Isaiah 17

An Oracle Concerning Damascus

1 An *See ch. 13:1oracle concerning *ch. 7:8;Zech. 9:1;See Jer. 49:23-27;Amos 1:3-5Damascus.

Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city

and will become a heap of ruins.

2 The cities of *Deut. 2:36;Josh. 13:25Aroer are deserted;

they will be for flocks,

which will lie down, and *Mic. 4:4none will make them afraid.

3 The fortress will disappear from *ch. 7:16;8:4Ephraim,

and the kingdom from *ch. 7:16;8:4Damascus;

and the remnant of Syria will be

like *[1 Sam. 4:21]the glory of the children of Israel,

declares the Lord of hosts.

4 And in that day *[See ver. 3above] the glory of Jacob will be brought low,

and *ch. 10:16the fat of his flesh will grow lean.

5 And it shall be *[ch. 24:1] as when the reaper gathers standing grain

and his arm harvests the ears,

and as when one gleans the ears of grain

in *See 2 Sam. 5:18the Valley of Rephaim.

6 *ch. 24:13Gleanings will be left in it,

as when an olive tree is beaten—

two or three berries

in the top of the highest bough,

four or five

on the branches of a fruit tree,

declares the Lord God of Israel.

7 *[Hos. 8:14]In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will look on the Holy One of Israel. 8 *ch. 27:9;Mic. 5:13,14He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made, either the *Ex. 34:13;See Deut. 16:21Asherim or the altars of incense.

9 *[ch. 27:10]In that day their strong cities will be like the deserted places of the wooded heights and the hilltops, which they deserted because of the children of Israel, and there will be desolation.

10 For *Ps. 106:21you have forgotten the God of your salvation

and have not remembered the *ch. 26:4;[Deut. 32:4,18,31]Rock of your refuge;

therefore, though you plant pleasant plants

and sow the vine-branch of a stranger,

11 though you make them grow*17:11 Or though you carefully fence them on the day that you plant them,

and make them blossom in the morning that you sow,

yet the harvest will flee away*17:11 Or will be a heap

in a day of grief and incurable pain.

12 Ah, *See ch. 22:5-7the thunder of many peoples;

they thunder like the thundering of the sea!

Ah, the roar of nations;

they roar like the roaring of mighty waters!

13 *[ch. 33:3] The nations roar like the roaring of many waters,

*Ps. 9:5;[Joel 3:2] but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away,

chased *See Ps. 1:4like chaff on the mountains before the wind

and *Ps. 83:13whirling dust before the storm.

14 *[Ps. 30:5]At evening time, behold, terror!

Before morning, they are no more!

This is the portion of those who loot us,

and the lot of those who plunder us.