Isaiah 21-23
1599 Geneva Bible
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 [a]desert sea. As the whirlwinds in the South used to pass from the wilderness, so shall it [b]come from the horrible land.
2 A grievous vision was showed unto me, The [c]Transgressor against a transgressor, and the destroyer against a destroyer. Go up [d]Elam, besiege Media: I have caused all the mourning [e]thereof to cease.
3 Therefore are my [f]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 [g]of my pleasures hath he turned into fear unto me.
5 Prepare thou the table: watch in the watch tower: eat, drink: [h]arise, ye princes, anoint the shield:
6 For thus hath the [i]Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, to tell what he seeth.
7 And he saw a chariot with two horsemen: [j]a chariot of an ass, and a chariot of a camel: and he hearkened and took diligent heed.
8 And he cried, A [k]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 [l]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 [m]my threshing, and the [n]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 [o]Dumah, he calleth unto me out of [p]Seir, Watchman, what was in the night? Watchman, what was in the night?
12 The watchman said, The [q]morning cometh, and also the night. If ye will as he, inquire: return and come.
13 ¶ The burden against Arabia. In [r]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 [s]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 [t]according to the years of an [u]hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail.
17 And the residue of the number of the strong archers of the sons of [v]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 [w]valley of vision. What [x]aileth thee now that thou art wholly gone up unto the house tops?
2 Thou that art full of [y]noise, a city full of brute, a joyous city, thy slain men shall not be slain [z]with sword, nor die in battle.
3 All thy princes shall flee together from the bow: they shall be [aa]bound: all that shall be found in thee, shall be bound together, which have fled from [ab]far.
4 Therefore said I, Turn away from me, I will weep [ac]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 [ad]crying unto the mountains.
6 ¶ And Elam [ae]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 [af]covering of Judah: and thou didst look in that day to the armor of the house of the forest.
9 And ye have seen [ag]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 [ah]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 [ai]waters of the old pool, and have not looked unto the maker [aj]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, [ak]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 [al]treasurer, to Shebna, the steward of the house, and say,
16 What hast thou to do here? and whom hast thou [am]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 [an]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 [ao]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 [ap]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 [aq]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 [ar]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 [as]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 [at]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.
23 1 A Prophecy against Tyre. 17 A promise that it shall be restored.
1 The [au]burden of Tyre. Howl ye ships of [av]Tarshish: for [aw]it is destroyed, so that there is none house: none shall come from the land of [ax]Kittim: it is [ay]revealed unto them.
2 Be still, ye that dwell in the isles: the merchants of Sidon, and such as pass over the sea, have [az]replenished thee.
3 The [ba]seed of Nile growing by the abundance of waters, and the harvest of the river was her revenues, and she was a mart of the nations.
4 Be ashamed, thou Sidon: for the [bb]sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I have not [bc]travailed, nor brought forth children, neither nourished young men, nor brought up virgins.
5 When the fame cometh to the Egyptians, they shall be [bd]sorry, concerning the rumor of Tyre.
6 Go you over to [be]Tarshish: howl, ye that dwell in the isles.
7 Is not this that your glorious city? her antiquity is of ancient days: her own feet shall lead her afar off to be a sojourner.
8 Who hath decreed this against Tyre (that [bf]crowneth men) whose merchants are princes? whose chapmen are the nobles of the world?
9 The Lord of hosts hath decreed this, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring to contempt all them that be glorious in the earth.
10 Pass through thy land like a flood to the [bg]daughter of Tarshish: there is no more strength.
11 He stretched out his hand upon the sea: he shook the kingdoms: the Lord hath given a commandment concerning the place of merchandise, to destroy the power thereof.
12 And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice when thou art oppressed: [bh]O virgin [bi]daughter of Sidon: rise up, go out unto Kittim: yet there thou shalt have no rest.
13 Behold the land of the Chaldeans: this was no people: [bj]Assyria founded it by the inhabitants of the wilderness: they set up the towers thereof: they raised the palaces thereof, and he [bk]brought it to ruin.
14 Howl ye ships of Tarshish, for your [bl]strength is destroyed.
15 And in that day shall Tyre be forgotten seventy years (according to the years of one King) at the end of [bm]seventy years shall Tyre [bn]sing as an harlot.
16 Take an harp and go about the city (thou harlot that hast been forgotten) [bo]make sweet melody, sing more songs that thou mayest be remembered.
17 And at the end of seventy years shall the Lord visit Tyre, and she shall return to her [bp]wages, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the earth, that are in the world.
18 Yet her occupying and her wages shall be [bq]holy unto the Lord: it shall not be laid up nor kept in store, but her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the Lord, to eat sufficiently, and to have durable clothing.
Footnotes
- 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.
- Isaiah 23:1 Read Isa. 13:1.
- Isaiah 23:1 Ye of Cilicia that come thither for merchandise.
- Isaiah 23:1 Tyre is destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar.
- Isaiah 23:1 By Kittim they meant all the isles and countries Westward from Palestine.
- Isaiah 23:1 All men know of this destruction.
- Isaiah 23:2 Have haunteth thee, and enriched thee.
- Isaiah 23:3 Meaning, the corn of Egypt, which was fed by the overflowing of the Nile.
- Isaiah 23:4 That is, Tyre, which was the chief part of the sea.
- Isaiah 23:4 I have no people left in me, and am as a barren woman that never had children.
- Isaiah 23:5 Because these two countries were joined in league together.
- Isaiah 23:6 Tyre willeth other merchants to go to Cilicia, and to come no more there.
- Isaiah 23:8 Who maketh her merchants like princes.
- Isaiah 23:10 Thy strength will no more serve thee: therefore flee to other countries for succor.
- Isaiah 23:12 For Tyre was never touched nor afflicted before.
- Isaiah 23:12 Because Tyre was built by them of Sidon.
- Isaiah 23:13 The Chaldeans which dwelt in tents in the wilderness, were gathered by the Assyrians into cities.
- Isaiah 23:13 The people of the Chaldeans destroyed the Assyrians: whereby the Prophet meaneth, that seeing the Chaldeans were able to overcome the Assyrians which were so great a nation, much more shall these two nations of Chaldea and Assyria be able to overthrow Tyre.
- Isaiah 23:14 That is, Tyre by whom ye are enriched.
- Isaiah 23:15 Tyre shall lie destroyed seventy years which he calleth the reign of one King, or a man’s age.
- Isaiah 23:15 Shall use all craft and subtlety to entice men again unto her.
- Isaiah 23:16 She shall labor by all means to recover her first credit: as an harlot when she is long forgotten, seeketh by all means to entertain her lovers.
- Isaiah 23:17 Though she have been chastised of the Lord, yet she shall return to her old wicked practices, and for gain shall give herself to all men’s lusts like an harlot.
- Isaiah 23:18 He showeth that God yet by the preaching of the Gospel will call Tyre to repentance, and turn her heart from avarice and filthy gain, unto the true worshipping of God, and liberality toward his Saints.
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.
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