You built a reservoir between the two walls in the city
to conserve water flowing down from the old pool,
but you gave no thought to the one who made it.
You did not trust in the one who formed it long ago!
In that day, the Lord YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies,
called you to repent with weeping and mourning
and to show your remorse by shaving your heads
and wearing sackcloth.
But instead, you celebrated with joy and festivity,
slaughtering the sheep and the fatted ox, saying,
“We will feast on meat and drink much wine.
Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
Revealed in my ears are the words of the Lord YAHWEH,
Commander of Angel Armies:
“Until your dying day, certainly I will not forgive this sin.”
This is what the Lord YAHWEH, the Commander of Angel Armies, has to say:
“Go to Shebna, the treasurer of the palace, and say to him, ‘What right do you have to be here, and who gave you permission? And why do you chisel out a tomb for yourself here, carving out your royal burial place, a dwelling place in the rock? Watch out, O strong man, for the Lord is about to seize you and hurl you down. He will sling you around and around and throw you like a ball into a distant, barren land. There you will die, and all your splendid chariots will lie there in the dust. You are a disgrace to your master’s house! I will kick you out of office and pull you down from your high position!’
“On that day, I will appoint my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, to take your place. I will honor him by clothing him with your robe and binding your priestly sash upon him. I will transfer your authority into his hands, and he will be a father to those living in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah. I will place upon his shoulders the key to the treasures of David’s palace. He will open doors that no one can shut, and he will shut doors that no one can open. I will strike a blow to him as a nail in a secure place, and he will be a glorious throne of honor for his father’s house. All the glory of his father’s house they will fasten to him, including offspring and branches that will trust in him. Every vessel, jar, and bowl, both small and great, will be fastened to him.
“And in that day,” declares the Lord YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, “the nail fastened in a secure place will give way and be cut off and fall. And all the load hanging on it will fall off.” The Lord YAHWEH has spoken.