| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Here is a message about the Valley of Vision: What is the reason that all of you go up to the rooftops? | 1This message came to me concerning Jerusalem—the Valley of Vision : What is happening? Why is everyone running to the rooftops? |
| 2The noisy city is full of raucous sounds; the town is filled with revelry. Your slain were not cut down by the sword; they did not die in battle. | 2The whole city is in a terrible uproar. What do I see in this reveling city? Bodies are lying everywhere, killed not in battle but by famine and disease. |
| 3All your leaders ran away together--they fled to a distant place; all your refugees were captured together--they were captured without a single arrow being shot. | 3All your leaders have fled. They surrendered without resistance. The people tried to slip away, but they were captured, too. |
| 4So I say: "Don't look at me! I am weeping bitterly. Don't try to console me concerning the destruction of my defenseless people." | 4That’s why I said, “Leave me alone to weep; do not try to comfort me. Let me cry for my people as I watch them being destroyed.” |
| 5For the sovereign master, the LORD who commands armies, has planned a day of panic, defeat, and confusion. In the Valley of Vision people shout and cry out to the hill. | 5Oh, what a day of crushing defeat! What a day of confusion and terror brought by the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, upon the Valley of Vision! The walls of Jerusalem have been broken, and cries of death echo from the mountainsides. |
| 6The Elamites picked up the quiver, and came with chariots and horsemen; the men of Kir prepared the shield. | 6Elamites are the archers, with their chariots and charioteers. The men of Kir hold up the shields. |
| 7Your very best valleys were full of chariots; horsemen confidently took their positions at the gate. | 7Chariots fill your beautiful valleys, and charioteers storm your gates. |
| 8They removed the defenses of Judah. At that time you looked for the weapons in the House of the Forest. | 8Judah’s defenses have been stripped away. You run to the armory for your weapons. |
| 9You saw the many breaks in the walls of the city of David; you stored up water in the lower pool. | 9You inspect the breaks in the walls of Jerusalem. You store up water in the lower pool. |
| 10You counted the houses in Jerusalem, and demolished houses so you could have material to reinforce the wall. | 10You survey the houses and tear some down for stone to strengthen the walls. |
| 11You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool--but you did not trust in the one who made it; you did not depend on the one who formed it long ago! | 11Between the city walls, you build a reservoir for water from the old pool. But you never ask for help from the One who did all this. You never considered the One who planned this long ago. |
| 12At that time the sovereign master, the LORD who commands armies, called for weeping and mourning, for shaved heads and sackcloth. | 12At that time the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, called you to weep and mourn. He told you to shave your heads in sorrow for your sins and to wear clothes of burlap to show your remorse. |
| 13But look, there is outright celebration! You say, "Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep, eat meat and drink wine. Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!" | 13But instead, you dance and play; you slaughter cattle and kill sheep. You feast on meat and drink wine. You say, “Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!” |
| 14The LORD who commands armies told me this: "Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live," says the sovereign master, the LORD who commands armies. | 14The LORD of Heaven’s Armies has revealed this to me: “Till the day you die, you will never be forgiven for this sin.” That is the judgment of the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. A Message for Shebna |
| 15This is what the sovereign master, the LORD who commands armies, says: "Go visit this administrator, Shebna, who supervises the palace, and tell him: | 15This is what the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, said to me: “Confront Shebna, the palace administrator, and give him this message: |
| 16What right do you have to be here? What relatives do you have buried here? Why do you chisel out a tomb for yourself here? He chisels out his burial site in an elevated place, he carves out his tomb on a cliff. | 16“Who do you think you are, and what are you doing here, building a beautiful tomb for yourself— a monument high up in the rock? |
| 17Look, the LORD will throw you far away, you mere man! He will wrap you up tightly. | 17For the LORD is about to hurl you away, mighty man. He is going to grab you, |
| 18He will wind you up tightly into a ball and throw you into a wide, open land. There you will die, and there with you will be your impressive chariots, which bring disgrace to the house of your master. | 18crumple you into a ball, and toss you away into a distant, barren land. There you will die, and your glorious chariots will be broken and useless. You are a disgrace to your master! |
| 19I will remove you from your office; you will be thrown down from your position. | 19“Yes, I will drive you out of office,” says the LORD. “I will pull you down from your high position. |
| 20"At that time I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah. | 20And then I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah to replace you. |
| 21I will put your robe on him, tie your belt around him, and transfer your authority to him. He will become a protector of the residents of Jerusalem and of the people of Judah. | 21I will dress him in your royal robes and will give him your title and your authority. And he will be a father to the people of Jerusalem and Judah. |
| 22I will place the key to the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens the door, no one can close it; when he closes the door, no one can open it. | 22I will give him the key to the house of David—the highest position in the royal court. When he opens doors, no one will be able to close them; when he closes doors, no one will be able to open them. |
| 23I will fasten him like a peg into a solid place; he will bring honor and respect to his father's family. | 23He will bring honor to his family name, for I will drive him firmly in place like a nail in the wall. |
| 24His father's family will gain increasing prominence because of him, including the offspring and the offshoots. All the small containers, including the bowls and all the jars will hang from this peg.' | 24They will give him great responsibility, and he will bring honor to even the lowliest members of his family. ” |
| 25"At that time," says the LORD who commands armies, "the peg fastened into a solid place will come loose. It will be cut off and fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut off." Indeed, the LORD has spoken. | 25But the LORD of Heaven’s Armies also says: “The time will come when I will pull out the nail that seemed so firm. It will come out and fall to the ground. Everything it supports will fall with it. I, the LORD, have spoken!” |
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