The Valley of Vision

1The burthen of the valley of vision. What hast thou to do here, that thou clymbest to the house toppes?

2Thou that art full of tumultuousnes, thou troublesome and proude citie: Thy slayne men are neither put to death with the sworde, nor dead in battayle.

3All thy captaynes are fugitiue together, the archers haue taken them prisoners: All they I say that are founde in thee are in captiuitie together, and they also that fled farre of.

4Therfore sayde I, Let me alone, and I wyll make lamentation: Ye shall not be able to comfort me because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.

5For this is a day of trouble, of ruine, and of destruction, that the Lorde the God of hoastes wyll bryng to passe in the valley of vision, breakyng downe the citie, and crying vnto mountaynes.

6Elam bare the quiuer with a charret of footmen and horsemen, and the citie of Kir shewed the shielde open.

7Thy chiefe valley also was full of charrettes, and the horsemen set their faces directly towarde the gate.

8And in that day dyd the enemie take away the couer of Iuda, and then didst thou loke towarde the armour of the house of the forest.

9Ye haue seene also the broken places of the citie of Dauid, howe that they are many, and ye gathered together the waters of the lower poole.

10As for the houses of Hierusalem ye haue numbred them, and the houses haue ye broken downe, to make the wall strong.

11A pit also haue ye made betweene the two walles for the waters of the olde poole, & haue not regarded the maker therof, neither had respect vnto hym that fashioned it long ago.

12And in that day dyd the Lorde God of hoastes call men vnto weepyng and mournyng, to baldnesse and girdyng about with sackcloth.

13And beholde they haue ioy and gladnesse, slaying oxen, and kyllyng sheepe, eatyng fleshe, and drynkyng wine: Let vs eate and drynke, for to morowe we shall dye.

14And it came to the eares of the Lorde of hoastes, This iniquitie shall not be purged from you tyll ye dye, saith the Lorde God of hoastes.

A Message for Shebna

15Thus saith the Lord God of hoastes: Get ye vnto yonder treasurer, euen vnto Sebna, which is the ruler of the house.

16What hast thou to do here? and whom hast thou here? that thou shouldest here hewe thee out a sepulchree, as it were one that heweth hym out a sepulchree on hye, or that graueth an habitation for hym selfe on an harde rocke?

17Beholde O thou man, the Lorde shal cary thee away into captiuitie, and shall surely couer thee with confusion.

18The Lorde shal turne thee ouer like a ball with his handes and shall sende thee into a farre countrey: there shalt thou dye, and there in steade of the charrets of thy pompe, shall the house of thy Lorde haue confusion.

19I wyll driue thee from thy place, and out of thy dwellyng shal he ouerthrowe thee.

20And in that day shall I call my seruaunt Eliakim the sonne of Helkia:

21And with thy garmentes wyll I clothe hym, and with thy girdle wyll I strength hym: thy power also wyll I commit into his hande, and he shalbe a father of such as dwell in Hierusalem, and in the house of Iuda.

22And the key of the house of Dauid wyll I lay vpon his shoulder: so that he shall open and no man shut, he shall shut and no man open.

23And I wyll fasten hym as a nayle in a sure place, and he shalbe the glorious seate of his fathers house.

24Moreouer, all generations and posterities shall hang vpon him all the glorie of their fathers house, all vessels both great and small, and all instrumentes of measure and musicke. 25In that day saith the Lord of hoastes, shall the nayle that is fastened in the sure place, depart and be broken, and fall: and the burthen that was vpon it shalbe pluckt away, for so the Lorde hath spoken.