1 T he mournful, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up) concerning the Valley of Vision: What do you mean that you have all gone up to the housetops,

The special word about the Valley of Visions: What is wrong, that you have all gone up to the house tops,

2 Y ou who are full of shouting, a tumultuous city, a joyous and exultant city? your slain warriors have not met death with the sword or in battle.

you who were full of noise, you loud town, you joy-filled city? Your dead were not killed with the sword. They did not die in battle.

3 A ll your leaders have fled together; without the bow they have been taken captive and bound by the archers. All of you who were found were bound together, though they had fled far away.

All your rulers have run away together, and were taken without using the bow. All of you who were found were taken away together, even though you had run far away.

4 T herefore I said, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly. Do not hasten and try to comfort me over the destruction of the daughter of my people.

So I said, “Turn your eyes away from me. Let me cry with much sorrow. Do not try to comfort me about my people being destroyed.”

5 F or it is a day of discomfiture and of tumult, of treading down, of confusion and perplexity from the Lord God of hosts in the Valley of Vision, a day of breaking down the walls and of crying to the mountains.

For the Lord God of All has a day of fear, crushing down, and trouble in the Valley of Vision. There is a breaking down of walls and a crying out to the mountain.

6 A nd Elam take up the quiver, with troops in chariots, infantry, and horsemen; and Kir uncovered the shield.

Elam took up the arrows with the war-wagons, soldiers and horsemen. And Kir let the battle-covering be seen.

7 A nd it came to pass that your choicest valleys were full of chariots, and the horsemen took their station.

Your best valleys were full of war-wagons, and the horsemen took their places at the gate.

8 T hen removed the protective covering of Judah; and you looked to the weapons in the House of the Forest in that day.

Then God took away the safe-covering of Judah. In that day you trusted in the objects you had to fight with that were stored in the house among the trees.

9 Y ou saw that the breaches of the City of David were many; you collected the waters of the Lower Pool.

You saw that there were many broken places in the wall of the city of David. You stored water in the lower pool.

10 A nd you numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall.

Then you numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and tore down houses to make the wall stronger.

11 Y ou also made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the Old Pool, but you did not look to the Maker of it, nor did you recognize Him Who planned it long ago.

You made a place to store water between the two walls for the waters of the old pool. But you did not trust in God Who made it. You did not think about Him Who planned it long ago.

12 A nd in that day the Lord God of hosts called you to weeping and mourning, to the shaving off of all your hair and to the girding with sackcloth.

So in that day the Lord God of All called you to cry in sorrow, to cut off the hair from your head, and to wear cloth made from hair.

13 B ut instead, see the pleasure and mirth, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!

But instead, there is joy and happiness, killing of cattle and sheep, eating of meat, and drinking of wine. You say, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

14 A nd the Lord of hosts revealed Himself in my ears, Surely this unatoned sin shall not be purged from you until death, says the Lord God of hosts.

But the Lord of All has made Himself known to me. The Lord God of All says, “For sure you will not be forgiven for this sin until you die.” Word about Shebna

15 C ome, go to this steward and treasurer, to Shebna, who is over the house, and say to him,

The Lord God of All says, “Come, go to this person in Shebna who is taking care of the king’s house. Say to him,

16 W hat business have you here? And whom have you entombed here, that you have the right to hew out for yourself a tomb here? He hews out a sepulcher for himself on the height! He carves out a dwelling for himself in the rock!

‘What right do you have here? Who told you that you could cut out a grave for yourself here? You cut out a grave on a high place! You cut a resting place for yourself in the rock!

17 B ehold, the Lord will hurl you away violently, O you strong man; yes, He will take tight hold of you and He will surely cover you.

See, the Lord will throw you away without pity, O you strong man. He will take a strong hold of you

18 H e will surely roll you up in a bundle and toss you like a ball into a large country; there you will die and there will be your splendid chariots, you disgrace to your master’s house!

and roll you up like a ball to be thrown into a wide land. There you will die, and there your great war-wagons will be. You are a shame to your king’s house.’

19 A nd I will thrust you from your office, and from your station will you be pulled down.

I will throw you out of your place of power. I will take you down from your place.

20 A nd in that day I will call My servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah.

In that day I will call My servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah.

21 A nd I will clothe him with your robe and will bind your girdle on him and will commit your authority to his hand; he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.

I will clothe him with your coat, and tie your belt around him. I will give him the power you had. He will become a father to the people of Jerusalem and to the family of Judah.

22 A nd the key of the house of David I will lay upon his shoulder; he shall open and no one shall shut, he shall shut and no one shall open.

Then I will put on his shoulder the rule of the family of David. What he opens, no one will shut. What he shuts, no one will open.

23 A nd I will fasten him like a peg or nail in a firm place; and he will become a throne of honor and glory to his father’s house.

I will drive him like a nail in a hard place. He will become a throne of honor to his father’s house.

24 A nd they will hang on him the honor and the whole weight of his father’s house: the offspring and issue, every small vessel, from the cups even to all the flasks and big bulging bottles.

So they will put on him all the honor of his father’s house, and of his children, and every little dish, from the cups to all the jars.

25 I n that day, says the Lord of hosts, the nail or peg that was fastened into the sure place shall give way and be moved and be hewn down and fall, and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off; for the Lord has spoken it.

“In that day,” says the Lord of All, “the nail driven in a hard place will give way. It will break off and fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut off. For the Lord has spoken.”