1 T he mournful, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up) concerning Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.

The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

2 T he cities of Aroer are forsaken; they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks; and they shall lie down and there shall be none to make them afraid.

3 H is bulwark and the fortress shall disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Syria will be like the glory of the children of Israel, says the Lord of hosts.

The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith Jehovah of hosts.

4 A nd in that day the former glory of Jacob shall be enfeebled, and the fat of his flesh shall become lean.

And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall become lean.

5 A nd it shall be as when the reaper gathers the standing grain and his arm harvests the ears; yes, it shall be as when one gathers the ears of grain in the fertile Valley of Rephaim.

And it shall be as when the reaper gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; yea, it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim.

6 Y et gleanings shall be left in it, as after the beating of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outermost branches of the fruitful tree, says the Lord, the God of Israel.

And a gleaning shall be left in it, as at the shaking of an olive-tree: two, three berries above, in the tree-top; four, five in its fruitful boughs, saith Jehovah, the God of Israel.

7 I n that day will men look to their Maker, and their eyes shall regard the Holy One of Israel.

In that day shall man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have regard to the Holy One of Israel.

8 A nd they will not look to the altars, the work of their hands, neither will they have respect for what their fingers have made—either the Asherim or the sun-images.

And he will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, nor have regard to what his fingers have made, neither the Asherahs nor the sun-images.

9 I n that day will their strong cities be like the forsaken places in the wood and on the mountaintop, as they '> Amorites and the Hivites] forsook their because of the children of Israel; and there will be desolation.

In that day shall his strong cities be as the forsaken tract in the woodland, and the mountain-top which they forsook before the children of Israel; and there shall be desolation.

10 B ecause you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not been mindful of the Rock of your strength, your Stronghold—therefore, you have planted pleasant nursery grounds and plantings, and have set with vine slips of a strange,

For thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength; therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plantations, and shalt set them with foreign slips:

11 A nd in the day of your planting you hedge it in, and in the morning you make your seed to blossom, yet the harvest shall be a heap of ruins and flee away in the day of expected possession and of desperate sorrow and sickening, incurable pain.

in the day of thy planting wilt thou make to grow, and on the morrow wilt thou make thy seed to flourish; the harvest will flee in the day of taking possession, and the sorrow will be incurable.

12 H ark, the uproar of a multitude of peoples! They roar and thunder like the noise of the seas! Ah, the roar of nations! They roar like the roaring of rushing and mighty waters!

Ha! a tumult of many peoples! they make a noise as the noise of the seas;—and the rushing of nations! they rush as the rushing of mighty waters.

13 T he nations will rush and roar like the rushing and roaring of many waters—but will rebuke them, and they will flee far off and will be chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind, and like rolling thistledown or whirling dust of the stubble before the storm.

The nations rush as the rushing of many waters; but he will rebuke them, and they shall flee far away, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a whirling before the whirlwind:

14 A t evening time, behold, terror! And before the morning, they are not. This is the portion of those who strip us of what belongs to us, and the lot of those who rob us.

behold, at eventide, trouble; before the morning they are not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.