Isaiah 17

1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city, and it will be like a heap of stones in ruin.

有關大馬士革的神諭：看，大馬士革不再成為城市，將變為一堆廢墟。

2 The cities in ruin will be left for the flocks, and they will take rest there, and there will be no one who may terrify them.

她的城邑將永被遺棄，成為羊群的牧場；牠們偃臥在那裏，無人驚擾。

3 And assistance will cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom will cease from Damascus. And the remnant of Syria will be like the glory of the sons of Israel, says the Lord of hosts.

厄弗辣因的保壘將被撤除，大馬士革的主權將要消失，阿蘭的遺民將如以色列子民的光榮－－萬軍上主的斷語。

4 And this shall be in that day: the glory of Jacob will be thinned, and the fatness of his flesh will be reduced.

到那天，雅各 伯的光榮必要衰落，他肥滿的身軀必要消瘦。

5 And it shall be like the gathering of the harvest which remains, and his arm will pick the ears of grain. And it shall be like a search for grain in the valley of Rephaim.

將如收割的人一手在抱麥稈，一手在割麥穗；又如人摘取葡萄，或在勒法因山谷採打橄欖樹，

6 And what is left behind in it will be like one cluster of grapes, or like a shaken olive tree with two or three olives at the top of a branch, or like four or five olives at the top of a tree, says the Lord God of Israel.

上面總有些殘粒剩下，或兩三粒留在樹梢，或四五個留在果樹的枝梢上－－上主，以色列的天主的斷語。

7 In that day, a man will bow before his Maker, and his eyes will consider the Holy One of Israel.

到那天，人必仰望自己的造主，眼睛必要注視以色列的聖者。

8 And he will not bow before the altars that his hands have made. And he will not consider the things that his fingers have made, the sacred groves and the shrines.

再不願觀看他親手所造的祭壇；也不再顧盼他手指所製的「阿舍辣」和太陽柱。

9 In that day, his strong cities will be abandoned, like the plows and the grain fields which were left behind before the face of the sons of Israel, and you shall be deserted.

到那天，你的堅城，將如希威人和阿摩黎人在以色列子民前所放棄的地域，成為一片荒野，

10 For you have forgotten God your Savior, and you have not remembered your strong Helper. Because of this, you will plant trustworthy plants, but you will sow a foreign seed.

因為你忘卻了拯救你的天主，不懷念作你避難所的磐石。為此，你雖栽種阿多尼花木，種植異鄉的枝條；

11 In the day of your planting, the wild grapevine and your morning seed will flourish. The harvest has been taken away to the day of inheritance, and you will grieve heavily.

你縱然在一日之間使你所栽種的生長，清晨使你所種植的開花，但是收穫卻消失在患難和絕望痛苦的日子中。

12 Woe to the multitude of many peoples, like the multitude of the roaring sea! Woe to the tumult of crowds, like the noise of many waters!

靜聽！許多民族在喧嚷，喧嚷得有如海嘯；好多百姓在咆哮，咆哮得有如汪洋的怒號。

13 The peoples will make a noise, like the noise of waters overflowing, but he will rebuke him, and so he will flee far away. And he will be quickly taken away, like the dust of the mountains before the face of the wind, and like a whirlwind before a tempest.

然而上主一叱責，他必飄逸遠逃，有如為颶風捲去山上的禾湝，有如旋風前的薊絮。

14 In the time of the evening, behold: there will be a disturbance. When it is early morning, he will not remain. This is the portion of those who have devastated us, and this is the lot of those who have plundered us.

晚間盡是恐怖；天還未亮，已無蹤影！這是掠奪我們者的份子，搶劫我們者的命運。