Isaias (Isaiah) 21
21
1THE burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds come from the south, it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.
2A grievous vision is told me: He that is unfaithful dealeth unfaithfully; and he that is a spoiler, spoileth. Go up, O Elam, besiege, O Mede: I have made all the mourning thereof to cease.
3Therefore are my loins filled with pain: anguish hath taken hold of me, as the anguish of a woman in labour. I fell down at the hearing of it: I was troubled at the seeing of it.
4My heart failed, darkness amazed me: Babylon my beloved is become a wonder to me.
5Prepare the table: behold in the watch-tower them that eat and drink. Arise, ye princes, take up the shield.
6For thus hath the Lord said to me: Go, and set a watchman: and whatsoever he shall see let him tell.
7And he saw a chariot with two horsemen, a rider upon an ass, and a rider upon a camel: and he beheld them diligently with much heed.
8And a lion cried out: I am upon the watch-tower of the Lord, standing continually by day: and I am upon my ward, standing whole nights.
9Behold, this man cometh, the rider upon the chariot with two horsemen. And he answered and said: Babylon is fallen, she is fallen, and all the graven gods thereof are broken unto the ground.
10O my threshing, and the children of my floor, that which I have heard of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, I have declared unto you.
11The burden of Duma calleth to me out of Seir: Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?
12The watchman said: The morning cometh, also the night. If you seek, seek: return, come.
13The burden in Arabia. In the forest at evening you shall sleep, in the paths of Dedanim.
14Meeting the thirsty bring him water, you that inhabit the land of the south: meet with bread him that fleeth.
15For they are fled from before the swords, from the sword that hung over them, from the bent bow, from the face of a grievous battle.
16For thus saith the Lord to me: Within a year, according to the years of a hireling, all the glory of Cedar shall be taken away.
17And the residue of the number of strong archers of the children of Cedar shall be diminished: for the Lord the God of Israel hath spoken it.
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Isaias (Isaiah) 21: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Isaiah 21
21
A Message about Babylon
1This message came to me concerning Babylon—the desert by the sea#21:1 Hebrew concerning the desert by the sea.:
Disaster is roaring down on you from the desert,
like a whirlwind sweeping in from the Negev.
2I see a terrifying vision:
I see the betrayer betraying,
the destroyer destroying.
Go ahead, you Elamites and Medes,
attack and lay siege.
I will make an end
to all the groaning Babylon caused.
3My stomach aches and burns with pain.
Sharp pangs of anguish are upon me,
like those of a woman in labor.
I grow faint when I hear what God is planning;
I am too afraid to look.
4My mind reels and my heart races.
I longed for evening to come,
but now I am terrified of the dark.
5Look! They are preparing a great feast.
They are spreading rugs for people to sit on.
Everyone is eating and drinking.
But quick! Grab your shields and prepare for battle.
You are being attacked!
6Meanwhile, the Lord said to me,
“Put a watchman on the city wall.
Let him shout out what he sees.
7He should look for chariots
drawn by pairs of horses,
and for riders on donkeys and camels.
Let the watchman be fully alert.”
8Then the watchman#21:8 As in Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac version; Masoretic Text reads a lion. called out,
“Day after day I have stood on the watchtower, my lord.
Night after night I have remained at my post.
9Now at last—look!
Here comes a man in a chariot
with a pair of horses!”
Then the watchman said,
“Babylon is fallen, fallen!
All the idols of Babylon
lie broken on the ground!”
10O my people, threshed and winnowed,
I have told you everything the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said,
everything the God of Israel has told me.
A Message about Edom
11This message came to me concerning Edom#21:11a Hebrew Dumah, which means “silence” or “stillness.” It is a wordplay on the word Edom.:
Someone from Edom#21:11b Hebrew Seir, another name for Edom. keeps calling to me,
“Watchman, how much longer until morning?
When will the night be over?”
12The watchman replies,
“Morning is coming, but night will soon return.
If you wish to ask again, then come back and ask.”
A Message about Arabia
13This message came to me concerning Arabia:
O caravans from Dedan,
hide in the deserts of Arabia.
14O people of Tema,
bring water to these thirsty people,
food to these weary refugees.
15They have fled from the sword,
from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow
and the terrors of battle.
16The Lord said to me, “Within a year, counting each day,#21:16 Hebrew Within a year, as a servant bound by contract would count it. Some ancient manuscripts read Within three years, as in 16:14. all the glory of Kedar will come to an end. 17Only a few of its courageous archers will survive. I, the Lord, the God of Israel, have spoken!”
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