Isaiah 20-22
King James Version
20 In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it;
2 At the same time spake the Lord by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.
3 And the Lord said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;
4 So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.
5 And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory.
6 And the inhabitant of this isle shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria: and how shall we escape?
21 The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.
2 A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease.
3 Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it.
4 My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me.
5 Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield.
6 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.
7 And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed:
8 And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights:
9 And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.
10 O my threshing, and the corn of my floor: that which I have heard of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.
11 The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?
12 The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come.
13 The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim.
14 The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled.
15 For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.
16 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail:
17 And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the Lord God of Israel hath spoken it.
22 The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?
2 Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.
3 All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.
4 Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling 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 of crying to the mountains.
6 And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.
7 And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.
8 And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest.
9 Ye have seen also 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 houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall.
11 Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.
12 And in that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:
13 And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.
14 And it was revealed in mine ears by the Lord of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord God of hosts.
15 Thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say,
16 What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock?
17 Behold, the Lord will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.
18 He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house.
19 And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down.
20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah:
21 And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.
22 And the 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 a 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, 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 the 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.
Isaiah 20-22
1599 Geneva Bible
20 2 The three years captivity of Egypt and Ethiopia described by the three years going naked of Isaiah.
1 In the year that [a]Tartan came to [b]Ashdod, (when [c]Sargon king of Assyria sent him) and had fought against Ashdod, and taken it,
2 At the same time spake the Lord by the hand of Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go, and loose the [d]sackcloth from thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.
3 And the Lord said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years as a sign and wonder upon Egypt, and Ethiopia,
4 So shall the king of Assyria take away the captivity of Egypt, and the captivity of Ethiopia, both young men and old men, naked and barefoot, with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.
5 And they shall fear, and be ashamed of [e]Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their [f]glory.
6 Then shall the inhabitants of this [g]isle say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we fled for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria, and how shall we be delivered?
21 1 Of the destruction of Babylon by the Persians and Medes. 11 The ruin of Idumea, 13 and of Arabia.
1 The burden of the [h]desert sea. As the whirlwinds in the South used to pass from the wilderness, so shall it [i]come from the horrible land.
2 A grievous vision was showed unto me, The [j]Transgressor against a transgressor, and the destroyer against a destroyer. Go up [k]Elam, besiege Media: I have caused all the mourning [l]thereof to cease.
3 Therefore are my [m]loins filled with sorrow: sorrows have taken me as the sorrows of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down when I heard it, and I was amazed when I saw it.
4 Mine heart failed: fearfulness troubled me: the night [n]of my pleasures hath he turned into fear unto me.
5 Prepare thou the table: watch in the watch tower: eat, drink: [o]arise, ye princes, anoint the shield:
6 For thus hath the [p]Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, to tell what he seeth.
7 And he saw a chariot with two horsemen: [q]a chariot of an ass, and a chariot of a camel: and he hearkened and took diligent heed.
8 And he cried, A [r]lion: my Lord, I stand continually upon the watch tower in the daytime, and I am set in my watch every night:
9 And behold, this man’s chariot cometh with two horsemen. And [s]he answered and said, (A)Babel is fallen: it is fallen, and all the images of her gods hath he broken unto the ground.
10 O [t]my threshing, and the [u]corn of my floor. That which I have heard of the Lord of hosts the God of Israel, have I showed unto you.
11 ¶ The burden of [v]Dumah, he calleth unto me out of [w]Seir, Watchman, what was in the night? Watchman, what was in the night?
12 The watchman said, The [x]morning cometh, and also the night. If ye will as he, inquire: return and come.
13 ¶ The burden against Arabia. In [y]the forest of Arabia shall ye tarry all night, even in the ways of Dedanites.
14 O inhabitants of the land of Tema, bring forth [z]water to meet the thirsty, and prevent him that fleeth with his bread.
15 For they flee from the drawn swords, even from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.
16 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Yet a year [aa]according to the years of an [ab]hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail.
17 And the residue of the number of the strong archers of the sons of [ac]Kedar shall be few: for the Lord God of Israel hath spoken it.
