Isaiah 21

A Prophecy Against Babylon

A prophecy^a concerning the Desert^b by the Sea:

Like whirlwinds^c sweeping through the southland,^d

an invader comes from the desert,

from a land of terror.

A dire^e vision has been shown to me:

The traitor betrays,^f the looter takes loot.

Elam,^g attack! Media,^h lay siege!

I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.

At this my body is racked with pain,ⁱ

pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;^j

I am staggered by what I hear,

I am bewildered^k by what I see.

My heart^l falters,

fear makes me tremble;^m

the twilight I longed for

has become a horrorⁿ to me.

They set the tables,

they spread the rugs,

they eat, they drink!^o

Get up, you officers,

oil the shields!^p

This is what the Lord says to me:

“Go, post a lookout^q

and have him report what he sees.

When he sees chariots^r

with teams of horses,

riders on donkeys

or riders on camels,^s

let him be alert,

fully alert.”

And the lookout^t shouted,

“Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower;

every night I stay at my post.

Look, here comes a man in a chariot^u

with a team of horses.

And he gives back the answer:

‘Babylon^v has fallen,^w has fallen!

All the images of its gods^x

lie shattered^y on the ground!’ ”

My people who are crushed on the threshing floor,^z

I tell you what I have heard

from the Lord Almighty,

from the God of Israel.

A Prophecy Against Edom

A prophecy concerning Dumah:^a

Someone calls to me from Seir,^b

“Watchman, what is left of the night?

Watchman, what is left of the night?”

The watchman replies,

“Morning is coming, but also the night.

If you would ask, then ask;

and come back yet again.”

A Prophecy Against Arabia

A prophecy^a concerning Arabia:^b

You caravans of Dedanites,^c

who camp in the thickets of Arabia,

bring water for the thirsty;

you who live in Tema,^d

bring food for the fugitives.

They flee^e from the sword,^f

from the drawn sword,

from the bent bow

and from the heat of battle.

This is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a servant bound by contract^g would count it, all the splendor^h of Kedarⁱ will come to an end. The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.^j” The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.^k