171 The burden of Damascus. Lo, Damascus is taken away from 'being' a city, And it hath been a heap—a ruin. 2 Forsaken are the cities of Aroer, For droves they are, and they have lain down, And there is none troubling. 3 And ceased hath the fortress from Ephraim, And the kingdom from Damascus, And the remnant of Aram are as the honour of the sons of Israel, The affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts!
4 And it hath come to pass, in that day, Wax poor doth the honour of Jacob, And the fatness of his flesh doth wax lean. 5 And it hath come to pass, As the gathering by the reaper of the standing corn, And his arm the ears reapeth, And it hath come to pass, As the gathering of the ears in the valley of Rephaim,
6 And left in him have been gleanings, As the compassing of an olive, Two—three berries on the top of a branch, Four—five on the fruitful boughs, The affirmation of Jehovah, God of Israel! 7 In that day doth man look to His Maker, Yea, his eyes to the Holy One of Israel look, 8 And he looketh not unto the altars. The work of his own hands, And that which his own fingers made He seeth not—the shrines and the images.
9 In that day are the cities of his strength As the forsaken thing of the forest, And the branch that they have left, Because of the sons of Israel, It also hath been a desolation. 10 Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, And the rock of thy strength hast not remembered, Therefore thou plantest plants of pleasantness, And with a strange slip sowest it, 11 In the day thy plant thou causest to become great, And in the morning thy seed makest to flourish, A heap 'is' the harvest in a day of overflowing, And of mortal pain.
12 Wo 'to' the multitude of many peoples, As the sounding of seas they sound; And 'to' the wasting of nations, As the wasting of mighty waters they are wasted. 13 Nations as the wasting of many waters are wasted, And He hath pushed against it, And it hath fled afar off, And been pursued as chaff of hills before wind, And as a rolling thing before a hurricane. 14 At even-time, lo, terror, before morning it is not, This 'is' the portion of our spoilers, And the lot of our plunderers!
31 For, lo, the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, Is turning aside from Jerusalem, And from Judah, stay and staff, Every stay of bread, and every stay of water. 2 Hero and man of war, judge and prophet, And diviner and elder, 3 Head of fifty, and accepted of faces, And counsellor, and the wise of artificers, And the intelligent of charmers. 4 And I have made youths their heads, And sucklings rule over them. 5 And the people hath exacted—man upon man, Even a man on his neighbour, Enlarge themselves do the youths against the aged, And the lightly esteemed against the honoured. 6 When one layeth hold on his brother, 'Of' the house of his father, 'by' the garment, 'Come, a ruler thou art to us, And this ruin 'is' under thy hand.' 7 He lifteth up, in that day, saying: 'I am not a binder up, And in my house is neither bread nor garment, Ye do not make me a ruler of the people.' 8 For stumbled hath Jerusalem, and Judah hath fallen, For their tongue and their doings 'are' against Jehovah, To provoke the eyes of His glory.
9 The appearance of their faces witnessed against them, And their sin, as Sodom, they declared, They have not hidden! Wo to their soul, For they have done to themselves evil. 10 Say ye to the righteous, that 'it is' good, Because the fruit of their doings they eat. 11 Wo to the wicked—evil, Because the deed of his hand is done to him. 12 My people—its exactors 'are' sucklings, And women have ruled over it. My people—thy eulogists are causing to err, And the way of thy paths swallowed up. 13 Jehovah hath stood up to plead, And He is standing to judge the peoples. 14 Jehovah into judgment doth enter With elders of His people, and its heads: 'And ye, ye have consumed the vineyard, Plunder of the poor 'is' in your houses. 15 What—to you? ye bruise My people, And the faces of the poor ye grind.' An affirmation of the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, And Jehovah saith:
16 'Because that daughters of Zion have been haughty, And they walk stretching out the neck, And deceiving 'with' the eyes, Walking and mincing they go, And with their feet they make a tinkling, 17 The Lord also hath scabbed The crown of the head of daughters of Zion, And Jehovah their simplicity exposeth. 18 In that day doth the Lord turn aside The beauty of the tinkling ornaments, And of the embroidered works, And of the round tires like moons, 19 Of the drops, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, 20 Of the bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, And of the bands, And of the perfume boxes, and the amulets, 21 Of the seals, and of the nose-rings, 22 Of the costly apparel, and of the mantles, And of the coverings, and of the purses, 23 Of the mirrors, and of the linen garments, And of the hoods, and of the vails, 24 And it hath been, instead of spice is muck, And instead of a girdle, a rope, And instead of curled work, baldness, And instead of a stomacher a girdle of sackcloth. 25 For instead of glory, thy men by sword do fall, And thy might in battle. 26 And lamented and mourned have her openings, Yea, she hath been emptied, on the earth she sitteth!
