ISV(i)
17 Conquest by Assyria“The LORD will bring to you, to your people, and to your ancestor’s house such a time as has never been since Ephraim broke away from Judah—the king of Assyria will come.
18 “At that time, the LORD will call for flies that will come from far away—from the headwaters of Egypt’s rivers—and for bees that are in the land of Assyria. 19 They will all come and settle in the steep ravines, in the rocky crevices, in all the thorn bushes, and in all the pastures. 20 At that time, the LORD will hire a barber to come from beyond the Euphrates River—that is, the king of Assyria—and he will shave your heads, your leg hair, and your beards, too.
21 “At that time, a man will keep alive a heifer and two sheep, 22 and because of the abundance of milk that they give, he will have cheese to eat, since whoever remains in the land will be eating cheese and honey.
23 “At that time, every place where once there were a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, only briars and thorns will grow.
24 “People will come there armed with bows and arrows, because the entire land will be nothing but briers and thorns. 25 As for all the hills that used to be cultivated with a hoe, you won’t go there, because you’ll fear iron briars and thorns. Nevertheless, those hills will be reserved as a pasture where cattle will feed and where sheep will graze.”
18 “At that time, the LORD will call for flies that will come from far away—from the headwaters of Egypt’s rivers—and for bees that are in the land of Assyria. 19 They will all come and settle in the steep ravines, in the rocky crevices, in all the thorn bushes, and in all the pastures. 20 At that time, the LORD will hire a barber to come from beyond the Euphrates River—that is, the king of Assyria—and he will shave your heads, your leg hair, and your beards, too.
21 “At that time, a man will keep alive a heifer and two sheep, 22 and because of the abundance of milk that they give, he will have cheese to eat, since whoever remains in the land will be eating cheese and honey.
23 “At that time, every place where once there were a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, only briars and thorns will grow.
24 “People will come there armed with bows and arrows, because the entire land will be nothing but briers and thorns. 25 As for all the hills that used to be cultivated with a hoe, you won’t go there, because you’ll fear iron briars and thorns. Nevertheless, those hills will be reserved as a pasture where cattle will feed and where sheep will graze.”