22:1 Here is a message about the Valley Of Vision:¹
What is the reason²
that all of you go up to the rooftops?
22:2 The noisy city is full of raucous sounds,
the town is filled with revelry.³
Your slain were not cut down by the sword,
they did not die in battle.⁴
22:3⁵ All your leaders ran away together,
they fled to a distant place;
all your refugees⁶ were captured together,
they were captured without an arrow being shot.⁷
22:4 So I say:
“Don’t look at me!⁸
I am weeping bitterly.
Don’t try⁹ to console me,
about the destruction of my defenseless people.”¹⁰
22:5 For the sovereign master, the LORD who leads armies,
has planned a day of panic, defeat, and confusion.¹¹
In the Valley of Vision¹² people shout¹³
and cry out to the hill.¹⁴
22:6 The Elamites picked up the quiver,
and came with chariots and horsemen;¹⁵
the men of Kir¹⁶ prepared¹⁷ the shield.¹⁸
22:7 Your very best valleys were full of chariots,
horsemen confidently took their positions¹⁹ at the gate,
22:8 They²⁰ removed the defenses²¹ of Judah.
At that time²² you looked
for the weapons in the House of the Forest.²³
22:9 You saw the many
breaks in the walls of the city of David;²⁴
you stored up water in the lower pool.
22:10 You counted the houses in Jerusalem,
and demolished houses so you could have material to reinforce the wall.²⁵
22:11 You made a reservoir between the two walls,
for the water of the old pool;
but you did not trust in²⁶ the one who made it,²⁷
you did not depend on²⁸ the one who formed it long ago.
22:12 At that time²⁹ the sovereign master, the LORD who leads armies, called for weeping and mourning,
for shaved heads and sackcloth.³⁰
22:13 But look, there is celebration and partying!³¹
You say, “Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep,
eat meat and drink wine.
Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”³²

22:14 The LORD who leads armies told me this:³³ “Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,”³⁴ says the sovereign master, the LORD who leads armies.

22:15 This is what the sovereign master, the LORD who leads armies, says:
“Go visit this administrator, Shebna, who supervises the palace,³⁵ and tell him:³⁶
22:16 ‘What right do you have to be here? What relatives do you have buried here?³⁷
Why³⁸ do you hew out a tomb for yourself here?
He hews out his burial site in an elevated place,
he carves out his tomb on a cliff.
22:17 Look, the LORD will throw you far away,³⁹ O man.
He will wrap you up tightly.⁴⁰
22:18 He will wind you up tightly into a ball
and throw you into a wide, open land.⁴¹
There you will die;
and there with you will be your impressive chariots,⁴²
which bring disgrace to the house of your master.⁴³
22:19 I will remove you from⁴⁴ your office,
you will be thrown down⁴⁵ from your position.

22:20 At that time⁴⁶ I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah.

22:21 I will put your robe on him, tie your belt around him, and transfer your authority to him.⁴⁷ He will become a protector of⁴⁸ the residents of Jerusalem, and of the people⁴⁹ of Judah.

22:22 I will place the key⁵⁰ 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.

22:23 I will fasten him like a peg into a solid place,⁵¹ he will bring honor and respect to his father’s family.⁵²

22:24 His father’s family will gain increasing prominence because of him,⁵³ including the offspring and the offshoots.⁵⁴ All the small containers, including the bowls and all the jars will hang from on this peg.’“⁵⁵

22:25 “At that time,”⁵⁶ says the LORD who leads 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.”⁵⁷ Indeed⁵⁸ the LORD has spoken.