17. The Lord will bring on you, your people, and the house of your father, such a time as has never been since Ephraim separated from Judah — the king of Assyria is coming.”
18. On that day the Lord will whistle to the flythat is at the farthest streams of the Nileand to the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
19. All of them will come and settlein the steep ravines, in the clefts of the rocks, in all the thornbushes, and in all the water holes.
20. On that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River — the king of Assyria — to shave the head, the hair on the legs, and to remove the beard as well.
21. On that daya man will raise a young cow and two sheep,
22. and from the abundant milk they givehe will eat butter,for every survivor in the land will eat butter and honey.
23. And on that dayevery place where there were 1,000 vines,worth 1,000 pieces of silver,will become thorns and briers.
24. A man will go there with bow and arrowsbecause the whole land will be thorns and briers.
25. You will not go to all the hillsthat were once tilled with a hoe,for fear of the thorns and briers.Those hills will be places for oxen to grazeand for sheep to trample.