Isaiah 21

1 The burden of the wilderness of the sea. As whirlwinds in the South sweeping on, it cometh from the wilderness, from a dreadful land.

THE VISION OF THE DESERT. As though a whirlwind should pass through the desert, coming from a desert, [even] from such a land,

2 A grievous vision is declared unto me: 'The treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam! besiege, O Media! All the sighing thereof have I made to cease.'

[so] a fearful and a grievous vision was declared to me: he that is treacherous deals treacherously, the transgressor transgresses. The Elamites are upon me, and the ambassadors of the Persians come against me: now will I groan and comfort myself.

3 Therefore are my loins filled with convulsion; pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman in travail; I am bent so that I cannot hear; I am affrighted so that I cannot see.

Therefore are my loins filled with feebleness, and pangs have seized me as a travailing woman: I dealt wrongfully that I might not hear; I hasted that I might not see.

4 My heart is bewildered, terror hath overwhelmed me; the twilight that I longed for hath been turned for me into trembling.

My heart wanders, and transgression overwhelms me; my soul is occupied with fear.

5 They prepare the table, they light the lamps, they eat, they drink — 'Rise up, ye princes, anoint the shield.'

Prepare the table, eat, drink: arise, you princes, and prepare [your] shields.

6 For thus hath the Lord said unto me: Go, set a watchman; let him declare what he seeth!

For thus said the Lord to me, Go and station a watchman for yourself, and declare whatever you shall see.

7 And when he seeth a troop, horsemen by pairs, a troop of asses, a troop of camels, he shall hearken diligently with much heed.

And I saw two mounted horsemen, and a rider on an ass, and a rider on a camel.

8 And he cried as a lion: 'Upon the watch-tower, O Lord, I stand continually in the daytime, and I am set in my ward all the nights.'

Listen with great attention, and call you Urias to the watch-tower: the Lord has spoken. I stood continually during the day, and I stood in the camp all night:

9 And, behold, there came a troop of men, horsemen by pairs. And he spoke and said: 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the graven images of her gods are broken unto the ground.'

and, behold, he comes riding in a chariot and pair: and he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all her images and her idols have been crushed to the ground.

10 O thou my threshing, and the winnowing of my floor, that which I have heard from the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.

Hear, you that are left, and you that are in pain, hear what things I have heard of the Lord of hosts [which] the God of Israel has declared to us. THE VISION OF IDUMEA.

11 The burden of Dumah. One calleth unto me out of Seir: 'Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?'

Call to me out of Seir; guard you the bulwarks.

12 The watchman said: 'The morning cometh, and also the night — if ye will inquire, inquire ye; return, come.'

I watch in the morning and the night: if you would enquire, enquire, and dwell by me.

13 The burden upon Arabia. In the thickets in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye caravans of Dedanites.

You may lodge in the forest in the evening, or in the way of Daedan.

14 Unto him that is thirsty bring ye water! The inhabitants of the land of Tema did meet the fugitive with his bread.

You that dwell in the country of Thaeman, bring water to meet him that is thirsty;

15 For they fled away from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.

meet the fugitives with bread, because of the multitude of the slain, and because of the multitude of them that lose their way, and because of the multitude of swords, and because of the multitude of bent bows, and because of the multitude of them that have fallen in war.

16 For thus hath the Lord said unto me: 'Within a year, according to the years of a hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail;

For thus said the Lord to me, Yet a year, as the year of an hireling, [and] the glory of the sons of Kedar shall fail:

17 and the residue of the number of the archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished; for the LORD, the God of Israel, hath spoken it.'

and the remnant of the strong bows of the sons of Kedar shall be small: for the Lord God of Israel has spoken [it].