1 T he oracle concerning the valley of vision. What is the matter with you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops?

The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?

2 Y ou who were full of noise, You boisterous town, you exultant city; Your slain were not slain with the sword, Nor did they die in battle.

O thou that art full of shoutings, a tumultuous city, a joyous town; thy slain are not slain with the sword, neither are they dead in battle.

3 A ll your rulers have fled together, And have been captured without the bow; All of you who were found were taken captive together, Though they had fled far away.

All thy rulers fled away together, they were bound by the archers; all that were found of thee were bound together; they fled afar off.

4 T herefore I say, “Turn your eyes away from me, Let me weep bitterly, Do not try to comfort me concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people.”

Therefore said I, Look away from me, I will weep bitterly; labor not to comfort me for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

5 F or the Lord God of hosts has a day of panic, subjugation and confusion In the valley of vision, A breaking down of walls And a crying to the mountain.

For it is a day of discomfiture, and of treading down, and of perplexity, from the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, in the valley of vision; a breaking down of the walls, and a crying to the mountains.

6 E lam took up the quiver With the chariots, infantry and horsemen; And Kir uncovered the shield.

And Elam bare the quiver, with chariots of men and horsemen; and Kir uncovered the shield.

7 T hen your choicest valleys were full of chariots, And the horsemen took up fixed positions at the gate.

And it came to pass, that thy choicest valleys were full of chariots, and the horsemen set themselves in array at the gate.

8 A nd He removed the defense of Judah. In that day you depended on the weapons of the house of the forest,

And he took away the covering of Judah; and thou didst look in that day to the armor in the house of the forest.

9 A nd you saw that the breaches In the wall of the city of David were many; And you collected the waters of the lower pool.

And ye saw the breaches of the city of David, that they were many; and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool;

10 T hen you counted the houses of Jerusalem And tore down houses to fortify the wall.

and ye numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and ye brake down the houses to fortify the wall;

11 A nd you made a reservoir between the two walls For the waters of the old pool. But you did not depend on Him who made it, Nor did you take into consideration Him who planned it long ago.

ye made also a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But ye looked not unto him that had done this, neither had ye respect unto him that purposed it long ago.

12 T herefore in that day the Lord God of hosts called you to weeping, to wailing, To shaving the head and to wearing sackcloth.

And in that day did the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:

13 I nstead, there is gaiety and gladness, Killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, Eating of meat and drinking of wine: “ Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die.”

and 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.

14 B ut the Lord of hosts revealed Himself to me, “Surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven you Until you die,” says the Lord God of hosts.

And Jehovah of hosts revealed himself in mine ears, Surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven you till ye die, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.

15 T hus says the Lord God of hosts, “Come, go to this steward, To Shebna, who is in charge of the royal household,

Thus saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, who is over the house, and say,

16 ‘ What right do you have here, And whom do you have here, That you have hewn a tomb for yourself here, You who hew a tomb on the height, You who carve a resting place for yourself in the rock?

What doest thou here? and whom has thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out here a sepulchre? hewing him out a sepulchre on high, graving a habitation for himself in the rock!

17 ‘ Behold, the Lord is about to hurl you headlong, O man. And He is about to grasp you firmly

Behold, Jehovah, like a strong man, will hurl thee away violently; yea, he will wrap thee up closely.

18 A nd roll you tightly like a ball, To be cast into a vast country; There you will die And there your splendid chariots will be, You shame of your master’s house.’

He will surely wind thee round and round, and toss thee like a ball into a large country; there shalt thou die, and there shall be the chariots of thy glory, thou shame of thy lord's house.

19 “ I will depose you from your office, And I will pull you down from your station.

And I will thrust thee from thine office; and from thy station shalt thou be pulled down.

20 “ Then it will come about in that day, That I will summon My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah,

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

21 A nd I will clothe him with your tunic And tie your sash securely about him. I will entrust him with your authority, And he will become a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.

and I will cloth 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.

22 “ Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder, When he opens no one will shut, When he shuts no one will open.

And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; and he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

23 “ I will drive him like a peg in a firm place, And he will become a throne of glory to his father’s house.

And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a throne of glory to his father's house.

24 S o they will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house, offspring and issue, all the least of vessels, from bowls to all the jars.

And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, every small vessel, from the cups even to all the flagons.

25 I n that day,” declares the Lord of hosts, “the peg driven in a firm place will give way; it will even break off and fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut off, for the Lord has spoken.”

In that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, shall the nail that was fastened in a sure place give way; and it shall be hewn down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off; for Jehovah hath spoken it.