Isaiah 21
1 The burden of the wilderness of the sea. 'Like hurricanes in the south for passing through, From the wilderness it hath come, From a fearful land.
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.
2 A hard vision hath been declared to me, The treacherous dealer is dealing treacherously, And the destroyer is destroying. Go up, O Elam, besiege, O Media, All its sighing I have caused to cease.
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.
3 Therefore filled have been my loins [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.
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.
4 Wandered hath my heart, trembling hath terrified me, The twilight of my desire He hath made a fear to me,
My heart pounds; I shake with fear. Twilight was my desire, but it brought me terror.
5 Arrange the table, watch in the watch-tower, Eat, drink, rise, ye heads, anoint the shield,
They prepare the table, they spread rugs and eat and drink; arise, princes, anoint your shields with oil.
6 For thus said the Lord unto me: 'Go, station the watchman, That which he seeth let him declare.'
For this is what the Lord said to me, “Go, post a watchman; he must report what he sees.
7 And he hath seen a chariot — a couple of horsemen, The rider of an ass, the rider of a camel, And he hath given attention — He hath increased attention!
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.”
8 And he crieth — a lion, 'On a watch-tower my lord, I am standing continually by day, And on my ward I am stationed whole nights.
The watchman cries out, “Lord, on the watchtower I stand all day, every day, and at my post I stand all night long.”
9 And lo, this, the chariot of a man is coming, A couple of horsemen.' And he answereth and saith: 'Fallen, fallen hath Babylon, And all the graven images of her gods He hath broken to the earth.
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.”
10 O my threshing, and the son of my floor, That which I heard from Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, I have declared to you!'
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.
11 The burden of Dumah. Unto me is [one] calling from Seir 'Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?'
A declaration about Dumah. One calls to me from Seir, “Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?”
12 The watchman hath said, 'Come hath morning, and also night, If ye inquire, inquire ye, turn back, come.'
The watchman said, “The morning comes and also the night. If you want to ask, then ask; and come back again.”
13 The burden on Arabia. In a forest in Arabia ye lodge, O travellers of Dedanim.
A declaration about Arabia. In the wilderness of Arabia you spend the night, you caravans of Dedanites.
14 To meet the thirsty brought water have Inhabitants of the land of Tema, With his bread they came before a fugitive.
Bring water for the thirsty; inhabitants of the land of Tema, meet the fugitives with bread.
15 For from the face of destructions they fled, From the face of a stretched-out sword, And from the face of a trodden bow, And from the face of the grievousness of battle.
For they have fled from the sword, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow, and from the weight of war.
16 For thus said the Lord unto me: 'Within a year, as years of a hireling, Consumed hath been all the honour of Kedar.
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.
17 And the remnant of the number of bow-men, The mighty of the sons of Kedar are few, For Jehovah, God of Israel, hath spoken!'
Only a few of the archers, the warriors of Kedar will remain,” for Yahweh, the God of Israel, has spoken.
