Isaiah 21
21
God Commands That Babylon Be Taken
1The oracle concerning the #Or sandy wastes, sea countrywilderness of the sea.
As windstorms in the Negev sweep on,
It comes from the wilderness, from a terrifying land.
2A harsh vision has been shown to me;
The treacherous one still deals treacherously, and the destroyer still destroys.
Go up, Elam, lay siege, Media;
I have made an end of all the groaning she has caused.
3For this reason my loins are full of anguish;
Pains have seized me like the pains of a woman in labor.
I am so bewildered I cannot hear, so terrified I cannot see.
4My mind reels, horror overwhelms me;
The twilight I longed for has been turned for me into trembling.
5They set the table, they #Or spread out the rugs or possibly they arranged the seatingspread out the cloth, they eat, they drink;
“Rise up, captains, oil the shields,”
6For thus the Lord says to me,
“Go, station the lookout, let him report what he sees.
7When he sees riders, horsemen in pairs,
A train of donkeys, a train of camels,
Let him pay close attention, very close attention.”
8Then the lookout called,
“O Lord, I stand continually by day on the watchtower,
And I am stationed every night at my guard post.
9Now behold, here comes a troop of riders, horsemen in pairs.”
And one said, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon;
And all the images of her gods are shattered on the ground.”
10O my threshed people, and my afflicted of the threshing floor!
What I have heard from the Lord of hosts,
The God of Israel, I make known to you.
Oracles about Edom and Arabia
11The oracle concerning Edom.
One keeps calling to me from Seir,
“Watchman, #Lit what is the time of the night?how far gone is the night?
Watchman, how far gone is the night?”
12The watchman says,
“Morning comes but also night.
If you would inquire, inquire;
Come back again.”
13The oracle about Arabia.
In the thickets of Arabia you must spend the night,
O caravans of Dedanites.
14Bring water for the thirsty,
O inhabitants of the land of Tema,
Meet the fugitive with bread.
15For they have fled from the swords,
From the drawn sword, and from the bent bow
And from the press of battle.
16For thus the Lord said to me, “In a year, as a hired man would count it, all the splendor of Kedar will terminate; 17and the remainder of the number of bowmen, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, will be few; for the Lord God of Israel has spoken.”
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Isaiah 21: NASB1995
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Isaiah 21
21
The Lord Will Judge Babylon
1 Here is a message about the Desert by the Sea:#sn The phrase is quite cryptic, at least to the modern reader. Verse 9 seems to indicate that this message pertains to Babylon. Southern Mesopotamia was known as the Sealand in ancient times, because of its proximity to the Persian Gulf. Perhaps the reference to Babylon as a “desert” foreshadows the destruction that would overtake the city, making it like a desolate desert.
Like strong winds blowing in the south,#tn Or “in the Negev” (NASB).
one invades from the desert,
from a land that is feared.
2 I have received a distressing message:#tn Heb “a severe revelation has been related to me.”
“The deceiver deceives,
the destroyer destroys.
Attack, you Elamites!
Lay siege, you Medes!
I will put an end to all the groaning!”#sn This is often interpreted to mean “all the groaning” that Babylon has caused others.
3 For this reason my stomach churns;#tn Heb “my waist is filled with shaking [or “anguish”].”
cramps overwhelm me
like the contractions of a woman in labor.
I am disturbed#tn Or perhaps, “bent over [in pain]”; cf. NRSV “I am bowed down.” by what I hear,
horrified by what I see.
4 My heart palpitates,#tn Heb “wanders,” perhaps here, “is confused.”
I shake in fear;#tn Heb “shuddering terrifies me.”
the twilight I desired
has brought me terror.
5 Arrange the table,
lay out#tn The precise meaning of the verb in this line is debated. Some prefer to derive the form from the homonymic צָפֹה (tsafoh, “keep watch”) and translate “post a guard” (cf. KJV “watch in the watchtower”; ASV “set the watch”). the carpet,
eat and drink!#tn The verbal forms in the first three lines are infinitives absolute, which are functioning here as finite verbs. It is uncertain if the forms should have an imperatival or indicative/descriptive force here.
Get up, you officers,
smear oil on the shields!#sn Smearing the shields with oil would make them more flexible and effective in battle. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:394.
6 For this is what the sovereign master#tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 8, 16 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay). has told me:
“Go, post a guard!
He must report what he sees.
7 When he sees chariots,
teams of horses,#tn Or “a pair of horsemen.”
riders on donkeys,
riders on camels,
he must be alert,
very alert.”
8 Then the guard#tn The Hebrew text has, “the lion,” but this makes little sense here. אַרְיֵה (’aryeh, “lion”) is probably a corruption of an original הָרֹאֶה (haro’eh, “the one who sees”), i.e., the guard mentioned previously in v. 6. cries out:
“On the watchtower, O sovereign master,#tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay). Some translations take this to refer to the Lord (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV), while others take it to refer to the guard’s human master (“my lord”; cf. NIV, NLT).
I stand all day long;
at my post
I am stationed every night.
9 Look what’s coming!
A charioteer,
a team of horses.”#tn Or “[with] teams of horses,” or perhaps, “with a pair of horsemen.”
When questioned, he replies,#tn Heb “and he answered and said” (so KJV, ASV).
“Babylon has fallen, fallen!
All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!”
10 O my downtrodden people, crushed like stalks on the threshing floor,#tn Heb “My trampled one, and the son of the threshing floor.”
what I have heard
from the Lord who commands armies,
the God of Israel,
I have reported to you.
Bad News for Seir
11 Here is a message about Dumah:#tn The noun דּוּמָה (dumah) means “silence,” but here it is a proper name, probably referring to a site in northern Arabia or to the nation of Edom. See BDB 189 s.v. II דּוּמָה. If Dumah was an area in northern Arabia, it would be of interest to the Edomites because of its strategic position on trade routes which they used. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:398.
Someone calls to me from Seir,#sn Seir is another name for Edom. See BDB 973 s.v. שֵׂעִיר.
“Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night?”#sn The “night” probably here symbolizes distress and difficult times. See BDB 539 s.v. לַיְלָה.
12 The watchman replies,
“Morning is coming, but then night.#sn Dumah will experience some relief, but it will be short-lived as night returns.
If you want to ask, ask;
come back again.”#sn The point of the watchman’s final instructions (“if you want to ask, ask; come again”) is unclear. Perhaps they are included to add realism to the dramatic portrayal. The watchman sends the questioner away with the words, “Feel free to come back and ask again.”
The Lord Will Judge Arabia
13 Here is a message about Arabia:
In the thicket of Arabia you spend the night,
you Dedanite caravans.
14 Bring out some water for the thirsty.
You who live in the land of Tema,
bring some food for the fugitives.
15 For they flee from the swords –
from the drawn sword
and from the battle-ready bow
and from the severity of the battle.
16 For this is what the sovereign master#tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay). has told me: “Within exactly one year#tn Heb “in still a year, like the years of a hired worker.” See the note at 16:14. all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. 17 Just a handful of archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be left.”#tn Heb “and the remnant of the number of the bow, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, will be few.” Indeed,#tn Or “for” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV). the Lord God of Israel has spoken.
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