Study Desk

A prophecy^(a) against Damascus:^(b) "See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins.^(c)

The cities of Aroer^(d) will be deserted and left to flocks,^(e) which will lie down,^(f) with no one to make them afraid.^(g)

The fortified^(h) city will disappear from Ephraim, and royal power from Damascus; the remnant of Aram will be like the glory⁽ⁱ⁾ of the Israelites,"^(j) declares the Lord Almighty.

"In that day^(k) the glory^(l) of Jacob will fade; the fat of his body will waste^(m) away.

It will be as when reapers harvest the standing grain, gathering⁽ⁿ⁾ the grain in their arms— as when someone gleans heads of grain^(o) in the Valley of Rephaim.^(p)

Yet some gleanings will remain,^(q) as when an olive tree is beaten,^(r) leaving two or three olives on the topmost branches, four or five on the fruitful boughs," declares the Lord , the God of Israel.

In that day^(s) people will look^(t) to their Maker^(u) and turn their eyes to the Holy One^(v) of Israel.

They will not look to the altars,^(w) the work of their hands,^(x) and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles^[a](y) and the incense altars their fingers^(z) have made.

In that day their strong cities, which they left because of the Israelites, will be like places abandoned to thickets and undergrowth.^(aa) And all will be desolation.

You have forgotten^(ab) God your Savior;^(ac) you have not remembered the Rock,^(ad) your fortress.^(ae) Therefore, though you set out the finest plants and plant imported vines,^(af)

though on the day you set them out, you make them grow, and on the morning^(ag) when you plant them, you bring them to bud, yet the harvest^(ah) will be as nothing^(ai) in the day of disease and incurable^(aj) pain.^(ak)

Woe to the many nations that rage^(al)— they rage like the raging sea!^(am) Woe to the peoples who roar^(an)— they roar like the roaring of great waters!^(ao)

Although the peoples roar^(ap) like the roar of surging waters, when he rebukes^(aq) them they flee^(ar) far away, driven before the wind like chaff^(as) on the hills, like tumbleweed before a gale.^(at)

In the evening, sudden^(au) terror!^(av) Before the morning, they are gone!^(aw) This is the portion of those who loot us, the lot of those who plunder us.

Woe^(a) to the land of whirring wings^[a] along the rivers of Cush,^[b](b)

which sends envoys^(c) by sea in papyrus^(d) boats over the water. Go, swift messengers, to a people tall and smooth-skinned,^(e) to a people feared far and wide, an aggressive^(f) nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers.^(g)

All you people of the world,^(h) you who live on the earth, when a banner⁽ⁱ⁾ is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet^(j) sounds, you will hear it.

This is what the Lord says to me: "I will remain quiet^(k) and will look on from my dwelling place,^(l) like shimmering heat in the sunshine,^(m) like a cloud of dew⁽ⁿ⁾ in the heat of harvest."

For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off^(o) the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches.^(p)

They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey^(q) and to the wild animals;^(r) the birds will feed on them all summer, the wild animals all winter.

At that time gifts^(s) will be brought to the Lord Almighty from a people tall and smooth-skinned,^(t) from a people feared^(u) far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers^(v)— the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.^(w)

A prophecy^(a) against Egypt:^(b) See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud^(c) and is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him, and the hearts of the Egyptians melt^(d) with fear.

"I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian— brother will fight against brother,^(e) neighbor against neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.^(f)

The Egyptians will lose heart,^(g) and I will bring their plans^(h) to nothing;⁽ⁱ⁾ they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, the mediums and the spiritists.^(j)

I will hand the Egyptians over to the power of a cruel master, and a fierce king^(k) will rule over them," declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

The waters of the river will dry up,^(l) and the riverbed will be parched and dry.^(m)

The canals will stink;⁽ⁿ⁾ the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.^(o) The reeds^(p) and rushes will wither,^(q)

also the plants^(r) along the Nile, at the mouth of the river. Every sown field^(s) along the Nile will become parched, will blow away and be no more.^(t)

The fishermen^(u) will groan and lament, all who cast hooks^(v) into the Nile; those who throw nets on the water will pine away.

Those who work with combed flax^(w) will despair, the weavers of fine linen^(x) will lose hope.

The workers in cloth will be dejected, and all the wage earners will be sick at heart.

The officials of Zoan^(y) are nothing but fools; the wise counselors^(z) of Pharaoh give senseless advice.^(aa) How can you say to Pharaoh, "I am one of the wise men,^(ab) a disciple of the ancient kings"?

Where are your wise men^(ac) now? Let them show you and make known what the Lord Almighty has planned^(ad) against Egypt.

The officials of Zoan^(ae) have become fools, the leaders of Memphis^(af) are deceived; the cornerstones^(ag) of her peoples have led Egypt astray.

The Lord has poured into them a spirit of dizziness;^(ah) they make Egypt stagger in all that she does, as a drunkard staggers^(ai) around in his vomit.

There is nothing Egypt can do— head or tail, palm branch or reed.^(aj)

In that day^(ak) the Egyptians will become weaklings.^(al) They will shudder with fear^(am) at the uplifted hand^(an) that the Lord Almighty raises against them.

And the land of Judah will bring terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be terrified,^(ao) because of what the Lord Almighty is planning^(ap) against them.

In that day^(aq) five cities^(ar) in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance^(as) to the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun.^[a](at)

In that day^(au) there will be an altar^(av) to the Lord in the heart of Egypt,^(aw) and a monument^(ax) to the Lord at its border.

It will be a sign and witness^(ay) to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior^(az) and defender, and he will rescue^(ba) them.

So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge^(bb) the Lord . They will worship^(bc) with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them.^(bd)

The Lord will strike^(be) Egypt with a plague;^(bf) he will strike them and heal them. They will turn^(bg) to the Lord , and he will respond to their pleas and heal^(bh) them.

In that day^(bi) there will be a highway^(bj) from Egypt to Assyria.^(bk) The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship^(bl) together.

In that day^(bm) Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria,^(bn) a blessing^[b](bo) on the earth.

The Lord Almighty will bless^(bp) them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people,^(bq) Assyria my handiwork,^(br) and Israel my inheritance.^(bs)"