Isaiah 22:11-14

22:11 You made a reservoir between the two walls

for the water of the old pool –

but you did not trust in ¹  the one who made it; ² 

you did not depend on ³  the one who formed it long ago!

22:12 At that time the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, called for weeping and mourning,

for shaved heads and sackcloth. ⁴ 

22:13 But look, there is outright celebration! ⁵ 

You say, “Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep,

eat meat and drink wine.

Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” ⁶ 

22:14 The Lord who commands armies told me this: ⁷  “Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,” ⁸  says the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies.

[22:11]  ¹ tn Heb “look at”; NAB, NRSV “did not look to.”

[22:11]  ² tn The antecedent of the third feminine singular suffix here and in the next line is unclear. The closest feminine noun is “pool” in the first half of the verse. Perhaps this “old pool” symbolizes the entire city, which had prospered because of God’s provision and protection through the years.

[22:11]  ³ tn Heb “did not see.”

[22:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “for baldness and the wearing of sackcloth.” See the note at 15:2.

[22:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “happiness and joy.”

[22:13]  ⁸ tn The prophet here quotes what the fatalistic people are saying. The introductory “you say” is supplied in the translation for clarification; the concluding verb “we die” makes it clear the people are speaking. The six verbs translated as imperatives are actually infinitives absolute, functioning here as finite verbs.

[22:14]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “it was revealed in my ears [by?] the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”

[22:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Certainly this sin will not be atoned for until you die.” This does not imply that their death will bring atonement; rather it emphasizes that their sin is unpardonable. The statement has the form of an oath.