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The a1oracle concerning 2Damascus. "Behold, Damascus is about to be 3removed from being a city And will become a 4fallenruin.
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"The citiesbof 5Aroer are forsaken ; They will be for 6flockscto liedown in, And there will be 7noone to frighten them.
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"The d8fortifiedcity will disappear from Ephraim, And esovereignty from Damascus And the remnant of Aram ; They will be like the 9glory of the sons of Israel," Declares the LORD of hosts.
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Now in that day the 10glory of Jacob will ffade, And 11the fatness of his flesh will becomelean.
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It will be 12even like the greapergathering the standinggrain, As his armharvests the ears, Or it will be like one gleaningears of grain In the 13valley of Rephaim.
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Yet 14gleanings will be left in it like the hshaking of an olivetree, Two or threeolives on the topmostbough, Four or five on the branches of a fruitfultree, Declares the LORD, the God of Israel.
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In that dayman will 15haveregard for his Maker And his eyes will look to the HolyOne of Israel.
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He will not haveregard for the 16altars, the work of his hands, Nor will he look to that which his 17fingers have made, Even the i18Asherim and jincensestands.
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In that dayktheir strongcities will be like lforsakenplaces in the forest, Or like mbrancheswhich they abandonedbefore the sons of Israel ; And nthe land will be a desolation.
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For 19you have forgotten the 20God of your salvation And have not remembered the 21rock of your refuge. Therefore you plantdelightfulplants And set them with vineslips of a strange god.
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In the day that you plant it you carefullyfence it in, And in the 22morning you bring your seed to blossom ; But the harvest will 23be a heap In a day of sickliness and incurablepain.
12Alas, the uproar of manypeoples24Who roar like the roaring of the seas, And the rumbling of nations Who rush on like the 25rumbling of mightywaters !
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The 26nationsrumble on like the rumbling of manywaters, But He will 27rebuke them and they will fleefaraway, And be chased28like chaff in the mountainsbefore the wind, Or like whirlingdustbefore a gale.
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At eveningtime, behold, there is terror ! Beforemorning29they are nomore. oSuch will be the portion of those who plunder us And the lot of those who pillage us.