Isaiah 22:15-20

22:15 This is what the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, says:

“Go visit this administrator, Shebna, who supervises the palace, ¹  and tell him: ² 

22:16 ‘What right do you have to be here? What relatives do you have buried here? ³ 

Why ⁴  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.

22:17 Look, the Lord will throw you far away, ⁵  you mere man! ⁶ 

He will wrap you up tightly. ⁷ 

22:18 He will wind you up tightly into a ball

and throw you into a wide, open land. ⁸ 

There you will die,

and there with you will be your impressive chariots, ⁹ 

which bring disgrace to the house of your master. ¹⁰ 

22:19 I will remove you from ¹¹  your office;

you will be thrown down ¹²  from your position.

22:20 “At that time ¹³  I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah.

[22:15]  ¹ tn Heb “who is over the house” (so ASV); NASB “who is in charge of the royal household.”

[22:15]  ² tn The words “and tell him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[22:16]  ³ tn Heb “What to you here? And who to you here?” The point of the second question is not entirely clear. The interpretation reflected in the translation is based on the following context, which suggests that Shebna has no right to think of himself so highly and arrange such an extravagant burial place for himself.

[22:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “that you chisel out.”

[22:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “will throw you with a throwing.”

[22:17]  ⁶ tn Heb “O man” (so NASB); NAB “mortal man”; NRSV “my fellow.”

[22:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “and the one who wraps you [will] wrap.”

[22:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “and he will tightly [or “surely”] wind you [with] winding like a ball, to a land broad of hands [i.e., “sides”].”

[22:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “and there the chariots of your splendor.”

[22:18]  ¹⁰ sn Apparently the reference to chariots alludes to Shebna’s excessive pride, which in turn brings disgrace to the royal family.

[22:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “I will push you away from.”

[22:19]  ¹² tn Heb “he will throw you down.” The shift from the first to third person is peculiar and abrupt, but certainly not unprecedented in Hebrew poetry. See GKC 462 §144.p. The third person may be indefinite (“one will throw you down”), in which case the passive translation is justified.

[22:20]  ¹³ tn Or “in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.