Bible in Basic English
And you saw all the broken places in the wall of the town of David: and you got together the waters of the lower pool.
And you had the houses of Jerusalem numbered, pulling down the houses to make the wall stronger.
And you made a place between the two walls for storing the waters of the old pool: but you gave no thought to him who had done this, and were not looking to him by whom it had been purposed long before.
And in that day the Lord, the Lord of armies, was looking for weeping, and cries of sorrow, cutting off of the hair, and putting on the clothing of grief:
But in place of these there was joy and delight, oxen and sheep were being made ready for food, there was feasting and drinking: men said, Now is the time for food and wine, for tomorrow death comes.
And the Lord of armies said to me secretly, Truly, this sin will not be taken from you till your death, says the Lord, the Lord of armies.
The Lord, the Lord of armies, says, Go to this person in authority, this Shebna, who is over the house; who has made himself a resting-place on high, cutting out a place for himself in the rock, and say,
Who are you, and by what right have you made for yourself a resting-place here?
See, O strong man, the Lord will send you violently away, gripping you with force,
Twisting you round and round like a ball he will send you out into a wide country: there you will come to your end, and there will be the carriages of your pride, O shame of your lord's house!
And I will have you forced out of your place of authority, and pulled down from your position.
And in that day I will send for my servant, Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah:
And I will put your robe on him, and put your band about him, and I will give your authority into his hand: and he will be a father to the men of Jerusalem, and to the family of Judah.
And I will give the key of the family of David into his care; and what he keeps open will be shut by no one, and what he keeps shut no one will make open.
And I will put him like a nail in a safe place; and he will be for a seat of glory to his father's family.
And all the glory of his father's family will be hanging on him, all their offspring, every small vessel, even the cups and the basins.
In that day, says the Lord of armies, will the nail fixed in a safe place give way; and it will be cut down, and in its fall the weight hanging on it will be cut off, for the Lord has said it.
— Isaiah 22:9-1964, Bible in Basic English
“You saw the many breaks in the walls of the City of David; you stored up water in the lower pool. You counted the houses in Jerusalem, and demolished houses so you could have material to reinforce the wall. You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool– but you did not trust in the one who made it; you did not depend on the one who formed it long ago! At that time the Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies, called for weeping and mourning, for shaved heads and sackcloth. But look, there is outright celebration! You say,“Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep, eat meat and drink wine. Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” The LORD of Heaven’s Armies told me this:“Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,” says the Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies. This is what the Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies, says:“Go visit this administrator, Shebna, who supervises the palace, and tell him: ‘What right do you have to be here? What relatives do you have buried here? Why do you chisel out a tomb for yourself here? He chisels out his burial site in an elevated place, he carves out his tomb on a cliff. Look, the LORD will throw you far away, you mere man! He will wrap you up tightly. He will wind you up tightly into a ball and throw you into a wide, open land. There you will die, and there with you will be your impressive chariots, which bring disgrace to the house of your master. I will remove you from your office; you will be thrown down from your position. “At that time I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah. I will put your robe on him, tie your belt around him, and transfer your authority to him. He will become a protector of the residents of Jerusalem and of the people of Judah. I will place the key to the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens the door, no one can close it; when he closes the door, no one can open it. I will fasten him like a peg into a solid place; he will bring honor and respect to his father’s family. His father’s family will gain increasing prominence because of him, including the offspring and the offshoots. All the small containers, including the bowls and all the jars will hang from this peg.’ “At that time,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies,“the peg fastened into a solid place will come loose. It will be cut off and fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut off.” Indeed, the LORD has spoken.”
And Elam was armed with arrows, and Aram came on horseback; and the breastplate of Kir was uncovered.
And your most fertile valleys were full of war-carriages, and the horsemen took up their positions in front of the town.
He took away the cover of Judah; and in that day you were looking with care at the store of arms in the house of the woods.
And you saw all the broken places in the wall of the town of David: and you got together the waters of the lower pool.
And you had the houses of Jerusalem numbered, pulling down the houses to make the wall stronger.
And you made a place between the two walls for storing the waters of the old pool: but you gave no thought to him who had done this, and were not looking to him by whom it had been purposed long before.
And in that day the Lord, the Lord of armies, was looking for weeping, and cries of sorrow, cutting off of the hair, and putting on the clothing of grief:
But in place of these there was joy and delight, oxen and sheep were being made ready for food, there was feasting and drinking: men said, Now is the time for food and wine, for tomorrow death comes.
And the Lord of armies said to me secretly, Truly, this sin will not be taken from you till your death, says the Lord, the Lord of armies.
The Lord, the Lord of armies, says, Go to this person in authority, this Shebna, who is over the house; who has made himself a resting-place on high, cutting out a place for himself in the rock, and say,
Who are you, and by what right have you made for yourself a resting-place here?
See, O strong man, the Lord will send you violently away, gripping you with force,
Twisting you round and round like a ball he will send you out into a wide country: there you will come to your end, and there will be the carriages of your pride, O shame of your lord's house!
And I will have you forced out of your place of authority, and pulled down from your position.
And in that day I will send for my servant, Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah:
And I will put your robe on him, and put your band about him, and I will give your authority into his hand: and he will be a father to the men of Jerusalem, and to the family of Judah.
And I will give the key of the family of David into his care; and what he keeps open will be shut by no one, and what he keeps shut no one will make open.
And I will put him like a nail in a safe place; and he will be for a seat of glory to his father's family.
And all the glory of his father's family will be hanging on him, all their offspring, every small vessel, even the cups and the basins.
In that day, says the Lord of armies, will the nail fixed in a safe place give way; and it will be cut down, and in its fall the weight hanging on it will be cut off, for the Lord has said it.