The Valley of Vision

1The heuy burthen, apon the valley of Visions. What hast thou there to do, that thou clymnest vp in to the house toppe,

2o thou citie of miracles, sedicious and wilfull? seinge, thy slayne me are nether killed wt swerde, ner deed in batel?

3For all thy captaynes gat them to their horses from the ordinaunce, yee they are altogether rydden awaye, and fled farre of.

4When I perceaued yt, I sayde: awaye fro me, yt I maye wepe bytterly. Take no laboure for to coforte me, as touchinge the destruction of my people.

5For this is ye daye of the LORDE of hoostes, wherin he will plage, treade downe, and wede out the valley of Visios, and breake downe the walles, with soch a crack, that it shal geue a sownde in the mountaynes.

6I sawe the Elamites take the quyuers to carte and to horse, and that the walles were bare from harnesse.

7Thy goodly valleys were ful of Charettes, the horse men made them soone to besege the gates.

8Then was the coueringe of Iuda put from thence, and then was sene the sege of the tymbre house.

9There shal ye se the riftes in the walles of the cite of Dauid, wherof there shalbe many. Ye shal gather together the waters of the lower pole,

10and tel the houses of Ierusale, and break of some of the to kepe ye walles.

11And ye shal make a pyt betwyxte ye twayne walles of the water of the olde pole, and nothinge regarde him, that toke it in honde and made it.

12And at the same tyme shal ye LORDE of hoostes cal me to wepinge mourninge, to baldnesse and puttinge on of sack clothe.

13But they to fulfil their lust and wilfulnes, slaugter oxe, they kyll shepe, they eate costly meate, & drynke wyne: let vs eate and drinke, tomorow we shal die.

14Neuertheles whe the LORDE of hoostes herde of it, he sayde: yee, yf this wickednes of yours shalbe remitted, ye must die for it. This hath ye LORDE God of hoostes spoken.

A Message for Shebna

15Thus sayeth the LORDE God of hoostes: Go in to the treasury vnto Sobna the gouernoure, and saye vnto him:

16What hast thou here to do? & from whece comest thou? that thou hast made the a graue here? For he had caused a costly tombe of stone to be made for himself, and a place to lye in to be hewen out of a rock.

17Beholde the LORDE shal cast the out by violence, he will deck the of another fashion, and put vpon the a straunge clothe.

18He shal carie ye in to a farre coutre, like a ball with his hondes, There shalt thou die, there shal the pompe of thy charettes haue an ende: thou vylleyne of the house of thy LORDE:

19I wil shute the out of thine office, and put the from thine estate.

20After this wil I cal my seruaunt Eliakim, ye sonne of Helkia,

21and araye him with thy cote, and gyrde him with thy gyrdle, and I wil geue thy power in to his honde He shalbe a father of the citisens of Ierusalem, and of the Kynred of Iuda.

22I will also laye the keye of Dauids house vpon his shulders, and yf he open, no man shal shit, and yf he do shyt, no man shal open.

23I wil fasten him to a nale in the place of the most hie faithfulnesse, and he shalbe vpon the glorius trone of his fathers house.

24They shal hage vpon him all the glory of his fathers house, of the children and childers childre, all apparel small and great, all instrumentes of measure & musike. 25This shal come to passe, (saieth the LORDE of hoostes) when the nale, yt is fastened to the place of the highest faithfulnesse: shalbe pluckt of, And whe the weight that hangeth vpon it, shal fall, be broken, and hewen in peces. For the LORDE himself hath sayde it.