Isaiah 21

Modern

Literal

Babylon Is Fallen

¹This is the burden against the Desert by the Sea:

Like whirlwinds sweeping through the Negev,

an invader comes from the desert,

from a land of terror.

¹The burden of the wilderness the Sea: Like whirlwinds in the Negev passing through, it comes from the wilderness, from a fearsome land.

²A dire vision is declared to me:

“The traitor still betrays,

and the destroyer still destroys.

Go up, O Elam! Lay siege, O Media!

I will put an end to all her groaning.”

²A harsh vision is declared to me: “The treacherous one deals treacherously, and the destroyer destroys. Go up, O Elam! Besiege, O Media! All her sighing I have made cease.”

³Therefore my body is filled with anguish.

Pain grips me, like the pains of a woman in labor.

I am bewildered to hear,

I am dismayed to see.

³Upon thus my loins are filled with pain; pangs have taken hold of me like the pangs of one giving birth. I am writhing from hearing; I am disturbed from seeing.

⁴My heart falters;

fear makes me tremble.

The twilight I desired

has turned to horror.

⁴My heart staggers, a shuddering terrifies me; the twilight of my desire has been set for me into fear,

⁵They prepare a table, they lay out a carpet,

they eat, they drink!

Rise up, O princes, oil the shields!

⁵to arrange the table and lay out the spread, to eat, to drink. Rise up, O princes, and anoint the shield!

⁶For this is what the Lord says to me:

“Go, post a lookout

and have him report what he sees.

⁶For thus the Lord has said to me: “Go, station the one keeping watch and let him declare what he sees.

⁷When he sees chariots with teams of horsemen,

riders on donkeys, riders on camels,

he must be alert, fully alert.”

⁷And he sees a chariot with a pair of horses, the rider of a donkey, and the rider of a camel, and he will be attentive, with great attention.”

⁸Then the lookout^a shouted:

“Day after day, my lord,

I stand on the watchtower;

night after night

I stay at my post.

⁸And the lookout called out: “Upon the watchtower, my Lord, I stand continually by day, and at my post I take my stand every night.

⁹Look, here come the riders,

horsemen in pairs.”

And one answered, saying:

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon!^a

All the images of her gods

lie shattered on the ground!”

⁹And behold this, the chariot of a man is coming, with a pair of horses.” And he answered and said, “Fallen, Babylon has fallen! And all the images of her gods He has broken to the ground!”

¹⁰O my people, crushed on the threshing floor,

I tell you what I have heard

from the LORD of Hosts,

the God of Israel.

¹⁰O my threshing, and the son of my threshing floor, that which I have heard from YHWH of Hosts, the God of Israel, I have declared to you!

The Burden against Edom

¹¹This is the burden against Dumah:^a

One calls to me from Seir,^b

“Watchman, what is left of the night?

Watchman, what is left of the night?”

¹¹The burden of Dumah: To me one is calling from Seir: “Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?”

¹²The watchman replies,

“Morning has come, but also the night.

If you would inquire, then inquire.

Come back yet again.”

¹²The watchman said, “The morning comes, and also the night. If you would inquire, then inquire; return, come.”

The Burden against Arabia

¹³This is the burden against Arabia:

In the thickets of Arabia you must lodge,

O caravans of Dedanites.

¹³The burden upon Arabia: In the thicket you lodge in Arabia, O caravans of Dedanites,

¹⁴Bring water for the thirsty,

O dwellers of Tema;

meet the refugees with food.

¹⁴to meet the thirsty one. Bring water, O dwellers of the land of Tema, with his bread meet the one fleeing.

¹⁵For they flee from the sword—

the sword that is drawn—

from the bow that is bent,

and from the stress of battle.

¹⁵For they do flee from the face of swords, from the sword drawn, and from the bow bent, and from the weight of war.

¹⁶For this is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a hired worker would count it, all the glory of Kedar will be gone.

¹⁶For thus says the Lord to me: “Within a year, according to the years of a hireling, then will end all the glory of Kedar.

¹⁷The remaining archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.”

For the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken.

¹⁷And the remnant of the number of archers, the mighty ones of the sons of Kedar, will be few.” For YHWH, the God of Israel, has spoken.