Isaiah 21

1 A declaration about the desert by the sea. Like stormwinds sweeping through the Negev it comes passing through from the wilderness, from a terrible 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 distressing vision has been given to me: the treacherous man deals treacherously, and the destroyer destroys. Go up and attack, Elam; besiege, Media; I will stop all her groaning.

[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 loins are filled with pain; pains like the pains of a woman in labor have taken hold of me; I am bowed down by what I heard; I am disturbed by what I saw.

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 pounds; I shake with fear. Twilight was my desire, but it brought me terror.

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

5 They prepare the table, they spread rugs and eat and drink; arise, princes, anoint your shields with oil.

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

6 For this is what the Lord said to me, “Go, post a watchman; he must report what he sees.

For thus said the Lord to me, Go and station a watchman for thyself, and declare whatever thou shalt see.

7 When he sees a chariot, a pair of horsemen, riders on donkeys, and riders on camels, then he must pay attention and be very alert.”

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

8 The watchman cries out, “Lord, on the watchtower I stand all day, every day, and at my post I stand all night long.”

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

9 Here comes a chariot with a man and a pair of horsemen. He calls out, “Babylon has fallen, fallen, and all the carved figures of its 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 My threshed and winnowed ones, children of my threshing floor! What I have heard from Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, I have declared to you.

Hear, ye that are left, and ye 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 A declaration about Dumah. One calls to me from Seir, “Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?”

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

12 The watchman said, “The morning comes and also the night. If you want to ask, then ask; and come back again.”

I watch in the morning and the night: if thou wouldest enquire, enquire, and dwell by me.

13 A declaration about Arabia. In the wilderness of Arabia you spend the night, you caravans of Dedanites.

Thou mayest lodge in the forest in the evening, or in the way of Daedan.

14 Bring water for the thirsty; inhabitants of the land of Tema, meet the fugitives with bread.

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

15 For they have fled from the sword, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow, and from the weight 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 this is what the Lord said to me, “Within a year, as a laborer hired for a year would see it, all the glory of Kedar will end.

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 Only a few of the archers, the warriors of Kedar will remain,” for Yahweh, the God of Israel, has spoken.

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