Isaiah 17:1-11

Other Translations of Isaiah 17:1-11

King James Version

The Oracle concerning Damascus

17¹ 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.

The Judgment on Israel

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. images: or, sun 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 a heap...: or, removed in the day of inheritance, and there shall be deadly sorrow in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.

English Standard Version

The Oracle concerning Damascus

17¹ An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins. ² The cities of Aroer are deserted; they will be for flocks, which will lie down, and none will make them afraid. ³ The fortress will disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Syria will be like the glory of the children of Israel, declares the Lord of hosts.

The Judgment on Israel

⁴ And in that day the glory of Jacob will be brought low, and the fat of his flesh will grow lean. ⁵ And it shall be as when the reaper gathers standing grain and his arm harvests the ears, and as when one gleans the ears of grain in the Valley of Rephaim.

⁶ Gleanings 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 In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will look on the Holy One of Israel. ⁸ He 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 Asherim or the altars of incense.

⁹ 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 you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge; therefore, though you plant pleasant plants and sow the vine-branch of a stranger, ¹¹ though you make them growOr 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 awayOr will be a heap in a day of grief and incurable pain.

The Message

The Oracle concerning Damascus

17¹ A Message concerning Damascus: "Watch this: Damascus undone as a city, a pile of dust and rubble! ² Her towns emptied of people. The sheep and goats will move in And take over the towns as if they owned them - which they will! ³ Not a sign of a fort is left in Ephraim, not a trace of government left in Damascus. What's left of Aram? The same as what's left of Israel - not much." Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies. The Day Is Coming

The Judgment on Israel

⁴ "The Day is coming when Jacob's robust splendor goes pale and his well-fed body turns skinny. ⁵ The country will be left empty, picked clean as a field harvested by field hands. She'll be like a few stalks of barley left standing in the lush Valley of Rephaim after harvest,

⁶ Or like the couple of ripe olives overlooked in the top of the olive tree, Or the four or five apples that the pickers couldn't reach in the orchard." Decree of the God of Israel. ⁷ Yes, the Day is coming when people will notice The One Who Made Them, take a long hard look at The Holy of Israel. ⁸ They'll lose interest in all the stuff they've made - altars and monuments and rituals, their homemade, handmade religion - however impressive it is.

⁹ And yes, the Day is coming when their fortress cities will be abandoned - the very same cities that the Hivites and Amorites abandoned when Israel invaded! And the country will be empty, desolate. You Have Forgotten God ¹⁰ And why? Because you have forgotten God-Your-Salvation, not remembered your Rock-of-Refuge. And so, even though you are very religious, planting all sorts of bushes and herbs and trees to honor and influence your fertility gods, ¹¹ And even though you make them grow so well, bursting with buds and sprouts and blossoms, Nothing will come of them. Instead of a harvest you'll get nothing but grief and pain, pain, pain.

New King James Version

The Oracle concerning Damascus

17¹ The burden against Damascus. "Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, And it will be a ruinous heap. ² The cities of Aroer are forsaken; They will be for flocks Which lie down, and no one will make them afraid. ³ The fortress also will cease from Ephraim, The kingdom from Damascus, And the remnant of Syria; They will be as the glory of the children of Israel," Says the Lord of hosts.

The Judgment on Israel

⁴ "In that day it shall come to pass That the glory of Jacob will wane, And the fatness of his flesh grow lean. ⁵ It shall be as when the harvester gathers the grain, And reaps the heads with his arm; It shall be as he who gathers heads of grain In the Valley of Rephaim.

⁶ Yet gleaning grapes will be left in it, Like the shaking of an olive tree, Two or three olives at the top of the uppermost bough, Four or five in its most fruitful branches," Says the Lord God of Israel. ⁷ In that day a man will look to his Maker, And his eyes will have respect for the Holy One of Israel. ⁸ He will not look to the altars, The work of his hands; He will not respect what his fingers have made, Nor the wooden images nor the incense altars.

⁹ In that day his strong cities will be as a forsaken bough And an uppermost branch, Which they left because of the children of Israel; And there will be desolation. ¹⁰ Because you have forgotten the God of your salvation, And have not been mindful of the Rock of your stronghold, Therefore you will plant pleasant plants And set out foreign seedlings; ¹¹ In the day you will make your plant to grow, And in the morning you will make your seed to flourish; But the harvest will be a heap of ruins In the day of grief and desperate sorrow.

New Living Translation

The Oracle concerning Damascus

17¹ This message came to me concerning Damascus: "Look, the city of Damascus will disappear! It will become a heap of ruins. ² The towns of Aroer will be deserted. Flocks will graze in the streets and lie down undisturbed, with no one to chase them away. ³ The fortified towns of Israel will also be destroyed, and the royal power of Damascus will end. All that remains of Syria will share the fate of Israel's departed glory," declares the Lord of Heaven's Armies.

The Judgment on Israel

⁴ "In that day Israel's glory will grow dim; its robust body will waste away. ⁵ The whole land will look like a grainfield after the harvesters have gathered the grain. It will be desolate, like the fields in the valley of Rephaim after the harvest.

⁶ Only a few of its people will be left, like stray olives left on a tree after the harvest. Only two or three remain in the highest branches, four or five scattered here and there on the limbs," declares the Lord, the God of Israel. ⁷ Then at last the people will look to their Creator and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel. ⁸ They will no longer look to their idols for help or worship what their own hands have made. They will never again bow down to their Asherah poles or worship at the pagan shrines they have built.

⁹ Their largest cities will be like a deserted forest, like the land the Hivites and Amorites abandoned when the Israelites came here so long ago. It will be utterly desolate. ¹⁰ Why? Because you have turned from the God who can save you. You have forgotten the Rock who can hide you. So you may plant the finest grapevines and import the most expensive seedlings. ¹¹ They may sprout on the day you set them out; yes, they may blossom on the very morning you plant them, but you will never pick any grapes from them. Your only harvest will be a load of grief and unrelieved pain.