Isaiah 21
21
The Fall of Babylon
1The oracle of the wilderness of the sea:
As storm winds passing over in the Negev,
it comes#Literally “to come” from the desert,
from a frightful land.
2A hard revelation is told to me;
the treacherous deals treacherously,
and the destroyer destroys.
Go up, Elam;
lay siege, Media!
I put an end to all of her sighing.
3Therefore my loins are filled with anguish;
pangs have seized me, like the pangs of a woman giving birth.
I am too bent to hear,#Literally “bent from hearing,” which could also mean “bent because of what I heard”
I am too dismayed to see.#Literally “dismayed from seeing,” which could also mean “dismayed because of what I saw”
4My mind#Literally “heart” staggers; fear terrifies me;
the twilight I desired#Literally “of my desire” brought#Literally “put” me fear.
5Set out the table in order!
Spread out the rugs!#Hebrew “rug”
Eat! drink!
Rise up, commanders;
smear#That is, prepare with oil the shield!
6For the Lord said this to me:
“Go, set a watchman in position.
He must announce what he sees.
7When#Or “And” he sees riders,#Hebrew “rider”
a pair of horsemen,
riders#Hebrew “rider” of donkeys,#Hebrew “donkey”
riders#Hebrew “rider” of camels,#Hebrew “camel”
then#Or “and” he must listen attentively,
paying attention, paying special#Literally “much” attention.”
8Then#Or “And” the watchman#Literally “lion” called,
“Lord, I am standing on the watchtower continually by day,
and I am standing at my post throughout#Literally “all of” the night.
9And look at this! A man’s a chariot is coming,
a pair of horsemen!”
Then#Or “and” he responded and said,
“It has fallen! Babylon has fallen!
And all the images of her gods are#Hebrew “is” smashed on the ground!”
10My downtrodden people
and the son of my threshing floor,
I will announce to you what I have heard from Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel.
Oracle regarding Dumah
11The oracle of Dumah:
One is calling to me from Seir,
“Watchman, what of#Literally “from” the night?
Watchman, what of#Literally “from” the night?”
12The watchman says,
“Morning comes,
and also the night.
If you will inquire, inquire;
come back again.”#Literally “return come”
Oracle against Arabia
13An oracle concerning#Literally “in” Arabia:
You will spend the night in the thicket in a desert-plateau,#The Hebrew for “in a desert-plateau” is the same as for “concerning Arabia” in the preceding line
caravans of Dedanites.
14When you happen to meet#Literally “Toward encountering” the thirsty, bring water.
Inhabitants of the land of Tema came to meet the fugitive with his bread.
15For they have fled from the swords,
from the drawn sword and the bent bow,
and from the heaviness of the battle.
16For the Lord said this to me:
“In one more year,#Literally “In yet a year” like the years of a hired worker,
all the glory of Kedar will come to an end.
17And the remainder of the number of the bows#Hebrew “bow” of the warriors of the sons of Kedar will be few.”
For Yahweh, 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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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.