^{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 -- to thee, now, that thou hast gone up, All of thee -- to the roofs?

^{2 Ref} Full of stirs -- a noisy city -- an exulting city, Thy pierced are not pierced of the sword, Nor dead in battle.

^{3 Ref} All thy rulers fled together from the bow, Bound have been all found of thee, They have been kept bound together, Afar off they have fled.

^{4 Ref} Therefore I said, `Look ye from me, I am bitter in my weeping, Haste not to comfort me, For the destruction of the daughter of my people.'

^{5 Ref} For a day of noise, and of treading down, And of perplexity, `is' to the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, In the valley of vision, digging down a wall, And crying unto the mountain.

^{6 Ref} And Elam hath borne a quiver, In a chariot of men -- horsemen, And Kir hath exposed a shield.

^{7 Ref} And it cometh to pass, The choice of thy valleys have been full of chariots, And the horsemen place themselves diligently at the gate.

^{8 Ref} And one removeth the covering of Judah, And thou lookest in that day Unto the armour of the house of the forest,

^{9 Ref} And the breaches of the city of David ye have seen, For they have become many, And ye gather the waters of the lower pool,

¹⁰ And the houses of Jerusalem ye did number, And ye break down the houses to fence the wall.

^{11 Ref} And a ditch ye made between the two walls, For the waters of the old pool, And ye have not looked unto its Maker, And its Framer of old ye have not seen.

^{12 Ref} And call doth the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, In that day, to weeping and to lamentation, And to baldness and to girding on of sackcloth,

^{13 Ref} And lo, joy and gladness, slaying of oxen, And slaughtering of sheep, Eating of flesh, and drinking of wine, Eat and drink, for to-morrow we die.

^{14 Ref} And revealed it hath been in mine ears, `By' Jehovah of Hosts: Not pardoned is this iniquity to you, Till ye die, said the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts.

^{15 Ref} Thus said the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts: `Go, enter in unto this steward, Unto Shebna, who `is' over the house:

^{16 Ref} What -- to thee here? And who -- to thee here? That thou hast hewn out to thee here -- a sepulchre? Hewing on high his sepulchre, Graving in a rock a dwelling for himself.

^{17 Ref} Lo, Jehovah is casting thee up and down, A casting up and down, O mighty one,

^{18 Ref} And thy coverer covering, wrapping round, Wrappeth thee round, O babbler, On a land broad of sides -- there thou diest, And there the chariots of thine honour `Are' the shame of the house of thy lord.

^{19 Ref} And I have thrust thee from thy station, And from thine office he throweth thee down.

^{20 Ref} And it hath come to pass, in that day, That I have called to my servant, To Eliakim son of Hilkiah.

^{21 Ref} And I have clothed him with thy coat, And with thy girdle I strengthen him, And thy garment I give into his hand, And he hath been for a father to the inhabitant of Jerusalem, And to the house of Judah.

^{22 Ref} And I have placed the key Of the house of David on his shoulder, And he hath opened, and none is shutting, And hath shut, and none is opening.

^{23 Ref} And I have fixed him a nail in a stedfast place, And he hath been for a throne of honour To the house of his father.

^{24 Ref} And they have hanged on him All the honour of the house of his father, The offspring and the issue, All vessels of small quality, From vessels of basins to all vessels of flagons.

^{25 Ref} In that day -- an affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, Moved is the nail that is fixed In a stedfast place, Yea, it hath been cut down, and hath fallen, And cut off hath been the burden that `is' on it, For Jehovah hath spoken!'

^{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.