Isaiah 21

1 The oracle of the wilderness of the sea. As whirlwinds in the Negev sweep through, it comes from the wilderness, from an awesome 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 to me. The treacherous man deals treacherously, and the destroyer destroys. Go up, Elam; attack. I have stopped all of Media's sighing.

[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 my thighs are filled with anguish. Pains have taken hold on me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am in so much pain that I can't hear. I so am dismayed that I can't 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 flutters. Horror has frightened me. The twilight that I desired has been turned into trembling for me.

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

5 They prepare the table. They set the watch. They eat. They drink. Rise up, you princes, oil the shield.

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

6 For YHWH said to me, "Go, set a watchman. Let him declare what he sees.

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

7 When he sees chariots, horsemen in pairs, riders on donkeys, riders on camels, let him listen diligently, very diligently."

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

8 Then the lookout shouted: "Lord, I stand continually on the watchtower in the daytime, and every night I stay at my post.

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 Look, here comes a troop of men, horsemen in pairs." He answered, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the engraved images of her gods are broken to 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 You are my threshing, and the grain of my floor." That which I have heard from YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel, I have declared to 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 calls to 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 comes, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire. Come back again."

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

13 The burden on Arabia. In the forest in Arabia you will lodge, you caravans of Dedanites.

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

14 They brought water to him who was thirsty. The inhabitants of the land of Tema met the fugitives with their 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, from the bent bow, and from the heat of battle.

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 YHWH said to me, "Within a year, as a worker bound by contract would count it, the glory of Kedar will 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 warriors of the people of Kedar, will be few; for YHWH, the God of Israel, has 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].