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

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 loud town, you joy-filled city? Your dead were not killed with the sword. They did not 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 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.

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 S o 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.”

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 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.

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

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

7 Y our best valleys were full of war-wagons, and the horsemen took their places 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 T hen 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.

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 Y ou saw that there were many broken places in the wall of the city of David. You stored water in 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 numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and tore down houses to make the wall stronger.

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

11 Y ou 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.

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 S o 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.

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 B ut 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.”

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 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

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

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? 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!

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

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

18 a nd 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.’

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

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

20 I n that day I will call 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 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.

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 T hen 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.

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 nail in a hard place. He will become a throne of honor 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 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.

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 “ 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.”

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.