¶ The burden of the valley¹ of vision². What³ aileth thee now, that thou⁴ art wholly gone up to the housetops?

Thou that art⁵ full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain⁶ men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.

All thy rulers⁷ are fled together, they are bound by the archers⁸: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.

Therefore said I, Look⁹ away from me; I will weep bitterly¹⁰, labour¹¹ not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.

For it is a day¹² of trouble, and of treading¹³ down, and of perplexity¹⁴ by the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking¹⁵ down the walls, and of crying¹⁶ to the mountains.

And Elam¹⁷ bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir¹⁸ uncovered¹⁹ the shield.

And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys²⁰ shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at²¹ the gate.

¶ And he discovered²² the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour²³ of the house of the forest.

²⁴Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool.

¶ And ye have numbered²⁵ the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken²⁶ down to fortify the wall.

Ye made also a ditch²⁷ between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have²⁸ not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.

And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call²⁹ to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness³⁰, and to girding with sackcloth:

And behold³¹ joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let³² us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.

And it was³³ revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely³⁴ this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

¶ Thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer³⁵, even unto Shebna³⁶, which³⁷ is over the house, and say,

What hast³⁸ thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed³⁹ thee out a sepulchre here, as he⁴⁰ that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock?

Behold, the LORD will carry⁴¹ thee away with a mighty captivity⁴², and will surely cover thee.

He will surely⁴³ violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country⁴⁴: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house.

⁴⁵And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down.

¶ And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim⁴⁶ the son of Hilkiah:

And I will clothe⁴⁷ him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father⁴⁸ to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.

And the key⁴⁹ of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he⁵⁰ shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

And I will⁵¹ fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious⁵² throne to his father's house.

And they shall hang⁵³ upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small⁵⁴ quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons⁵⁵.

In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail⁵⁶ that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden⁵⁷ that was upon it shall be cut off: for the⁵⁸ LORD hath spoken it.