1. The Lord said, “Damascus will not be a city any longer; it will be only a pile of ruins.
2. The cities of Syria will be deserted for ever. They will be a pasture for sheep and cattle, and no one will drive them away.
3. Israel will be defenceless, and Damascus will lose its independence. Those Syrians who survive will be in disgrace like the people of Israel. I, the Lord Almighty, have spoken.”
4. The Lord said, “A day is coming when Israel's greatness will come to an end, and its wealth will be replaced by poverty.
5. Israel will be like a field where the corn has been cut and harvested, as desolate as a field in the valley of Rephaim when it has been picked bare.
6. Only a few people will survive, and Israel will be like an olive tree from which all the olives have been picked except two or three at the very top, or a few that are left on the lower branches. I, the Lord God of Israel, have spoken.”
7. When that day comes, people will turn for help to their Creator, the holy God of Israel.