1The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops? 2Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle. 3All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.22.3 by…: Heb. of the bow 4Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.22.4 weep…: Heb. be bitter in weeping 5For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains. 6And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.22.6 uncovered: Heb. made naked 7And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.22.7 thy…: Heb. the choice of thy valleys22.7 at: or, toward
8¶ And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest. 9Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool. 10And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall. 11Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago. 12And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: 13And 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. 14And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
15¶ Thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say, 16What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock?22.16 as…: or, O he 17Behold, the LORD will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.22.17 will carry…: or, who covered thee with an excellent covering, and clothed thee gorgeously, (next verse) shall surely, etc22.17 a mighty…: Heb. the captivity of a man 18He 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 be the shame of thy lord’s house.22.18 large: Heb. large of spaces 19And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down.
20¶ And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: 21And 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. 22And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. 23And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house. 24And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.22.24 vessels of flagons: or, instruments of viols 25In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it.
A Prophecy Against Jerusalem
1Here is a prophecy against Jerusalem that the Lord gave me. Jerusalem is also known as the Valley of Vision.
People of Jerusalem, what’s the matter with you?
Why have all of you gone up on the roofs of your houses?
2Why is your town so full of noise?
Why is your city so full of the sound of wild parties?
Those among you who died weren’t killed by swords.
They didn’t die in battle.
3All your leaders have run away.
They’ve been captured without a single arrow being shot.
All you who were caught were taken away as prisoners.
You ran off while your enemies were still far away.
4So I said, “Leave me alone.
Let me weep bitter tears.
Don’t try to comfort me.
My people have been destroyed.”
5The Lord who rules over all sent the noise of battle against you.
The Lord brought disorder and terror
to the Valley of Vision.
The walls of the city were knocked down.
Cries for help were heard in the mountains.
6Soldiers from Elam came armed with bows and arrows.
They came with their chariots and horses.
Soldiers from Kir got their shields ready.
7Your rich valleys filled up with chariots.
Horsemen took up their battle positions at your city gates.
8The Lord made Judah a place where it wasn’t safe to live anymore.
At that time, you depended
on the weapons in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.
9You saw that the walls of the City of David
were broken through in many places.
You stored up water
in the Lower Pool.
10You picked out the weaker buildings in Jerusalem.
You tore them down and used their stones
to strengthen the city walls against attack.
11You built a pool between the two walls.
You used it to save the water
that was running down from the Old Pool.
But you didn’t look to the God who made it all possible.
You didn’t pay any attention to the God
who planned everything long ago.
12The Lord who rules over all
called out to you at that time.
The Lord told you to weep and cry.
He told you to tear your hair out.
And he told you to put on the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad.
13Instead, you are enjoying yourselves at wild parties!
You are killing cattle and sheep.
You are eating their meat and drinking wine.
You are saying, “Let’s eat and drink,
because tomorrow we’ll die.”
14I heard the Lord who rules over all speaking. “Your sin can never be paid for as long as you live,” says the Lord.
15The Lord who rules over all speaks. The Lord says,
“Go and speak to Shebna, the head servant.
He is in charge of the palace. Tell him,
16‘What are you doing here outside the city?
Who allowed you to cut out a tomb for yourself here?
Who said you could carve out your grave on the hillside?
Who allowed you to cut out your resting place in the rock?
17“ ‘Watch out, you mighty man!
The Lord is about to grab you.
He is about to throw you away.
18He will roll you up tightly like a ball.
He will throw you into a very large country.
There you will die.
And that’s where the chariots you were so proud of will be.
Those chariots will then bring nothing but shame on your master’s family!
19The Lord will remove you from your job.
You will be brought down from your high position.
20“ ‘At that time he will send for his servant Eliakim. He is the son of Hilkiah. 21The Lord will put your robe on Eliakim. He will tie your belt around him. He will hand your authority over to him. Eliakim will be like a father to the people of Jerusalem and Judah. 22The Lord will give Eliakim the key of authority in David’s royal house. No one can shut what he opens. And no one can open what he shuts. 23The Lord will set him firmly in place like a peg driven into a wall. He will hold a position of honor in his family. 24The good name of his whole family will depend on him. They will be like bowls and jars hanging on a peg.
25“ ‘But a new day is coming,’ ” announces the Lord who rules over all. “ ‘At that time the peg that was driven into the wall will give way. It will break off and fall down. And the heavy load hanging on it will also fall.’ ” The Lord has spoken.
