The Valley of Vision
1The burdenof the valleyof vision.What aileth thee now,that thou art wholly gone upto the housetops?
2Thou that art fullof stirs,a tumultuouscity,a joyouscity:thy slain[men are] not slainwith the sword,nor deadin battle.
3All thy rulersare fledtogether,they are boundby the archers:all that are foundin thee are boundtogether,[which] have fledfrom far.
4Therefore saidI, Look awayfrom me; I will weepbitterly,labournot to comfortme, because of the spoilingof the daughterof my people.
5For [it is] a dayof trouble,and of treading down,and of perplexityby the LordGODof hostsin the valleyof vision,breakingdown the walls,and of cryingto the mountains.
6And Elambarethe quiverwith chariotsof men[and] horsemen,and Kiruncoveredthe shield.
7And it shall come to pass, [that] thy choicestvalleysshall be fullof chariots,and the horsemenshall setthemselves in arrayat the gate.
8And he discoveredthe coveringof Judah,and thou didst lookin that dayto the armourof the houseof the forest.
9Ye have seenalso the breachesof the cityof David,that they are many:and ye gathered togetherthe watersof the lowerpool.
10And ye have numberedthe housesof Jerusalem,and the houseshave ye broken downto fortifythe wall.
11Ye madealso a ditchbetween the two wallsfor the waterof the oldpool:but ye have not lookedunto the makerthereof, neither had respectunto him that fashionedit long ago.
12And in that daydid the LordGODof hostscallto weeping,and to mourning,and to baldness,and to girdingwith sackcloth:
13And behold joyand gladness,slayingoxen,and killingsheep,eatingflesh,and drinkingwine:let us eatand drink;for to morrowwe shall die.
14And it was revealedin mine earsby the LORDof hosts,Surely this iniquityshall not be purgedfrom you till ye die,saiththe LordGODof hosts.
A Message for Shebna
15Thus saiththe LordGODof hosts,Go,getthee 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 outa sepulchrehere,[as] he that heweth him outa sepulchreon high,[and] that gravethan habitationfor himself in a rock?
17Behold, the LORDwill carry thee awaywith a mightycaptivity,and will surelycoverthee.
18He will surelyviolently turnand tossthee [like] a ballinto a largecountry:there shalt thou die,and there the chariotsof thy glory[shall be] the shameof thy lord'shouse.
19And I will drivethee from thy station,and from thy stateshall he pull thee down.
20And it shall come to pass in that day,that I will callmy servantEliakimthe sonof Hilkiah:
21And I will clothehim with thy robe,and strengthenhim with thy girdle,and I will committhy governmentinto his hand:and he shall be a fatherto the inhabitantsof Jerusalem,and to the houseof Judah.
22And the keyof the houseof Davidwill I layupon his shoulder;so he shall open,and none shall shut;and he shall shut,and none shall open.
23And I will fastenhim [as] a nailin a sureplace;and he shall be for a gloriousthroneto his father'shouse.
24And they shall hangupon him all the gloryof his father'shouse,the offspringand the issue,all vesselsof smallquantity, from the vesselsof cups,even to all the vesselsof flagons.25In that day,saiththe LORDof hosts,shall the nailthat is fastenedin the sureplacebe removed,and be cut down,and fall;and the burdenthat [was] upon it shall be cut off:for the LORDhath spoken[it].