22 1 He prophesieth of the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. 15 A threatening against Shebna. 20 To whose office Eliakim is preferred.
1 The burden of the [ad]valley of vision. What [ae]aileth thee now that thou art wholly gone up unto the house tops?
2 Thou that art full of [af]noise, a city full of brute, a joyous city, thy slain men shall not be slain [ag]with sword, nor die in battle.
3 All thy princes shall flee together from the bow: they shall be [ah]bound: all that shall be found in thee, shall be bound together, which have fled from [ai]far.
4 Therefore said I, Turn away from me, I will weep [aj]bitterly: labor not to comfort me for the destruction of the daughter of my people.
5 For it is a day of trouble, and of ruin, and of perplexity by the Lord God of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the city: and a [ak]crying unto the mountains.
6 ¶ And Elam [al]bare the quiver in a man’s chariot with horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.
7 And thy chief valleys were full of chariots, and the horsemen set themselves in array against the gate.
8 And he discovered the [am]covering of Judah: and thou didst look in that day to the armor of the house of the forest.
9 And ye have seen [an]the breaches of the city of David: for they were many, and ye gathered the waters of the lower pool.
10 And ye numbered the houses [ao]of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall,
11 And have also made a ditch between the two walls, for the [ap]waters of the old pool, and have not looked unto the maker [aq]thereof, neither had respect unto him that formed it of old.
12 And in that day did the Lord God of hosts call unto weeping and mourning, and to baldness and girding with sackcloth.
13 And behold, joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine, [ar]eating and drinking, for tomorrow we shall die.
14 And it was declared in the ears of the Lord of hosts. Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you, till ye die, saith the Lord God of hosts.
15 Thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Go, get thee to that [as]treasurer, to Shebna, the steward of the house, and say,
16 What hast thou to do here? and whom hast thou [at]here? that thou shouldest here hew thee out a sepulcher, as he that heweth out his sepulcher in a high place, or that graveth an habitation [au]for himself in a rock?
17 Behold, the Lord will carry thee away with a great captivity, and will surely cover thee.
18 He will surely roll and turn thee like a ball in a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the [av]shame of thy lord’s house.
19 And I will drive thee from thy station, and out of thy dwelling will he destroy thee.
20 And in that day will I [aw]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 hand, and he shall be a father of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and of the house of Judah.
22 And the [ax]key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder: so he shall open, and no man shall shut: and he shall shut, and no man shall open.
23 And I will fasten him as a [ay]nail in a sure place, and he shall be for the throne of glory to his father’s house.
24 And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house, even of the nephews and posterity [az]all small vessels, from the vessels of the cups, even to all the instruments of music.
25 In that day saith the Lord of hosts, shall the [ba]nail that is fastened in the sure place, depart and shall be broken and fall, and the burden that was upon it, shall be cut off: for the Lord hath spoken it.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 20:1 Who was captain of Sennacherib, 2 Kings 18:17.
- Isaiah 20:1 A city of the Philistines.
- Isaiah 20:1 The Hebrews write that Sennacherib was so called.
- Isaiah 20:2 Which signifieth that the Prophet did lament the misery that he saw prepared, before the three years that he went naked and barefooted.
- Isaiah 20:5 In whose aid they trusted.
- Isaiah 20:5 Of whom they boasted and gloried.
- Isaiah 20:6 Meaning, Judea, which was compassed about with their enemies, as an isle with waters.
- Isaiah 21:1 On the seaside between Judea and Chaldea was a wilderness, whereby he meaneth Chaldea.
- Isaiah 21:1 That is, the ruin of Babylon by the Medes and Persians.
- Isaiah 21:2 The Assyrians and Chaldeans, which had destroyed other nations, shall be overcome of the Medes and Persians: and this he prophesied an hundred years before it came to pass.
- Isaiah 21:2 By Elam he meaneth the Persians.
- Isaiah 21:2 Because they shall find no succor, they shall mourn no more, or, I have caused them to cease mourning, whom Babylon had afflicted.
- Isaiah 21:3 This the Prophet speaketh in the person of the Babylonians.
- Isaiah 21:4 He prophesieth the death of Belshazzar, as Dan. 5:30, who in the midst of his pleasures was destroyed.
