“See, Damascus will no longer be a city
    but will become a heap of ruins.^(C)
2 The cities of Aroer^(D) will be deserted
    and left to flocks,^(E) which will lie down,^(F)
    with no one to make them afraid.^(G)
3 The fortified^(H) city will disappear from Ephraim,
    and royal power from Damascus;
the remnant of Aram will be
    like the glory^(I) of the Israelites,”^(J)
declares the Lord Almighty.

⁴ “In that day^(K) the glory^(L) of Jacob will fade;
    the fat of his body will waste^(M) away.
⁵ It will be as when reapers harvest the standing grain,
    gathering^(N) the grain in their arms—
as when someone gleans heads of grain^(O)
    in the Valley of Rephaim.^(P)
6 Yet some gleanings will remain,^(Q)
    as when an olive tree is beaten,^(R)
leaving two or three olives on the topmost branches,
    four or five on the fruitful boughs,”
declares the Lord, the God of Israel.

⁷ In that day^(S) people will look^(T) to their Maker^(U)
    and turn their eyes to the Holy One^(V) of Israel.
⁸ They will not look to the altars,^(W)
    the work of their hands,^(X)
and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles^[a](Y)
    and the incense altars their fingers^(Z) have made.

¹⁰ You have forgotten^(AB) God your Savior;^(AC)
    you have not remembered the Rock,^(AD) your fortress.^(AE)
Therefore, though you set out the finest plants
    and plant imported vines,^(AF)
11 though on the day you set them out, you make them grow,
    and on the morning^(AG) when you plant them, you bring them to bud,
yet the harvest^(AH) will be as nothing^(AI)
    in the day of disease and incurable^(AJ) pain.^(AK)

¹² Woe to the many nations that rage^(AL)—
    they rage like the raging sea!^(AM)
Woe to the peoples who roar^(AN)—
    they roar like the roaring of great waters!^(AO)
13 Although the peoples roar^(AP) like the roar of surging waters,
    when he rebukes^(AQ) them they flee^(AR) far away,
driven before the wind like chaff^(AS) on the hills,
    like tumbleweed before a gale.^(AT)
14 In the evening, sudden^(AU) terror!^(AV)
    Before the morning, they are gone!^(AW)
This is the portion of those who loot us,
    the lot of those who plunder us.

Go, swift messengers,
to a people tall and smooth-skinned,^(E)
    to a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive^(F) nation of strange speech,
    whose land is divided by rivers.^(G)

³ All you people of the world,^(H)
    you who live on the earth,
when a banner^(I) is raised on the mountains,
    you will see it,
and when a trumpet^(J) sounds,
    you will hear it.
⁴ This is what the Lord says to me:
    “I will remain quiet^(K) and will look on from my dwelling place,^(L)
like shimmering heat in the sunshine,^(M)
    like a cloud of dew^(N) in the heat of harvest.”
⁵ For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone
    and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
he will cut off^(O) the shoots with pruning knives,
    and cut down and take away the spreading branches.^(P)
6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey^(Q)
    and to the wild animals;^(R)
the birds will feed on them all summer,
    the wild animals all winter.

from a people tall and smooth-skinned,^(T)
    from a people feared^(U) far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech,
    whose land is divided by rivers^(V)—

See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud^(C)
    and is coming to Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him,
    and the hearts of the Egyptians melt^(D) with fear.

² “I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian—
    brother will fight against brother,^(E)
    neighbor against neighbor,
    city against city,
    kingdom against kingdom.^(F)
3 The Egyptians will lose heart,^(G)
    and I will bring their plans^(H) to nothing;^(I)
they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead,
    the mediums and the spiritists.^(J)
4 I will hand the Egyptians over
    to the power of a cruel master,
and a fierce king^(K) will rule over them,”
    declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

⁵ The waters of the river will dry up,^(L)
    and the riverbed will be parched and dry.^(M)
6 The canals will stink;^(N)
    the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.^(O)
The reeds^(P) and rushes will wither,^(Q)
7     also the plants^(R) along the Nile,
    at the mouth of the river.
Every sown field^(S) along the Nile
    will become parched, will blow away and be no more.^(T)
8 The fishermen^(U) will groan and lament,
    all who cast hooks^(V) into the Nile;
those who throw nets on the water
    will pine away.
⁹ Those who work with combed flax^(W) will despair,
    the weavers of fine linen^(X) will lose hope.
¹⁰ The workers in cloth will be dejected,
    and all the wage earners will be sick at heart.

¹¹ The officials of Zoan^(Y) are nothing but fools;
    the wise counselors^(Z) of Pharaoh give senseless advice.^(AA)
How can you say to Pharaoh,
    “I am one of the wise men,^(AB)
    a disciple of the ancient kings”?

¹² Where are your wise men^(AC) now?
    Let them show you and make known
what the Lord Almighty
    has planned^(AD) against Egypt.
¹³ The officials of Zoan^(AE) have become fools,
    the leaders of Memphis^(AF) are deceived;
the cornerstones^(AG) of her peoples
    have led Egypt astray.
¹⁴ The Lord has poured into them
    a spirit of dizziness;^(AH)
they make Egypt stagger in all that she does,
    as a drunkard staggers^(AI) around in his vomit.
¹⁵ There is nothing Egypt can do—
    head or tail, palm branch or reed.^(AJ)

⁴ My heart is in anguish^(G) within me;
    the terrors^(H) of death have fallen on me.
⁵ Fear and trembling^(I) have beset me;
    horror^(J) has overwhelmed me.
⁶ I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
    I would fly away and be at rest.
⁷ I would flee far away
    and stay in the desert;^[c](K)
8 I would hurry to my place of shelter,^(L)
    far from the tempest and storm.^(M)”

⁹ Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,^(N)
    for I see violence and strife^(O) in the city.^(P)
10 Day and night they prowl^(Q) about on its walls;
    malice and abuse are within it.
¹¹ Destructive forces^(R) are at work in the city;
    threats and lies^(S) never leave its streets.

¹² If an enemy were insulting me,
    I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
    I could hide.
¹³ But it is you, a man like myself,
    my companion, my close friend,^(T)
14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship^(U)
    at the house of God,^(V)
as we walked about
    among the worshipers.

¹⁵ Let death take my enemies by surprise;^(W)
    let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,^(X)
    for evil finds lodging among them.

¹⁶ As for me, I call to God,
    and the Lord saves me.
¹⁷ Evening,^(Y) morning^(Z) and noon^(AA)
    I cry out in distress,
    and he hears my voice.
¹⁸ He rescues me unharmed
    from the battle waged against me,
    even though many oppose me.
¹⁹ God, who is enthroned from of old,^(AB)
    who does not change—
he will hear^(AC) them and humble them,
    because they have no fear of God.^(AD)

²⁰ My companion attacks his friends;^(AE)
    he violates his covenant.^(AF)
21 His talk is smooth as butter,^(AG)
    yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,^(AH)
    yet they are drawn swords.^(AI)

²² Cast your cares on the Lord
    and he will sustain you;^(AJ)
he will never let
    the righteous be shaken.^(AK)
23 But you, God, will bring down the wicked
    into the pit^(AL) of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful^(AM)
    will not live out half their days.^(AN)

But as for me, I trust in you.^(AO)