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 the vision. What ails thee now that thou art completely 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.

Thou that art full of tumults, a tumultuous city, a joyous city, thy dead are not slain with the sword nor slain 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 princes together fled from the bow; they were bound; all that were found in thee were bound together; the others fled far away.

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 I said, Leave me; I will weep bitterly; do not labour to comfort me of 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 a day of trouble and of treading down and of wearing down by the Lord GOD of the hosts is sent in the valley of the vision to break down the wall and give a cry unto the mountain.

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

Also Elam bore the quiver in a chariot of men and of 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 soldiers 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 discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the house of weapons 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.

Ye have also seen the breaches of the city of David that they are multiplied, 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 have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and ye have broken down 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 also made a moat between the two walls with the water of the old pool, but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, nor had respect unto him that fashioned 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.

Therefore the Lord GOD of the hosts did call in this day unto 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 while they say, let us eat and drink for tomorrow 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.

This was revealed in my ears by the LORD of the hosts, That surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you until ye die, saith the Lord GOD of the 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 GOD of the hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which 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 hast thou here? or whom hast thou here that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here as he that hews himself out a sepulchre on a high place or that graves a habitation for himself in a rock?

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

Behold, the LORD will carry thee away in a hard captivity and will surely cover thy face.

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 violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country, there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall come to an end, the shame of the house of thy Lord.

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

And I will drive thee from thy place, and he shall pull thee down from thy state.

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 slave 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 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.

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 I will lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and no one shall shut; and he shall shut, and no one 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 glorious throne 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 sons and the grandsons, all the vessels of small quantity, from the cups to drink from even unto all the instruments of music.

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 the LORD of the hosts, the nail that is fastened in the sure place shall be removed and be cut down and fall and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD has spoken it.