Isaiah 21

¹The 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.

²A 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.

³For 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.

⁴My mind is wandering, fear has overcome me: the evening of my desire has been turned into shaking for me.

⁵They make ready the table, they put down the covers, they take food and drink. Up! you captains; put oil on your breastplates.

⁶For so has the Lord said to me, Go, let a watchman be placed; let him give word of what he sees:

⁷And when he sees war-carriages, horsemen by twos, war-carriages with asses, war-carriages with camels, let him give special attention.

⁸And the watchman gave a loud cry, O my lord, I am on the watchtower all day, and am placed in my watch every night:

⁹See, 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.

¹⁰O 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.

¹¹The word about Edom. A voice comes to me from Seir, Watchman, how far gone is the night? how far gone is the night?

¹²The watchman says, The morning has come, but night is still to come: if you have questions to put, put them, and come back again.

¹³The word about Arabia. In the thick woods of Arabia will be your night's resting-place, O travelling bands of Dedanites!

¹⁴Give water to him who is in need of water; give bread, O men of the land of Tema, to those in flight.

¹⁵For they are in flight from the sharp sword, and the bent bow, and from the trouble of war.

¹⁶For 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:

¹⁷And 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.

Isaiah 21

¹The oracle of the wilderness of the sea. As whirlwinds in the Negev sweep through, it comes from the wilderness, from an awesome land.

²A 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.

³Therefore 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.

⁴My heart flutters. Horror has frightened me. The twilight that I desired has been turned into trembling for me.

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

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

⁷When he sees a troop, horsemen in pairs, a troop of donkeys, a troop of camels, he shall listen diligently with great attentiveness."

⁸He cried like a lion: "Lord, I stand continually on the watchtower in the daytime, and every night I stay at my post.

⁹Behold, 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.

¹⁰You are my threshing, and the grain of my floor!" That which I have heard from the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, I have declared to you.

¹¹The burden of Dumah. One calls to me out of Seir, "Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?"

¹²The watchman said, "The morning comes, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire. Come back again."

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

¹⁴They brought water to him who was thirsty. The inhabitants of the land of Tema met the fugitives with their bread.

¹⁵For they fled away from the swords, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow, and from the heat of battle.

¹⁶For the Lord said to me, "Within a year, as a worker bound by contract would count it, all the glory of Kedar will fail,

¹⁷and the residue of the number of the archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, will be few; for the Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken it."