^{1 Ref} The word about the valley of vision. Why have all your people gone up to the house-tops?

^{2 Ref} You, who are full of loud voices, a town of outcries, given up to joy; your dead men have not been put to the sword, or come to their death in war.

^{3 Ref} All your rulers ... have gone in flight; all your strong ones have gone far away.

^{4 Ref} For this cause I have said, Let your eyes be turned away from me in my bitter weeping; I will not be comforted for the wasting of the daughter of my people.

^{5 Ref} For it is a day of trouble and of crushing down and of destruction from the Lord, the Lord of armies, in the valley of vision; ...

^{6 Ref} And Elam was armed with arrows, and Aram came on horseback; and the breastplate of Kir was uncovered.

^{7 Ref} And your most fertile valleys were full of war-carriages, and the horsemen took up their positions in front of the town.

^{8 Ref} He took away the cover of Judah; and in that day you were looking with care at the store of arms in the house of the woods.

^{9 Ref} And you saw all the broken places in the wall of the town of David: and you got together the waters of the lower pool.

¹⁰ And you had the houses of Jerusalem numbered, pulling down the houses to make the wall stronger.

^{11 Ref} And you made a place between the two walls for storing the waters of the old pool: but you gave no thought to him who had done this, and were not looking to him by whom it had been purposed long before.

^{12 Ref} And in that day the Lord, the Lord of armies, was looking for weeping, and cries of sorrow, cutting off of the hair, and putting on the clothing of grief:

^{13 Ref} But in place of these there was joy and delight, oxen and sheep were being made ready for food, there was feasting and drinking: men said, Now is the time for food and wine, for tomorrow death comes.

^{14 Ref} And the Lord of armies said to me secretly, Truly, this sin will not be taken from you till your death, says the Lord, the Lord of armies.

^{15 Ref} The Lord, the Lord of armies, says, Go to this person in authority, this Shebna, who is over the house; who has made himself a resting-place on high, cutting out a place for himself in the rock, and say,

^{16 Ref} Who are you, and by what right have you made for yourself a resting-place here?

^{17 Ref} See, O strong man, the Lord will send you violently away, gripping you with force,

^{18 Ref} Twisting you round and round like a ball he will send you out into a wide country: there you will come to your end, and there will be the carriages of your pride, O shame of your lord's house!

^{19 Ref} And I will have you forced out of your place of authority, and pulled down from your position.

^{20 Ref} And in that day I will send for my servant, Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah:

^{21 Ref} And I will put your robe on him, and put your band about him, and I will give your authority into his hand: and he will be a father to the men of Jerusalem, and to the family of Judah.

^{22 Ref} And I will give the key of the family of David into his care; and what he keeps open will be shut by no one, and what he keeps shut no one will make open.

^{23 Ref} And I will put him like a nail in a safe place; and he will be for a seat of glory to his father's family.

^{24 Ref} And all the glory of his father's family will be hanging on him, all their offspring, every small vessel, even the cups and the basins.

^{25 Ref} In that day, says the Lord of armies, will the nail fixed in a safe place give way; and it will be cut down, and in its fall the weight hanging on it will be cut off, for the Lord has said it.

^{1 Ref} The burden of the valley of vision. What ails you now, that you are wholly gone up to the housetops?

^{2 Ref} You that are full of shouting, a tumultuous city, a joyous town; your slain are not slain with the sword, neither are they dead in battle.

^{3 Ref} All your rulers fled away together, they were bound by the archers; all who were found of you were bound together; they fled afar off.

^{4 Ref} Therefore said I, Look away from me, I will weep bitterly; don't labor to comfort me for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

^{5 Ref} For it is a day of confusion, and of treading down, and of perplexity, from the Lord, Yahweh of Hosts, in the valley of vision; a breaking down of the walls, and a crying to the mountains.

^{6 Ref} Elam bore the quiver, with chariots of men [and] horsemen; and Kir uncovered the shield.

^{7 Ref} It happened that your choicest valleys were full of chariots, and the horsemen set themselves in array at the gate.

^{8 Ref} He took away the covering of Judah; and you did look in that day to the armor in the house of the forest.

^{9 Ref} You saw the breaches of the city of David, that they were many; and you gathered together the waters of the lower pool;

¹⁰ and you numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall;

^{11 Ref} you made also a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you didn't look to him who had done this, neither did you have respect for him who purposed it long ago.

^{12 Ref} In that day did the Lord, Yahweh of Hosts, call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:

^{13 Ref} and behold, joy and gladness, killing oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine: let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die.

^{14 Ref} Yahweh of Hosts revealed himself in my ears, Surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven you until you die, says the Lord, Yahweh of Hosts.

^{15 Ref} Thus says the Lord, Yahweh of Hosts, Go, get yourself to this treasurer, even to Shebna, who is over the house, [and say],

^{16 Ref} "What are you doing here? and who has you here, that you have hewed out a tomb here? Cutting him out a tomb on high, chiseling a habitation for himself in the rock!"

^{17 Ref} Behold, Yahweh, like a [strong] man, will hurl you away violently; yes, he will wrap you up closely.

^{18 Ref} He will surely wind you round and round, [and toss you] like a ball into a large country; there shall you die, and there shall be the chariots of your glory, you shame of your lord's house.

^{19 Ref} I will thrust you from your office; and from your station shall you be pulled down.

^{20 Ref} It shall happen in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah:

^{21 Ref} and I will cloth him with your robe, and strengthen him with your belt, and I will commit your government into his hand; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.

^{22 Ref} The key of the house of David will I lay on his shoulder; and he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

^{23 Ref} 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 Ref} They shall hang on him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, every small vessel, from the cups even to all the pitchers.

^{25 Ref} In that day, says Yahweh 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 on it shall be cut off; for Yahweh has spoken it.

^{1 Ref} The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?

^{2 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} And Elam bare the quiver, with chariots of men `and' horsemen; and Kir uncovered the shield.

^{7 Ref} And it came to pass, that thy choicest valleys were full of chariots, and the horsemen set themselves in array at the gate.

^{8 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 and ye numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and ye brake down the houses to fortify the wall;

^{11 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} Thus saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, who is over the house, `and say',

^{16 Ref} 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 Ref} Behold, Jehovah, like a `strong' man, will hurl thee away violently; yea, he will wrap thee up closely.

^{18 Ref} 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 Ref} And I will thrust thee from thine office; and from thy station shalt thou be pulled down.

^{20 Ref} And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah:

^{21 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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.