Isaiah 22:1-13

1This is a message about the city that is called ‘Vision Valley’. What are you doing? You have all climbed up on the roofs of your houses!

2Your city is full of the noise of parties, and people are shouting. It was not war that killed the people who are lying in your streets. They did not die in a battle.

3When the enemy came, all your leaders ran far away. The enemy caught all your people. They caught them all and they did not need to shoot any arrows!

4So I say, ‘Leave me alone! Let me weep with many tears. The enemy has killed many of my people, so do not try to comfort me.’

5The Lord, the Almighty Lord, has decided to bring great trouble to Vision Valley. It is a day of fear. People run here and there because they do not know what to do. The enemy knocks down the city's walls. People shout to the hills for help.

6Elam's soldiers came with bows and arrows. They came with chariots and riders on horses. Kir's soldiers prepared their shields to fight.

7So your beautiful valleys were full of chariots. Soldiers on horses prepared to attack your city's gates.

8The enemy destroyed Judah's strong places where people could be safe. In that day, you looked for weapons in the House of the Forest.

9You saw that there were many holes in the walls of the City of David. You stored water in the Lower Pool.

10You counted the houses in Jerusalem and you knocked down some of them. You used the stones to make the city's wall stronger.

11You built a place between the city's walls to store water from the Old Pool. But you did not trust the One who made the city. You did not think about the One who decided to build it a long time ago.

12At that time, the Lord Almighty told you to be very sad and weep. He told you to cut all the hair off your heads and to wear rough clothes.

13But instead, you are happy and you dance! You kill cows and sheep for a feast! You eat lots of meat and you drink lots of wine. You say, ‘We will have a big feast today, because tomorrow we will be dead!’