17 A message for Damesek (Damascus):[ref]

Listen, Damesek will cease to be a city

≈ and will become a heap of rubble.

2 Aroer’s cities will be abandoned to sheep and goats.

They’ll lie down there and there’ll be no one around to frighten them.

3 Forts will disappear from Yisrael (Israel; Heb. Efrayim)

≈ and Damesek will lose its kingdom.

The remnant from Aram (Syria) will be a prize for the Israelis.

That’s what Commander-in-chief Yahweh says.

3 This is what Yahweh says:

“Even if Damesek (Damascus) was three or four sins below the threshold,

I wouldn’t turn away their punishment,

for the cruel things they did to the people of Gilead.[ref]

4 I’ll send a fire into King Hazael’s house,

≈ and it will devour King Ben-Hadad’s fortresses.

5 I’ll smash the gate bars of Damesek

and eliminate the ruler of the Aven valley,

and also the leader of Beyt-Eden.

The people of Aram (Syria) will go in captivity to Kir,”

says Yahweh.

9 This is a declaration of Yahweh’s message concerning the Arami (Syrian) Hadrak region and focusing on Damesek (Damascus) city,[ref] because the eyes of all humanity, including all of Yisrael’s (Israel’s) tribes, are toward Yahweh.