Isa 21 | NASB2020 | STEP | The pronouncement concerning the wilderness of the sea : As windstorms in the Negev come in turns , It comes from the wilderness , from a terrifying land .

Isaiah 21

God Commands That Babylon Be Taken

1 The ^apronouncement concerning the ^{▼▼Or sandy wastes, sea country
,} ^cwilderness of the sea:

As ^dwindstorms in the ^{▼▼I.e., South country}Negev come in turns,
It comes from the wilderness, from a terrifying land.
2 A ^fharsh vision has been shown to me;
The ^gtreacherous one still deals treacherously, and the destroyer still destroys.
Go up, ^hElam, lay siege, Media;
I have put an end to all ^{▼▼Lit her groaning}the groaning she has caused.
3 For this reason my ^jloins are full of anguish;
Pains have seized me like the pains of a ^kwoman 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 ⁿturned into trembling for me.
5 They ^oset 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 this is what the Lord says to me:

“Go, station the lookout, have him ^qreport what he sees.
7 “When he sees ^{▼▼Or riders}a ^scolumn of chariots, horsemen in pairs,
A train of donkeys, a train of camels,
He is to pay close attention, very close attention.”
8 Then ^{▼▼As in DSS; MT he called like a lion}the lookout called,

“ ^uLord, 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, “ ^vFallen, fallen is Babylon;
And all the ^wimages of her gods ^{▼▼Lit he has shattered to the earth}are shattered on the ground.”
10 My ^ydowntrodden people, and my ^{▼▼Lit son}afflicted of the threshing floor!
What I have heard from the Lord of armies,
The God of Israel, I make known to you.

Pronouncements about Edom and Arabia

11 The pronouncement concerning ^{▼▼As in LXX; MT Dumah, silence
,} ^abEdom:

One keeps calling to me from ^acSeir,
“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 pronouncement about ^afArabia:

In the thickets of Arabia you ^{▼▼Or will spend}must spend the night,
You caravans of ^ahDedanites.
14 Bring water ^{▼▼Lit to meet}for the thirsty,
You inhabitants of the land of ^ajTema;
Meet the fugitive with bread.
15 For they have ^akfled from the swords,
From the drawn sword, and from the bent bow,
And from the press of battle.
16 For this is what the Lord said to me: “In a ^alyear, as ^{▼▼Lit the years of a hired}a hired worker would count it, all the splendor of ^anKedar will come to an end; 17 and the ^aoremainder of the number of bowmen, the warriors of the sons of Kedar, will be few; for the Lord God of Israel ^aphas spoken.”