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1. This is a message about Damascus: "Damascus is now a city, but it will be destroyed. Only ruined buildings will be left there.
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1. The burden H4853 of Damascus H1834 . Behold H2009 , Damascus H1834 is taken away H5493 from being a city H4480 H5892 , and it shall be H1961 a ruinous H4654 heap H4596 .
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2. People will leave the cities of Aroer. Flocks of sheep will wander freely in those empty towns; there will be no one to bother them.
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2. The cities H5892 of Aroer H6177 are forsaken H5800 : they shall be H1961 for flocks H5739 , which shall lie down H7257 , and none H369 shall make them afraid H2729 .
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3. The fort cities of Ephraim will be destroyed. The government in Damascus will be finished. Those left in Aram will lose everything, just like the people of Israel, " says the Lord All-Powerful.
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3. The fortress H4013 also shall cease H7673 from Ephraim H4480 H669 , and the kingdom H4467 from Damascus H4480 H1834 , and the remnant H7605 of Syria H758 : they shall be H1961 as the glory H3519 of the children H1121 of Israel H3478 , saith H5002 the LORD H3068 of hosts H6635 .
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4. "At that time Jacob's wealth will all be gone. Yes, Israel will be like a sick man who has become weak and thin.
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4. And in that H1931 day H3117 it shall come to pass H1961 , that the glory H3519 of Jacob H3290 shall be made thin H1809 , and the fatness H4924 of his flesh H1320 shall wax lean H7329 .
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5. "That time will be like the grain harvest in Rephaim Valley. The workers gather the plants that grow in the field. Then they cut the heads of grain from the plants and collect the grain.
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5. And it shall be H1961 as when the harvest man H7105 gathereth H622 the corn H7054 , and reapeth H7114 the ears H7641 with his arm H2220 ; and it shall be H1961 as he that gathereth H3950 ears H7641 in the valley H6010 of Rephaim H7497 .
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6. "That time will also be like the olive harvest. People knock olives from the trees, but a few olives are usually left at the top of each tree. Four or five olives are left on some of the top branches. It will be the same for those cities," says the Lord All-Powerful.
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6. Yet gleaning grapes H5955 shall be left H7604 in it , as the shaking H5363 of an olive tree H2132 , two H8147 or three H7969 berries H1620 in the top H7218 of the uppermost bough H534 , four H702 or five H2568 in the outermost fruitful H6509 branches H5585 thereof, saith H5002 the LORD H3068 God H430 of Israel H3478 .
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7. Then the people will look up to the one who made them. Their eyes will see the Holy One of Israel.
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7. At that H1931 day H3117 shall a man H120 look H8159 to H5921 his Maker H6213 , and his eyes H5869 shall have respect H7200 to H413 the Holy One H6918 of Israel H3478 .
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8. They will not trust in the great things they have made. They will not go to the special gardens and altars they made for false gods.
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8. And he shall not H3808 look H8159 to H413 the altars H4196 , the work H4639 of his hands H3027 , neither H3808 shall respect H7200 that which H834 his fingers H676 have made H6213 , either the groves H842 , or the images H2553 .
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9. At that time all the walled cities will be empty. They will be like the mountains and the forests in the land before the Israelites came. In the past, all the people ran away because the Israelites were coming. In the future, the country will be empty again.
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9. In that H1931 day H3117 shall his strong H4581 cities H5892 be H1961 as a forsaken H5800 bough H2793 , and an uppermost branch H534 , which H834 they left H5800 because H4480 H6440 of the children H1121 of Israel H3478 : and there shall be H1961 desolation H8077 .
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10. This will happen because you have forgotten the God who saves you. You have not remembered that God is your place of safety. You brought some very good grapevines from faraway places. You might plant those grapevines, but they will not grow.
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10. Because H3588 thou hast forgotten H7911 the God H430 of thy salvation H3468 , and hast not H3808 been mindful H2142 of the rock H6697 of thy strength H4581 , therefore H5921 H3651 shalt thou plant H5193 pleasant H5282 plants H5194 , and shalt set H2232 it with strange H2114 slips H2156 :
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11. You will plant your grapevines one day and try to make them grow, and the next day they will blossom. But at harvest time, you will go to gather the fruit from the plants, and you will see that everything is dead. A sickness will kill all the plants.
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11. In the day H3117 shalt thou make thy plant H5194 to grow H7735 , and in the morning H1242 shalt thou make thy seed H2233 to flourish H6524 : but the harvest H7105 shall be a heap H5067 in the day H3117 of grief H2470 and of desperate H605 sorrow H3511 .
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12. Listen to all these people! Their loud crying sounds like the noise from the sea. Listen, it is like the crashing of waves in the sea.
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12. Woe H1945 to the multitude H1995 of many H7227 people H5971 , which make a noise H1993 like the noise H1993 of the seas H3220 ; and to the rushing H7588 of nations H3816 , that make a rushing H7582 like the rushing H7588 of mighty H3524 waters H4325 !
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13. And like the waves, they will rush away when God speaks harshly to them. They will be like chaff blown away by the wind. They will be like tumbleweeds chased by a storm.
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13. The nations H3816 shall rush H7582 like the rushing H7588 of many H7227 waters H4325 : but God shall rebuke H1605 them , and they shall flee H5127 far off H4480 H4801 , and shall be chased H7291 as the chaff H4671 of the mountains H2022 before H6440 the wind H7307 , and like a rolling thing H1534 before H6440 the whirlwind H5492 .
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14. That night, the people will be frightened. By morning, nothing will be left. So our enemies will get nothing. They will come to our land, but nothing will be there.
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14. And behold H2009 at eveningtide H6256 H6153 trouble H1091 ; and before H2962 the morning H1242 he is not H369 . This H2088 is the portion H2506 of them that spoil H8154 us , and the lot H1486 of them that rob H962 us.
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