1The burden of the valley of vision . What aileth thee now , that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops ? 2O 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 . 3All thy rulers fled away together , they were bound by the archers ; all that were found of thee were bound together ; they fled afar off . 4Therefore said I , Look away from me , I will weep bitterly ; labor not to comfort me for the destruction of the daughter of my people . 5For 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 . 6And Elam bare the quiver, with chariots of men and horsemen ; and Kir uncovered the shield . 7And it came to pass , that thy choicest valleys were full of chariots , and the horsemen set themselves in array at the gate .
The Call to Repentance
8And he took away the covering of Judah ; and thou didst look in that day to the armor in the house of the forest . 9And ye saw the breaches of the city of David , that they were many ; and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool ; 10and ye numbered the houses of Jerusalem , and ye brake down the houses to fortify the wall ; 11ye 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 . 12And in that day did the Lord , Jehovah 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 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 .
The Judgment on Shebna
15Thus saith the Lord , Jehovah of hosts , Go , get thee unto this treasurer , even unto Shebna , who is over the house , and say , 16What doest thou here ? and whom hast 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 ! 17Behold , Jehovah , like a strong man , will hurl thee away violently; yea, he will wrap thee up closely. 18He 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 . 19And I will thrust thee from thine office ; and from thy station shalt thou be pulled down . 20And 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 ; and 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 throne of glory to his father’s house . 24And 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 . 25In 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 .