Paraphrase of the Hard Texts of Scripture, Scripture 19 · Chapter 22
CAP. XXII.
1 The burden of the valley of vision; What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the house tops?THe sad tydings sent to Judea; The region which (though low in scite) yet is advanced, and dignified with the manifold visions of God, & revelations of him, and his will, what is the matter with you, O yee men of Jerusalem that you are runne up, for shelter and feare, to the tops of your houses?
2 Thou that art full of stirres, a tumultuous citie, a joyous citie: thy slaine men are not slaine with the sword, nor dead in battell.Thou, O Jerusalem, that art so full of people, and full of noise; a populous, and jolly citie; how is it that thy citizens are so base, that they doe not stand it out in fight; neither are dead by the sword, but with feare rather?
The rulers of Judea fled hither, to thee al together,3 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 farre. as to a sure fortresse; and now they are all taken by the enemy, they are all chained together, as captives, which fled from the remotest parts, for safegard unto thee.
I know, how little extremity of sorrow becomes the face of a prophet, looke not on me therefore,4 Therefore said I, Look away from me, I wil weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people. whiles I weepe bitterly; neither let any man goe about to comfort me, for I am resolved to mourne deeply for the spoiling of Jerusalem:
A day of flying to the mountaines, for an escape,5 And of crying to the mountaines. not without bitter lamentation, and feare of being found.
The men of Persia bare the quiver that their archers might second, and gard the chariots, and horsemen,6 And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield. and those of Media addressed their Target for a present defence.
And here one discovered the closely-reserved magazins of Judea;8 And he discovered the covering of Iudah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forrest. and thou on the other side wert glad to run for munition to that common armoury, in that house which Salomon built in the forrest of Lebanon, all shall be glad to bustle into armes for their defence.
Ye were glad to survay diligently the breaches of the wals of the inner cittadell, to make them up,9 Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many, & ye gathered together the waters of the lower poole. how many soever; and dammed in the waters of the lower poole for the necessary use of the besieged.
Ye have made good provisions both for your water,11 Ye made also a ditch between the two wals for the water of the old pool, but ye have not looked to the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long agoe. and for your fortifications of the city, but in the meane time, ye have not looked up to the hand of the Almighty who hath made all these creatures, and can either curse them, or use them to your comfort and defence.
It was the carelesse and desperate resolution of too many amongst you; what doe wee make spare of these provisions? Let us feed, and drinke liberally;13 Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die. Our time is but short, let us spend it merrily; sorrow will come too soone, to morrow we shall die.
Goe, get thee to this perfidious officer,15 Goe, get thee unto this Treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house; and say, even to Shebna, who though a forrainer in blood, and false in heart, yet hath command in the house of Ezekiah; and say,
What dost thou, being a stranger here,16 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 himselfe in a rocke? goe about to build thee a stately toomb in Jerusalem, as if thou wert some great Prince; and wouldest leave some worthy monument of thy undeserving name, to all perpetuity of times.
Those chariots which thine ambition had prepared for thy glory and greatnesse,18 And there the chariots of thy glory shall bee the shame of thy lords house. shall be the shame and reproach of Ezekiah, amongst forrainers; for that he entertained so wicked and unworthy an officer.
22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder, so hee shall open and none shall shut, and he shall shut and none shall open.I will put into his hand (as a faithfull officer) the whole administration of the court, and will trust him with the managing of the weighty affaires of the Kingdome, under his soveraigne; if he command, none shall forbid; and if he forbid, none shall obtaine.
23 And I will fasten him as a naile in a sure place, & he shall be for a glorious throne to his fathers house.And I will set him firme, and sure in this place of authority, so as he shall no more be removed, than a naile, that is driven up to the head; and he shall be an honour both to the royall throne, which he shall attend, and to his fathers house.
VponUpon him shall depend all the glory of his fathers house,24 And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his fathers house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups even to all the vessels of flaggons. both for the present, and for the future; and his government shall be so just, that all affaires both great, and small, of the Kings houshold, or the common wealth, shall be devolved upon his fidelity.
In that day, shall the present steward Shebna, (who seemed sure enough established in his place) be removed and put out of office.25 In that day, saith the Lord of hostes, shall the naile that is fastened in the sure place, be removed, & be cut downe and fall.