Isaiah 21

1 The doom of the desert by the sea. As tempests in the south blow with fury; so doth it come from the desert, from a terrible land.

The burden of the wilderness of the sea. Like windstorms in the south for passing through, It has come from the wilderness, From a fearful land.

2 A hard vision hath been told unto me; the traitor dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. “Go up, O 'Elam; besiege, O Media;” all sighing have I caused to cease.

A hard vision has been declared to me, The treacherous dealer is dealing treacherously, And the destroyer is destroying. Go up, O Elam, besiege, O Media, I have caused all its sighing to cease.

3 Therefore are my loins filled with pain; pangs have seized me, like the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I am too much cramped to hear; I am too much dismayed to see.

Therefore my loins have been filled [with] great pain, Pangs have seized me as pangs of a travailing woman, I have been bent down by hearing, I have been troubled by seeing.

4 My heart wandereth astray, dread affrighteth me: the evening of my pleasure hath he turned unto me into terror.

My heart has wandered, trembling has terrified me, He has made the twilight of my desire a fear to me,

5 Prepare the table, put on the candlesticks, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield.

Arrange the table, watch in the watchtower, Eat, drink, rise, you heads, anoint the shield,

6 For thus hath said unto me the Lord, Go, set the watchman, what he seeth let him tell.

For thus said the Lord to me: “Go, station the watchman, Let him declare that which he sees.”

7 And he will see chariots, horsemen in couples, riders on asses, riders on camels; and he shall listen diligently with much heed:

And he has seen a chariot—a couple of horsemen, The rider of a donkey, the rider of a camel, And he has given attention—He has increased attention!

8 And he calleth [like] a lion, Upon the watchtower, O Lord, do I stand continually in the daytime, and on my ward am I set all the nights.

And he cries, “A lion, my lord! I am continually standing on a watchtower by day, And I am stationed on my ward whole nights.

9 And, behold, here cometh a chariot with men, horsemen in couples, and he commenceth and saith, Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the graven images of her gods hath he shivered unto the ground.

And behold, this, the chariot of a man is coming, A couple of horsemen.” And he answers and says: “Fallen, fallen has Babylon, And He has broken all the carved images of her gods to the earth.

10 O my down-trodden [people, ] and the son of my threshingfloor: that which I have heard from the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have I told unto you.

O my threshing, and the son of my floor, That which I heard from YHWH of Hosts, God of Israel, I have declared to you!”

11 The doom of Dumah. Unto me one calleth out of Se'ir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?

The burden of Dumah. [One] is calling to me from Seir, “Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?”

12 The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will desire, desire ye; return, come again.

The watchman has said, “Morning has come, and also night, If you inquire, inquire, return, come.”

13 The doom upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye caravans of Dedanim.

The burden on Arabia. You lodge in a forest in Arabia, O caravans of Dedanim.

14 Toward him that is thirsty they bring water; the inhabitants of the land of Thema meet with suitable bread the fugitive.

Inhabitants of the land of Tema Have brought water to meet the thirsty, With his bread they came before a fugitive.

15 Because from the swords are they fled, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the pressure of war.

For they fled from the face of destructions, From the face of an outstretched sword, And from the face of a trodden bow, And from the face of the grievousness of battle.

16 For thus hath said the Lord unto me, Within yet one year, like the years of a hired laborer, shall all the glory of Kedar be at an end:

For thus said the Lord to me: “Within a year, as years of a hired worker, All the glory of Kedar has been consumed.

17 And the residue of the number of bows of the mighty men of the children of Kedar shall be small; for the Lord the God of Israel hath spoken it.

And the remnant of the number of bow-men, The mighty of the sons of Kedar, are few, For YHWH, God of Israel, has spoken!”