiled^(DW) by its people;
    they have disobeyed^(DX) the laws,
violated the statutes
    and broken the everlasting covenant.^(DY)
6 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.
⁷ The new wine dries up^(EB) and the vine withers;^(EC)
    all the merrymakers groan.^(ED)
8 The joyful timbrels^(EE) are stilled,
    the noise^(EF) of the revelers^(EG) has stopped,
    the joyful harp^(EH) is silent.^(EI)
9 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)

⁶ 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)
7 On this mountain he will destroy
    the shroud^(HG) that enfolds all peoples,^(HH)
the sheet that covers all nations;
⁸     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)

“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.