Isaiah 21

1 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.

The word about the waste land. As storm-winds in the South go rushing through, it comes from the waste land, from the land greatly to be feared.

2 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.

A vision of fear comes before my eyes; the worker of deceit goes on in his false way, and the waster goes on making waste. Up! Elam; to the attack! Media; I have put an end to her sorrow.

3 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.

For this cause I am full of bitter grief; pains like the pains of a woman in childbirth have come on me: I am bent down with sorrow at what comes to my ears; I am shocked by what I see.

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

My mind is wandering, fear has overcome me: the evening of my desire has been turned into shaking for me.

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

They make ready the table, they put down the covers, they take food and drink. Up! you captains; put oil on your breastplates.

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

For so has the Lord said to me, Go, let a watchman be placed; let him give word of what he sees:

7 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!

And when he sees war-carriages, horsemen by twos, war-carriages with asses, war-carriages with camels, let him give special attention.

8 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.

And the watchman gave a loud cry, O my lord, I am on the watchtower all day, and am placed in my watch every night:

9 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.

See, here come war-carriages with men, horsemen by twos: and in answer he said, Babylon is made low, is made low, and all her images are broken on the earth.

10 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!”

O my crushed ones, the grain of my floor! I have given you the word which came to me from the Lord of armies, the God of Israel.

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

The word about Edom. A voice comes to me from Seir, Watchman, how far gone is the night? how far gone is the night?

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

The watchman says, The morning has come, but night is still to come: if you have questions to put, put them, and come back again.

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

The word about Arabia. In the thick woods of Arabia will be your night's resting-place, O travelling bands of Dedanites!

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

Give water to him who is in need of water; give bread, O men of the land of Tema, to those in flight.

15 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.

For they are in flight from the sharp sword, and the bent bow, and from the trouble of war.

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

For so has the Lord said to me, In a year, by the years of a servant working for payment, all the glory of Kedar will come to an end:

17 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!”

And the rest of the bowmen, the men of war of the children of Kedar, will be small in number: for the Lord, the God of Israel, has said it.