Isaiah 21

21ST CHAPTER

Babylon Has Fallen

¹This is the divine revelation about the desert by the sea. 

Like a storm sweeping through the Negev, 

an invader will come from the desert, 

from a terrifying land. 

²I was shown a harsh vision. 

The traitor betrays. 

The destroyer destroys. 

Go to war, Elam! 

Surround them, Media! 

I will put an end to all the groaning. 

³That is why my body is full of trembling. 

Pain grips me like the pain of childbirth. 

I’m disturbed by what I hear. 

I’m terrified by what I see. 

⁴I’m confused. 

I’m shaking with terror. 

The twilight hours I longed for make me tremble. 

⁵Set the table. 

Spread the rugs ⸤by the table⸥. 

Eat. Drink. 

Get up, you leaders! 

Prepare your shields for battle! 

⁶This is what the Lord says to me: 

Post a watchman. 

Have him report whatever he sees. 

⁷He will see chariots, pairs of horsemen, 

riders on donkeys, and riders on camels. 

Let him watch carefully, very carefully. 

⁸The watchman^acalled, 

“Sir, I stand on the watchtower every day. 

Every night, I stand guard at my post. 

⁹Look! Here come chariots and horsemen in pairs.” 

Then he said, 

“Babylon has fallen! It has fallen! 

All the idols they worship lie shattered on the ground.” 

¹⁰You, my people, have been threshed and winnowed.^b

I make known to you what I heard from the Lord of Armies, 

the God of Israel. 

Someone Calling from Seir

¹¹This is the divine revelation about Dumah.^c

Someone is calling to me from Seir, 

“Watchman, how much of the night is left? 

Watchman, how much of the night is left?” 

¹²The watchman answers, 

“Morning is coming, and night will come again. 

If you need to ask, come back and ask.” 

Arabia Will Be Punished

¹³This is the divine revelation about Arabia. 

You caravan of travelers from the people of Dedan 

will spend the night in the forest of Arabia. 

¹⁴Bring water for the thirsty, 

you inhabitants of the land of Tema. 

Bring food to the fugitives. 

¹⁵They flee from swords, 

from swords ready to kill, 

from bows ready to shoot, 

and from the thick of battle. 

¹⁶This is what the Lord says to me: All of Kedar’s honor will be gone in another year. I will count it like workers count the years left on their contracts.¹⁷The remaining number of archers, Kedar’s mighty archers, will be few. The Lord God of Israel has spoken.