Esias 22

1 THE WORD OF THE VALLEY OF SION. What has happened to thee, that now ye are all gone up to the housetops which help you not?

The burden of the valley of vision. What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops?

2 The city is filled with shouting [men]: thy slain are not slain with swords, nor are thy dead those who have died in battle.

You that are full of shouting, a tumultuous city, a joyous town, your slain are not slain with the sword, neither are they dead in battle.

3 All thy princes have fled, and [thy] captives are tightly bound, and the mighty [men] in thee have fled far away.

All your rulers fled away together. They were bound by the archers. All who were found by you were bound together. They fled far away.

4 Therefore I said, Let me alone, I will weep bitterly; labour not to comfort me for the breach of the daughter of my people.

Therefore I said, “Look away from me. I will weep bitterly. Do not labor to comfort me for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

5 For [it is] a day of trouble, and of destruction, and of treading down, and [there is] perplexity [sent] from the Lord of hosts: they wander in the valley of Sion; they wander from the least to the greatest on the mountains.

For it is a day of confusion, and of treading down, and of perplexity from the Lord, GOD of Armies, in the valley of vision, a breaking down of the walls, and a crying to the mountains.”

6 And the Elamites took [their] quivers, and [there were] men mounted on horses, and [there was] a gathering for battle.

Elam carried his quiver, with chariots of men and horsemen; and Kir uncovered the shield.

7 And it shall be [that] thy choice valleys shall be filled with chariots, and horsemen shall block up thy gates.

Your choicest valleys were full of chariots, and the horsemen set themselves in array at the gate.

8 And they shall uncover the gates of Juda, and they shall look in that day on the choice houses of the city.

He took away the covering of Judah; and you looked in that day to the armor in the house of the forest.

9 And they shall uncover the secret places of the houses of the citadel of David: and they saw that they were many, and that one [had] turned the water of the old pool into the city;

You saw the breaches of David’s city, that they were many; and you gathered together the waters of the lower pool.

10 and that they [had] pulled down the houses of Jerusalem, to fortify the wall of the city.

You counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall.

11 And ye procured to yourselves water between the two walls within the ancient pool: but ye looked not to him that made it from the beginning, and regarded not him that created it.

You also made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you did not look to him who had done this, neither did you have respect for him who planned it long ago.

12 And the Lord, the Lord of hosts, called in that day for weeping, and lamentation, and baldness, and for girding with sackcloth:

In that day, the Lord, GOD of Armies, called to weeping, to mourning, to baldness, and to dressing in sackcloth;

13 but they engaged in joy and gladness, slaying calves, and killing sheep, so as to eat flesh, and drink wine; saying, Let us eat and drink; for to-morrow we die.

and behold, there is joy and gladness, killing cattle and killing sheep, eating meat and drinking wine: “Let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die.”

14 And these things are revealed in the ears of the Lord of hosts: for this sin shall not be forgiven you, until ye die.

The LORD of Armies revealed himself in my ears, “Surely this iniquity will not be forgiven you until you die,” says the Lord, GOD of Armies.

15 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Go into the chamber, to Somnas the treasurer, and say to him, Why art thou here?

The Lord, GOD of Armies says, “Go, get yourself to this treasurer, even to Shebna, who is over the house, and say,

16 and what hast thou to do here, that thou hast here hewn thyself a sepulchre, and madest thyself a sepulchre on high, and hast graven for thyself a dwelling in the rock?

‘What are you doing here? Who has you here, that you have dug out a tomb here?’ Cutting himself out a tomb on high, chiseling a habitation for himself in the rock!”

17 Behold now, the Lord of hosts casts forth and will utterly destroy [such] a man, and will take away thy robe and thy glorious crown,

Behold, the LORD will overcome you and hurl you away violently. Yes, he will grasp you firmly.

18 and will cast thee into a great and unmeasured land, and there thou shalt die: and he will bring thy fair chariot to shame, and the house of thy prince to be trodden down.

He will surely wind you around and around, and throw you like a ball into a large country. There you will die, and there the chariots of your glory will be, you disgrace of your lord’s house.

19 And thou shalt be removed from thy stewardship, and from thy place.

I will thrust you from your office. You will be pulled down from your station.

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

It will happen in that day that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah,

21 and I will put on him thy robe, and I will grant him thy crown with power, and I will give thy stewardship into his hands: and he shall be as a father to them that dwell in Jerusalem, and to them that dwell in Juda.

and I will clothe him with your robe, and strengthen him with your belt. I will commit your government into his hand; and he will be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.

22 And I will give him the glory of David; and he shall rule, and there shall be none to speak against him: and I will give him the key of the house of David [upon] his shoulder; and he shall open, and there shall be none to shut; and he shall shut, and there shall be none to open.

I will lay the key of David’s house on his shoulder. He will open, and no one will shut. He will shut, and no one will open.

23 And I will make him a ruler in a sure place, and he shall be for a glorious throne of his father's house.

I will fasten him like a nail in a sure place. He will be for a throne of glory to his father’s house.

24 And every one that is glorious in the house of his father shall trust in him, from the least to the greatest; and they shall depend upon him in that day.

They will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, every small vessel, from the cups even to all the pitchers.

25 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, The man that is fastened in the sure place shall be removed and be taken away, and shall fall; and the glory that is upon him shall be utterly destroyed: for the Lord has spoken it.

“In that day,” says the LORD of Armies, “the nail that was fastened in a sure place will give way. It will be cut down and fall. The burden that was on it will be cut off, for the LORD has spoken it.”