1 T he burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly 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 T hou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead 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 thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.

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 said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling 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 trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord God of hosts in the valley of vision, 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 bare the quiver with chariots of men 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 shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.

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

8 A nd he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest.

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 e have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together 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 ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall.

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

11 Y e made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned 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 did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to 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 A nd behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall 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 it was revealed in mine ears by the Lord of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith 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 T hus saith the Lord God of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say,

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 hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a 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 carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.

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 violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord'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 drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down.

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

20 A nd it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah:

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

21 A nd I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and 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 will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none 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 as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne 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 shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.

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, saith the Lord of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the Lord hath 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.”