Isaiah 17 GNV
Summary: This is "the burden of Damascus," foretelling that the city will cease to be a city and become a ruinous heap, with Israel's (Ephraim's) fortress likewise diminished, its glory made thin like a body wasting away. Only gleanings will remain, like a few berries left after an olive tree is shaken, because Israel has forgotten the God of its salvation and planted foreign, pagan slips instead. The prophet ties this to Israel's forgetfulness of the "Rock of thy strength" and warns that pleasant plants will yield only harvest of grief and incurable sorrow. The chapter closes describing many raging nations rushing like roaring seas against God's people, only to be rebuked and driven away like chaff before the wind, terror by evening turned to nothing by morning.
1The burden of Damascus. Beholde, Damascus is taken away from being a citie, for it shall be a ruinous heape.
2The cities of Aroer shall be forsaken: they shall be for the flockes: for they shall lye there, and none shall make them afraide.
3The munition also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdome from Damascus, and the remnant of Aram shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, sayeth the Lord of hostes.
4And in that day the glorie of Iaakob shall be impouerished, and the fatnes of his flesh shalbe made leane.
5And it shalbe as when the haruest man gathereth the corne, and reapeth the eares with his arme, and he shall be as he that gathereth the eares in the valley of Rephaim.
6Yet a gathering of grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an oliue tree, two or three beries are in the top of the vpmost boughes, and foure or fiue in the hie branches of the fruite thereof, sayeth the Lord God of Israel.
7At that day shall a man looke to his maker, and his eyes shall looke to the holy one of Israel.
8And hee shall not looke to the altars, the workes of his owne hands, neither shall he looke to those thinges, which his owne fingers haue made, as groues and images.
9In that day shall the cities of their strength be as the forsaking of boughes and branches, which they did forsake, because of the children of Israel, and there shall be desolation.
10Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy saluation, and hast not remembred the God of thy strength, therefore shalt thou set pleasant plantes, and shalt graffe strange vine branches:
11In the day shalt thou make thy plant to growe, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seede to florish: but the haruest shall be gone in the day of possession, and there shalbe desperate sorrowe.
12Ah, the multitude of many people, they shall make a sounde like the noyse of the sea: for the noyse of the people shall make a sounde like the noyse of mightie waters.
13The people shall make a sounde like the noise 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 winde, and as a rolling thing before the whirlewinde.
14And loe, in the euening there is trouble: but afore the morning it is gone. This is the portion of them that spoyle vs, and the lot of them that robbe vs.
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