And the fatness of his flesh wax lean.
And it shall be as when a harvester gathers standing grain,
And his arms reap the ears;
Yea, it shall be as when he gleans in the valley of Rephaim,
And the gleanings thereof shall be as the beating of an olive tree--
Two or three berries on the topmost branch,
Four or five on the boughs of a fruit tree,
Saith the Lord, the God of Israel."

Then, addressing himself as if he were speaking to the people of
Israel, but hoping to drive the lesson home to the people of Judah,
who were listening to him, he spoke most regretfully:

"For thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation
And hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength."

Turning to a consideration of the second of the allies, Syria,
Isaiah continued:

"Soon shall Damascus cease to be a city
And shall be a ruinous heap.
Its cities shall be given up to flocks
Which shall lie down, with none to make them afraid.
Ephraim shall lose her bulwark,
And Damascus her sovereignty,
And the rest of Syria shall perish;
Like the Israelites shall they be,
Saith the Lord of Hosts."

These descriptions of what would happen to Syria and Israel, however,