Isaías 22

¹ The burden of theMeaning, Judea, which was compassed about with mountains, and was called the valley of visions, because of the prophets, who were always there, whom they named Seers.valley of vision. WhatHe speaks to Jerusalem, whose inhabitants fled up to the housetops for fear of their enemies.aileth thee now, that thou hast wholly gone up to the housetops?

² Thou that art full ofWhich was wont to be full of people and joy.shoutings, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain [men are] not slainBut for hunger.with the sword, nor dead in battle.

³ All thy rulers have fled together, they areAnd led into captivity.bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, [who] have fled fromWho have fled from other places to Jerusalem for comfort.far.

⁴ Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weepHe shows what is the duty of the godly, when God's plagues hang over the Church, and especially of the ministers, (Jer_9:1).bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the plundering of the daughter of my people.

⁵ For [it is] a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and ofThat is, the shout of the enemies whom God had appointed to destroy the city.crying to the mountains.

⁶ And ElamHe reminds them how God delivered them once from Sennacherib, who brought the Persians and Syrians with him, that they might by returning to God avoid that great plague which they would suffer by Nebuchadnezzar.bore the quiver with chariots of men [and] horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.

⁷ And thy chiefe valleis were full of charets, and the horsemen set themselues in aray against the gate.

⁸ And he uncovered theThe secret place where the armour was: that is, in the house of the forest, (1Ki_7:2).coverings of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest.

⁹ Ye have seen alsoYou forfeited the ruinous places which were neglected in times of peace: meaning, the whole City, and the City of David, which was within the compass of the other.the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool.

¹⁰ And ye have numbered the housesEither to pull down such as might hurt, or else to know what men they were able to make.of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall.

¹¹ Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for theTo provide if need should be of water.water of the old pool: but ye have not looked toTo God who made Jerusalem: that is, they trusted more in these worldly means than in God.its maker, neither had respect to him that fashioned it long ago.

¹² And in that day did the Lord God of hosts call vnto weeping and mourning, and to baldnes and girding with sackecloth.

¹³ And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let usInstead of repentance you were joyful and made great cheer, contemning the admonitions of the prophets saying Let us eat and drink for our prophets say that we will die tomorrow.eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.

¹⁴ And it was declared in ye eares of the Lorde of hostes. Surely this iniquitie shall not be purged from you, til ye die, saith the Lord God of hostes.

¹⁵ Thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, Go, repair to thisBecause the Hebrew word also signifies one who nourishes and cherishes, there are those of the scholars who think that this wicked man nourished a secret friendship with the Assyrians and Egyptians to betray the Church and to provide for himself against all dangers: in the mean season he packed craftily, and got of the best offices into his hand under Hezekiah, ever aspiring to the highest.treasurer, [even] to Shebna, who [is] over the house, [and say],

¹⁶ What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchreMeaning, that he was a stranger, and came up of nothing.here, [as] he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, [and] that cut out an habitationWhile he thought to make his name immortal by his famous sepulchre, he died most miserably among the Assyrians.for himself in a rock?

¹⁷ Beholde, the Lord wil carie thee away with a great captiuitie, and will surely couer thee.

¹⁸ With violence he will surely turn and toss thee [like] a ball into a wide country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory [shall be] theSignifying that whatever dignity the wicked attain to, at length it will turn to the shame of those princes by whom they are preferred.shame of thy lord's house.

¹⁹ And I wil driue thee from thy station, and out of thy dwelling will he destroy thee.

²⁰ And it shall come to pass in that day, that I willTo be steward again, out of which office he had been put, by the craft of Shebna.call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah:

²¹ And with thy garments will I clothe him, and with thy girdle will I strengthen him: thy power also will I commit into his hande, and hee shalbe a father of the inhabitats of Ierusalem, and of the house of Iudah.

²² And theI will commit to him the full charge and government of the king's house.key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

²³ And I will fasten him [as] aI will establish him, and confirm him in his office, of this phrase read (Ezr_9:9).nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house.

²⁴ And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue,Meaning that both small and great who will come from Eliakim, will have praise and glory by his faithful officer.all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.

²⁵ In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall theHe means Shebna, who in man's judgment should never have fallen.nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that [was] upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken [it].