Isa 21:1-6 | ESV | STEP | The oracle concerning the wilderness of the sea . As whirlwinds in the Negeb sweep on , it comes from the wilderness , from a terrible land .

Isaiah 21:1-6

Fallen, Fallen Is Babylon

1 The ^aoracle concerning the wilderness of ^bthe sea.

^cAs whirlwinds in the Negeb sweep on,
it comes from the wilderness,
from a terrible land.
2 A stern vision is told to me;
^dthe traitor betrays,
and the destroyer destroys.
Go up, O ^eElam;
lay siege, O ^fMedia;
all the ^gsighing she has caused
I bring to an end.
3 Therefore my loins are filled with anguish;
^hpangs have seized me,
like the pangs of a woman in labor;
I am bowed down so that I cannot hear;
I am dismayed so that I cannot see.
4 My heart staggers; horror has appalled me;
ⁱthe twilight I longed for
has been turned for me into trembling.
5 ^jThey prepare the table,
they spread the rugs, ^{▼▼Or they set the watchman}
they eat, they drink.
Arise, O princes;
^loil the shield!
6 For thus the Lord said to me:
“Go, set a watchman;
let him announce what he sees.