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

The 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.

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, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

3 T he succour of Ephraim shall cease, and the kingdom from Damascus and the remnant of Syria; they shall be as the glory of the sons of Israel, saith the LORD of the hosts.

His 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.

4 A nd in that day it shall come to pass that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean.

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

5 A nd it shall be as when the harvestman gathers the sheaves and reaps the grain with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathers grain in the valley of Rephaim.

And 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.

6 ¶ Yet gleaning shall be left in it as when the olive tree is shaken; two or three berries are left in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the LORD God of Israel.

Yet 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.

7 A t that day man shall look to his Maker, and his eyes shall see the Holy One of Israel.

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

8 A nd he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands; neither shall he look upon that which his fingers have made, either the groves or the images of the sun.

And 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.

9 ¶ In that day the cities of his strength shall be as the gleanings which remain on the shoots and on the branches, which were left of the sons of Israel; and there shall be desolation.

In 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.

10 B ecause thou hast forgotten the God of thy saving health and hast not been mindful of the Rock of thy strength; therefore thou shalt plant pleasant plants and set it with strange slips:

Because 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,

11 I n the day that thou shalt plant them, thou shalt make them to grow and shalt make thy seed to flourish early; but in the day of gathering, the harvest shall flee and shall be desperate sorrow.

And 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.

12 ¶ Woe to the multitude of many peoples, which shall make a noise like the noise of the sea; and the rushing of nations, that make an uprising like the rushing of mighty waters!

Hark, 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!

13 T he peoples shall make noise like the rushing of great waters, but God shall reprehend them, and they shall flee far off and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind and like the tumbleweed before the whirlwind.

The 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.

14 A nd behold at eveningtide trouble, and before the morning she is not. This is the portion of them that tread on us and the lot of them that spoil us.

At 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.