Isa 21 | NASB1995 | STEP | The oracle concerning the wilderness of the sea . As windstorms in the Negev sweep on, It comes from the wilderness , from a terrifying land .

Isaiah 21

God Commands That Babylon Be Taken

1 The ^{▼▼ Or burden of
,} ^boracle concerning the ^{▼▼ Or sandy wastes, sea country
,} ^dwilderness of the sea. As ^ewindstorms in the ^{▼▼ I.e. South country}Negev sweep on,
It comes from the wilderness, from a terrifying land.
2 A ^gharsh vision has been shown to me;
The ^htreacherous one still deals treacherously, and the destroyer still destroys.
Go up, ⁱElam, lay siege, Media;
I have made an end of all ^{▼▼ Lit her groaning}the groaning she has caused.
3 For this reason my ^kloins are full of anguish;
Pains have seized me like the pains of a ^lwoman in labor.
I am so bewildered I cannot hear, so terrified I cannot see.
4 My ^{▼▼ Lit heart has wandered}mind reels, ^{▼▼ Lit shuddering}horror overwhelms me;
The twilight I longed for has been ^oturned for me into trembling.
5 They ^pset the table, they ^{▼▼ Or spread out the rugs or possibly they arranged the seating}spread out the cloth, they eat, they drink;
“Rise up, captains, oil the shields,”

6 For thus the Lord says to me, “Go, station the lookout, let him ^rreport what he sees.
7 “When he sees ^sriders, horsemen in pairs,
A train of donkeys, a train of camels,
Let him pay close attention, very close attention.”

8 Then ^{▼▼ So DSS; M.T. he called like a lion}the lookout called, ^u“O Lord, I stand continually by day on the watchtower,
And I am stationed every night at my guard post.
9 “Now behold, here comes a troop of riders, horsemen in pairs.”
And one said, ^v“Fallen, fallen is Babylon;
And all the ^wimages of her gods ^{▼▼ Lit he has shattered to the earth}are shattered on the ground.”
10 O my ^ythreshed people, and my ^{▼▼ Lit son}afflicted of the threshing floor!
What I have heard from the Lord of hosts,
The God of Israel, I make known to you.

Oracles about Edom and Arabia

11 The ^{▼▼ Or burden}oracle concerning ^{▼▼ So the Gr; Heb Dumah, silence
,} ^acEdom. One keeps calling to me from ^adSeir,
“Watchman, ^{▼▼ Lit what is the time of the night?}how far gone is the night?
Watchman, ^{▼▼ Lit what is the time of the night?}how far gone is the night?”
12 The watchman says,
“Morning comes but also night.
If you would inquire, inquire;
Come back again.”

13 The ^{▼▼ Or burden}oracle about ^ahArabia. In the thickets of Arabia you ^{▼▼ Or will spend}must spend the night,
O caravans of ^ajDedanites.
14 Bring water ^{▼▼ Lit to meet}for the thirsty,
O inhabitants of the land of ^alTema,
Meet the fugitive with bread.
15 For they have ^amfled from the swords,
From the drawn sword, and from the bent bow
And from the press of battle.

16 For thus the Lord said to me, “In a ^anyear, as ^{▼▼ Lit the years of a hireling}a hired man would count it, all the splendor of ^apKedar will terminate; 17 and the ^aqremainder of the number of bowmen, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, will be few; for the Lord God of Israel ^arhas spoken.”