Study Desk

The pronouncement concerning the valley of vision: What is the matter with you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops?

The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?

You who were full of noise, You tumultuous town, you jubilant city; Your dead were not killed with the sword, Nor did they die in battle.

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

All your rulers have fled together, And have been captured without the bow; All of you who were found were taken captive together, Though they had fled far away.

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

Therefore I say, "Look away from me, Let me weep bitterly, Do not try to comfort me concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people."

Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.

For the Lord GOD of armies has a day of panic, subjugation, and confusion In the valley of vision, A breaking down of walls And a crying to the mountain.

For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord God of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.

Elam picked up the quiver, With the chariots, infantry, and horsemen; And Kir uncovered the shield.

And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.

Then your choicest valleys were full of chariots, And the horsemen took positions at the gate.

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

And He removed the defense of Judah. On that day you depended on the weapons of the house of the forest,

And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest.

And you saw that the breaches In the wall of the city of David were many; And you collected the waters of the lower pool.

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

Then you counted the houses of Jerusalem And tore down houses to fortify the wall.

And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall.

And you made a reservoir between the two walls For the waters of the old pool. But you did not depend on Him who made it, Nor did you take into consideration Him who planned it long ago.

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

Therefore on that day the Lord GOD of armies called you to weeping, to wailing, To shaving the head, and to wearing sackcloth.

And in that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:

Instead, there is joy and jubilation, Killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, Eating of meat and drinking of wine: "Let's eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die."

And 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.

But the LORD of armies revealed Himself to me: "Certainly this wrongdoing will not be forgiven you Until you die," says the Lord GOD of armies.

And it was revealed in mine ears by the Lord of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord God of hosts.

This is what the Lord GOD of armies says: "Come, go to this steward, To Shebna who is in charge of the royal household,

Thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say,

'What right do you have here, And whom do you have here, That you have cut out a tomb for yourself here, You who cut out a tomb on the height, You who carve a resting place for yourself in the rock?

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

'Behold, the LORD is about to hurl you violently, you strong man. And He is about to grasp you firmly

Behold, the Lord will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.

And wrap you up tightly like a ball, To be driven into a vast country; There you will die, And there your splendid chariots will be, You shame of your master's house!'

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

"I will depose you from your office, And I will pull you down from your position.

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

"Then it will come about on that day, That I will summon My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah,

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

And I will clothe him with your tunic And tie your sash securely around him. I will hand your authority over to him, And he will become a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.

And 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.

"Then I will put the key of the house of David on his shoulder; When he opens, no one will shut, When he shuts, no one will open.

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

"I will drive him like a peg in a firm place, And he will become a throne of glory to his father's house.

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

"So they will hang on him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the descendants, all the least of vessels, from bowls to all the jars.

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

"On that day," declares the LORD of armies, "the peg driven into a firm place will give way; it will even break off and fall, and the load that is hanging on it will be cut off, for the LORD has spoken."

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