Isaiah 22:1-14

New International Reader's Version

People of Jerusalem, what’s the matter with you?
    Why have all of you gone up on the roofs of your houses?
² Why 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 by swords.
    They didn’t die in battle.
³ All your leaders have run away.
    They’ve been captured without a single arrow being shot.
All you who were caught were taken away as prisoners.
    You ran off while your enemies were still far away.
⁴ So I said, “Leave me alone.
    Let me weep bitter tears.
Don’t try to comfort me.
    My people have been destroyed.”

⁵ The 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.
⁶ Soldiers from Elam came armed with bows and arrows.
    They came with their chariots and horses.
    Soldiers from Kir got their shields ready.
⁷ Your rich valleys filled up with chariots.
    Horsemen took up their battle positions at your city gates.
⁸     The Lord made Judah a place where it wasn’t safe to live anymore.

At that time, you depended
    on the weapons in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.
⁹ You saw that the walls of the City of David
    were broken through in many places.
You stored up water
    in the Lower Pool.
¹⁰ You picked out the weaker buildings in Jerusalem.
    You tore them down and used their stones
    to strengthen the city walls against attack.
¹¹ You 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 God who made it all possible.
    You didn’t pay any attention to the God
    who planned everything long ago.

¹² The Lord who rules over all
    called out to you at that time.
The Lord told you to weep and cry.
    He told you to tear your hair out.
    And he told you to put on the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad.
¹³ Instead, 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.”