An Oracle against Damascus

1An •oraclea against Damascus:b

Look, Damascus is no longer a city.

It has become a ruined heap.

2The cities of Aroer are forsaken;

they will be places for flocks.

They will lie down without fear.

3The fortress disappears from Ephraim,c

and a kingdom from Damascus.

The remnant of Aram will be

like the splendor of the Israelites.

This is the declaration of the LORD of •Hosts.

Judgment against Israel

4On that day

the splendor of Jacob will fade,

and his healthy bodyd will become emaciated.e

5It will be as if a reaper had gathered standing grain —

his arm harvesting the heads of grain —

and as if one had gleaned heads of grain

in the Valley of Rephaim.f

6Only gleanings will be left in Israel,g

as if an olive tree had been beaten —

two or three berries at the very top of the tree,

four or five on its fruitful branches.

This is the declaration of the LORD,

the God of Israel.

7On that day people will look to their Maker and will turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.h 8They will not look to the altarsi they made with their hands or to the •Asherahs and incense altarsj they made with their fingers.

9On that day their strong cities will be

like the abandoned woods and mountaintopsk

that were abandoned because of the Israelites;

there will be desolation.

10For you have forgotten the God of your salvation,

and you have failed to remember

the rock of your strength;l

therefore you will plant beautiful plants

and set out cuttings from exotic vines.

11On the day that you plant,

you will help them to grow,

and in the morning

you will help your seed to sprout,

but the harvest will vanish

on the day of disease and incurable pain.

Judgment against the Nations

12Ah! The roar of many peoples —

they roar like the roaring of the seas.

The raging of the nations —

they rage like the raging of mighty waters.m

13The nations rage like the raging of many waters.n

He rebukes them, and they flee far away,o

driven before the wind like chaff on the hillsp

and like tumbleweeds before a gale.

14In the evening — sudden terror!

Before morning — it is gone!

This is the fate of those who plunder us

and the lot of those who ravage us.