Isaiah 21
21
Fallen, Fallen Is Babylon
1The #See ch. 13:1 oracle concerning the wilderness of #Jer. 51:36, 42 the sea.
#
Jer. 51:1
As whirlwinds in the Negeb sweep on,
it comes from the wilderness,
from a terrible land.
2A stern vision is told to me;
# ch. 24:16; 33:1 the traitor betrays,
and the destroyer destroys.
Go up, O #See ch. 11:11 Elam;
lay siege, O #See ch. 13:17 Media;
all the #Ezek. 9:4sighing she has caused
I bring to an end.
3Therefore my loins are filled with anguish;
# See ch. 13:8 pangs have seized me,
like the pangs of a woman in labor;
I am bowed down so that I cannot hear;
I am dismayed so that I cannot see.
4My heart staggers; horror has appalled me;
# [Deut. 28:67] the twilight I longed for
has been turned for me into trembling.
5 #
Jer. 51:39, 57 They prepare the table,
they spread the rugs,#21:5 Or they set the watchman
they eat, they drink.
Arise, O princes;
#
2 Sam. 1:21
oil the shield!
6For thus the Lord said to me:
“Go, set a watchman;
let him announce what he sees.
7When he sees riders, horsemen in pairs,
riders on donkeys, riders on camels,
let him listen diligently,
very diligently.”
8Then he who saw cried out:#21:8 Dead Sea Scroll, Syriac; Masoretic Text Then a lion cried out, or Then he cried out like a lion
#
Hab. 2:1
“Upon a watchtower I stand, O Lord,
continually by day,
and at my post I am stationed
whole nights.
9And behold, here come riders,
horsemen in pairs!”
# [Hab. 2:2] And he answered,
#
Jer. 51:8; Cited Rev. 14:8; 18:2 “Fallen, fallen is Babylon;
# ch. 46:1 and all the carved images of her gods
he has shattered to the ground.”
10O #Jer. 51:33; Amos 1:3; [Mic. 4:13]my threshed and winnowed one,
what I have heard from the Lord of hosts,
the God of Israel, I announce to you.
11The #See ch. 13:1 oracle concerning #Gen. 25:14; 1 Chr. 1:30 Dumah.
One is calling to me from #Deut. 2:8; Ezek. 35:2Seir,
“Watchman, what time of the night?
Watchman, what time of the night?”
12The watchman says:
“Morning comes, and also #[Job 36:20; Amos 5:8] the night.
If you will inquire, #[Ps. 37:36]inquire;
come back again.”
13The #See ch. 13:1 oracle concerning #Gen. 25:3; Jer. 25:23, 24 Arabia.
In the thickets in #Gen. 25:3; Jer. 25:23, 24 Arabia you will lodge,
O #[Gen. 37:25]caravans of #Gen. 25:3; Jer. 25:23, 24 Dedanites.
14To the thirsty bring water;
meet the fugitive with bread,
O inhabitants of the land of #Job 6:19Tema.
15For they have fled from the swords,
from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow,
and from the press of battle.
16For thus the Lord said to me, “Within a year, #See ch. 16:14 according to the years of a hired worker, all the glory of #ch. 60:7; Gen. 25:13; Ps. 120:5, 6; Song 1:5; Jer. 2:10; 49:28; Ezek. 27:21Kedar will come to an end. 17And the remainder of the archers of the mighty men of the sons of #[See ver. 16 above] Kedar will be few, #ch. 1:20for the Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.”
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Isaiah 21
21
The Fall of Babylonia#21 Title Babylonia: King Cyrus and his army of Medes and Persians captured the city of Babylon in 539 b.c.
1This is a message about a desert beside the sea:#21.1 This … sea: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. The prophet may be speaking of Babylonia as a desert, because of the terrible punishment God will bring on it. The southern part of Babylonia on the Persian Gulf was sometimes called “the land beside the sea.”
Enemies from a hostile nation
attack like a whirlwind
from the Southern Desert.
2What a horrible vision
was shown to me—
a vision of betrayal
and destruction.
Tell Elam and Media#21.2 Elam and Media: People from the Iranian highlands; the capital of Elam was Susa, in the hill country east of Babylon.
to surround and attack
the Babylonians.
The Lord has sworn to end
the suffering they caused.
3I'm in terrible pain
like a woman giving birth.
I'm shocked and hurt so much
that I can't hear or see.
4My head spins; I'm horrified!
Early evening, my favorite time,
has become a nightmare.
5In Babylon the high officials
were having a feast.
They were eating and drinking,
when someone shouted,
“Officers, take your places!
Grab your shields.”
6The Lord said to me,
“Send guards
to find out
what's going on.
7When they see cavalry troops
and columns of soldiers
on donkeys and camels,
tell them to be ready!”
8Then a guard#21.8 guard: The Dead Sea Scrolls and one ancient translation; the Standard Hebrew Text has “lion.” said,
“I have stood day and night
on this watchtower, Lord.
9 #
Rev 14.8; 18.2. Now I see column after column
of cavalry troops.”
At once someone shouted,
“Babylon has fallen!
Every idol in the city
lies broken on the ground.”
10Then I said, “My people,
you have suffered terribly,
but I have a message for you
from the Lord All-Powerful,
the God of Israel.”
How Much Longer?
11This is a message about Dumah:
From the country of Seir,#21.11 Dumah … Seir: Dumah was an oasis in the Arabian desert. One ancient translation has “Edom,” which may be what is meant. Seir is a mountainous region of Edom southwest of the Dead Sea.
someone shouts to me,
“Guard, how much longer
before daylight?”
12From my guard post, I answered,
“Morning will soon be here,
but night will return.
If you want to know more,
come back later.”
13This is a message for Arabs who live in the barren desert in the region of Dedan:#21.13 Dedan: A region in northwest Arabia.
You must order your caravans
14to bring water for those
who are thirsty.
You people of Tema#21.14 Tema: A region in north Arabia.
must bring food
for the hungry refugees.
15They are worn out and weary
from being chased by enemies
with swords and arrows.
16The Lord said to me:
A year from now the glory of the people of Kedar#21.16 Kedar: A region in the Arabian desert. will all come to an end, just as a worker's contract ends after a year. 17Only a few of their warriors will be left with bows and arrows. This is a promise that I, the Lord God of Israel, have made.
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