THE burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
2 The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.
3 The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the Lord of hosts.
4 And 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.
5 And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim.
6 Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the Lord God of Israel.
7 At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel.
8 And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images.
9 In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough, and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel: and there shall be desolation.
10 Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips:
11 In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.
12 Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
13 The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.

14 And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us

1The burden of Damascus: Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a citie, and it shalbe a ruinous heape.

2The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall bee for flockes, which shall lye downe, and none shall make them afraid.

3The fortresse also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdome from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall bee as the glorie of the children of Israel, saith the Lord of hostes.

4And in that day it shall come to passe, that the glory of Iacob shall bee made thinne, and the fatnesse of his flesh shall waxe leane.

5And it shall be as when the haruest-man gathereth the corne, and reapeth the eares with his arme; and it shalbe as he that gathereth eares in the valley of Rephaim.

6( Yet gleaning-grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an Oliue tree, two or three berries in the toppe of the vppermost bough: foure or fiue in the out-most fruitfull branches thereof, saith the Lord God of Israel.

7At that day shall a man looke to his Maker, and his eyes shall haue respect to the Holy one of Israel.

8And hee shall not looke to the altars, the worke of his handes, neither shall respect that which his fingers haue made, either the groues or the images.)

9 In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough, and an vppermost branch, which they left, because of the children of Israel: and there shalbe desolation.

10Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy saluation, and hast not beene mindfull of the rocke of thy strength: therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips.

11In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seede to flourish: but the haruest shall be a heape in the day of griefe, and of desperate sorrow.

12 Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise, like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing, like the rushing of mighty waters.

13The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee farre off, and shalbe chased as the chaffe of the mountaines before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlewind.

14And behold at euening tide trouble, and before the morning he is not: this is the portion of them that spoile vs, and the lot of them that robbe vs.

I == 2nd Kings 16:9 ; Jer 49:23 ; Amos 1:3 ; Zech 9:1

II == Jer 7:33

 

III == Isa 7:16 ; 8:4

 

 

IV == Isa 10:16

 

 

V == Jer 51:33

 

 

VI == Isa 24:13

 

 

 

 

VII == Mic 7:7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

X == Ps 68:19

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XII == Jer 6:23

 

 

 

XIII == Ps 9:5 ; 83:13 ; Hos 13:3

1 Oracle on Damascus: Lo, Damascus shall cease to be a city and become a ruin;

2 Her cities shall be forever abandoned, given over to flocks to lie in undisturbed.

3 The fortress shall be lost to Ephraim and the kingdom to Damascus; The remnant of Aram shall have the same glory as the Israelites, says the LORD of hosts.

4 On that day The glory of Jacob shall fade, and his full body grow thin,

5 Like the reaper's mere armful of stalks when he gathers the standing grain; Or as when one gleans the ears in the Valley of Rephaim.

6 Only a scattering of grapes shall be left! As when an olive tree has been beaten, Two or three olives remain at the very top, four or five on its fruitful branches, says the LORD, the God of Israel.

7 On that day man shall look to his maker, his eyes turned toward the Holy One of Israel.

8 He shall not look to the altars, his handiwork, nor shall he regard what his fingers have made: the sacred poles or the incense stands.

9 On that day his strong cities shall be like those abandoned by the Hivites and Amorites When faced with the children of Israel: they shall be laid waste.

10 For you have forgotten God, your savior, and remembered not the Rock, your strength. Therefore, though you plant your pagan plants and set out your foreign vine slips,

11 Though you make them grow the day you plant them and make your sprouts blossom on the next morning, The harvest shall disappear on the day of the grievous blow, the incurable blight.

12 Ah! the roaring of many peoples that roar like the roar of the seas! The surging of nations that surge like the surging of mighty waves!

13 But God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far away; Windswept, like chaff on the mountains, like tumbleweed in a storm.

14 In the evening, they spread terror, before morning, they are gone! Such is the portion of those who despoil us, the lot of those who plunder us.

v 1-3. The ten northern tribes of Israel allied with Syria, but Damascus would fall. It’s total destruction is yet future.

 

 

 

v 4-6. In that day there would be a tiny remnant left like the remains of harvest.

 

 

 

 

 

v 7,8. At that day, when the Assyrians attacked, Israel would realize too late, that only God could have helped them, not the false gods they were worshiping.

 

v 9-11. In that day, because Israel had forgotten God, strong cities would fall and attempts to plant and get a good harvest would be unsuccessful.

 

 

 

 

v 12-14. As the waves of the sea come on relentlessly, so Assyria had come upon Damascus and Israel. However, like chaff is winnowed away in a night, the Lord destroyed 185,000  of Assyria's soldiers surrounding Jerusalem in one night.