- Isaiah 21:5 While they are eating and drinking, they shall be commanded to run to their weapons.
- Isaiah 21:6 To wit, in a vision by the spirit of prophecy.
- Isaiah 21:7 Meaning, chariots of men of war, and others that carried the baggage.
- Isaiah 21:8 Meaning, Darius, which overcame Babylon.
- Isaiah 21:9 The watchman whom Isaiah set up, told him who came toward Babylon, and the Angel declared that it should be destroyed: all this was done in a vision.
- Isaiah 21:10 Meaning, Babylon.
- Isaiah 21:10 Hebrew, son.
- Isaiah 21:11 Which was a city of the Ishmaelites, and was so named of Dumah, Gen. 25:14.
- Isaiah 21:11 A mountain of the Idumeans.
- Isaiah 21:12 He describeth the unquietness of the people of Dumah, who were night and day in fear of their enemies, and ever ran to and fro to inquire news.
- Isaiah 21:13 For fear, the Arabians shall flee into the woods, and he appointeth what way they shall take.
- Isaiah 21:14 Signifying, that for fear they shall not tarry to eat nor drink.
- Isaiah 21:16 He appointeth them respite for one year only, and then they should be destroyed.
- Isaiah 21:16 Read Isa. 16:14.
- Isaiah 21:17 Which was the name of a people of Arabia: and by the horrible destruction of all these nations, he teacheth the Jews that there is no place for refuge or to escape God’s wrath, but only to remain in his Church, and to live in his fear.
- Isaiah 22:1 Meaning, Judea, which was compassed about with mountains, and was called the valley of visions, because of the Prophets, which were always there, whom they named Seers.
- Isaiah 22:1 He speaketh to Jerusalem, whose inhabitants were fled up to the housetops for fear of their enemies.
- Isaiah 22:2 Which was wont to be full of people and joy.
- Isaiah 22:2 But for hunger.
- Isaiah 22:3 And led into captivity.
- Isaiah 22:3 Which have fled from other places to Jerusalem for succor.
- Isaiah 22:4 He showeth what is the duty of the godly, when God’s plagues hang over the Church, and especially of the ministers, Jer. 9:1.
- Isaiah 22:5 That is, the shout of the enemies whom God had appointed to destroy the city.
- Isaiah 22:6 He putteth them in mind how God delivered them once from Sennacherib, who brought the Persians and Cyrenians with him, that they might by returning to God avoid that great plague which they should else suffer by Nebuchadnezzar.
- Isaiah 22:8 The secret place where the armor was: to wit, in the house of the forest, 1 Kings 7:2.
- Isaiah 22:9 Ye 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.
- Isaiah 22:10 Either to pull down such as might hurt, or else to know what men they were able to make.
- Isaiah 22:11 To provide if need should be of water.
- Isaiah 22:11 To God that made Jerusalem: that is, they trusted more in these worldly means, than in God.
- Isaiah 22:13 Instead of repentance ye were joyful and made great cheer, contemning the admonitions of the Prophets, saying, Let us eat and drink for our Prophets say, that we shall die tomorrow.
- Isaiah 22:15 Because the Hebrew word doth also signify one that doth nourish and cherish, there are of the learned that think that this wicked man did nourish 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.
- Isaiah 22:16 Meaning, that he was a stranger, and came up of nothing.
- Isaiah 22:16 Whereas he thought to make his name immortal by his famous sepulcher, he died most miserably among the Assyrians.
- Isaiah 22:18 Signifying that whatsoever dignity the wicked attain unto, at length it will turn to the shame of those princes, by whom they are preferred.
- Isaiah 22:20 To be steward again, out of the which office he had been put, by the craft of Shebna.
- Isaiah 22:22 I will commit unto him the full charge and government of the king’s house.
- Isaiah 22:23 I will establish him, and confirm him in his office: of this phrase, read Ezra 9:9.
- Isaiah 22:24 Meaning that both small and great that shall come of Eliakim, shall have praise and glory by his faithful officer.
- Isaiah 22:25 He meaneth Shebna, who in man’s judgment should never have fallen.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
