A Prophecy Against Damascus

17 A prophecy(A) against Damascus:(B)

“See, Damascus will no longer be a city
    but will become a heap of ruins.(C)
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)
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.

“In that day(K) the glory(L) of Jacob will fade;
    the fat of his body will waste(M) away.
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)
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.

In that day(S) people will look(T) to their Maker(U)
    and turn their eyes to the Holy One(V) of Israel.
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.

In that day their strong cities, which they left because of the Israelites, will be like places abandoned to thickets and undergrowth.(AA) And all will be desolation.

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.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 17:8 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah

预示大马士革必被废弃

17 大马士革的默示。

“看哪,大马士革已被废弃,不再为城,必变做乱堆。 亚罗珥的城邑已被撇弃,必成为牧羊之处,羊在那里躺卧,无人惊吓。 以法莲不再有保障,大马士革不再有国权,亚兰所剩下的必像以色列人的荣耀消灭一样。”这是万军之耶和华说的。

预言遗民归主

“到那日,雅各的荣耀必致枵薄,他肥胖的身体必渐瘦弱。 就必像收割的人收敛禾稼,用手割取穗子,又像人在利乏音谷拾取遗落的穗子。 其间所剩下的不多,好像人打橄榄树,在尽上的枝梢上只剩两三个果子,在多果树的旁枝上只剩四五个果子。”这是耶和华以色列的神说的。 当那日,人必仰望造他们的主,眼目重看以色列的圣者。 他们必不仰望祭坛,就是自己手所筑的,也不重看自己指头所做的,无论是木偶是日像。 在那日,他们的坚固城必像树林中和山顶上所撇弃的地方,就是从前在以色列人面前被人撇弃的,这样地就荒凉了。

遗忘神者必遭丧亡

10 因你忘记救你的神,不记念你能力的磐石,所以你栽上佳美的树秧子,插上异样的栽子, 11 栽种的日子你周围圈上篱笆,又到早晨使你所种的开花,但在愁苦极其伤痛的日子,所收割的都飞去了。

敌以色列者必被斥逐

12 唉!多民哄嚷,好像海浪砰訇;列邦奔腾,好像猛水滔滔。 13 列邦奔腾,好像多水滔滔,但神斥责他们,他们就远远逃避,又被追赶,如同山上的风前糠,又如暴风前的旋风土。 14 到晚上有惊吓,未到早晨他们就没有了。这是掳掠我们之人所得的份,是抢夺我们之人的报应。

Damascus and Israel Will Be Punished

17 This is the divine revelation about Damascus.

“Damascus will no longer be a city.
It will become a pile of rubble.
The cities of Aroer will be deserted.
These cities will be used for sheep, which will lie down in them.
There will be no one to disturb those sheep.
Fortified cities will disappear from Ephraim,
and the kingdom will disappear from Damascus.
The remaining few from Aram will share Israel’s honor,”
declares the Lord of Armies.

“When that day comes, the honor of Jacob’s people will fade away,
and they will become skin and bones.
That time will be like harvesting bundles of grain by the armful.
It will be like gathering grain in the Rephaim Valley.
Only a few people will survive.
They will be like an olive tree that has been beaten.
Only two or three olives are left
at the top of the highest branch,
four or five olives on the rest of the branches,”
declares the Lord God of Israel.

When that day comes, they will look to their maker,
and their eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel.
They won’t look to the altars made by their hands
or to the Asherah poles or incense altars
which their fingers molded.

When that day comes, the fortified cities
which other people abandoned because of the Israelites
will be like abandoned woods and undergrowth.
So it will become a wasteland.

10 You have forgotten the God of your salvation.
You haven’t remembered the rock, your stronghold.
Instead, you have planted the best plants
and have set out the imported grapevines.
11 On the day you plant, you will make it grow.
On the morning you set out the seedling, you will make it sprout.
But the harvest will become a [rotting] pile [a]
on a day of grief and incurable pain.

12 How horrible it will be for many people!
They will roar like the roaring sea.
The noise that the people make
will be like the noise from rushing water.
13 The people will make noise like raging water.
But the Lord will yell at them, and they will run far away.
They will be chased away
like husks on the mountains being blown by the wind,
like whirling dust being blown by a storm.
14 In the evening there will be sudden terror.
Before morning they will be gone.
This will be the fate of those who looted us,
the destiny of those who robbed us.

Footnotes

  1. 17:11 Or “But the harvest will flee.”