21 This is a message about the desert near the sea.
Trouble is coming from the desert, like a strong wind that blows from the south. It comes from a land of great fear.
2 The Lord showed me a vision of terrible things.
‘People are deceiving one another!
People are destroying one another!
Elam, go to attack Babylon!
People from Media, attack all round the city!
I will stop all the tears that Babylon's armies have caused.’
3 Because of that vision, I am very upset. Bad pains attack me, like the pains of a woman who is giving birth. My body hurts because of the things that I have heard. I am afraid to look! 4 It confuses my mind. I shake with fear. I wanted a quiet evening, but instead there is terror.
5 Look! They are preparing a feast. They put down carpets for people to sit on. They are eating and they are drinking. Officers, stand up! Make your shields ready for battle!
6 This is what the Lord God has said to me:
‘Go! Put someone on the city wall to watch.
Tell him to report what he sees.
7 If he sees chariots that two horses are pulling,
or riders on donkeys,
or riders on camels,
he must watch very carefully.’
8 Then the guard shouted, ‘Lord God, I am standing every day on the tower where I watch. I stand at my place every night. 9 And look! Something is coming! It is a chariot that two horses are pulling!’ The rider reports, ‘An enemy has completely destroyed Babylon! All the idols of its people's gods lie in pieces on the ground!’
10 Yes, my people, Babylon's army has hurt you very much. But now I have reported to you the message from the Lord Almighty, Israel's God.
11 This is a message about Dumah.
Someone is shouting to me from Seir. [ a ] They are asking, ‘Guard, how soon will the night finish? Please tell me.’
12 The guard replies, ‘The morning will come soon. But the night will quickly follow. If you want to ask again, then come back. Come and ask!’
13 This is a message about Arabia.
Traders from Dedan, you put up your tents in Arabia's wilderness. 14 You must bring some water for the thirsty people to drink. You people who live in Tema, bring food to give to the hungry people who are running away from danger. [ b ] 15 They are running away from the weapons of war. They are running from the swords, bows and arrows of a dangerous battle.
16 This is what the Lord God has said to me: ‘In one year's time, all Kedar's glory will have gone. Count every day, as if you are working to receive money. 17 Only a few of Kedar's brave soldiers will remain, with their bows and arrows.’
That is what the Lord , Israel's God, has said.
21 This is a message [ a ] about the “desert by the sea” [ b ] :
It is coming like a storm blowing through the Negev.
It is coming in from the desert, from a frightening nation.
2 I was given a vision of the hard times to come.
I see traitors turning against you.
I see people taking your wealth.
Elam, go against them!
Media, surround the city!
I will put an end to all their moaning.
3 I saw those terrible things, and now I am afraid.
My fear makes my stomach hurt like the pain of giving birth.
What I hear frightens me.
What I see makes me shake with fear.
4 I am worried and shaking with fear.
My pleasant evening has become a nightmare.
5 People are rushing around shouting their orders:
“Set the table!
Post the guard!
Get something to eat and drink!
Officers, get up!
Polish your shields!”
6 The Lord said to me, “Go find someone to guard this city. He must report whatever he sees. 7 Whether he sees a chariot and a team of horses or men riding donkeys or camels, he must listen carefully.” [ c ]
8 Then one day the watchman [ d ] called out,
“My master, every day I have been in the watchtower [ e ] watching.
Every night I have been standing on duty.
9 Look! I see a man in a chariot
with a team of horses. [ f ] ”
The messenger said,
“Babylon has been defeated!
It has fallen to the ground!
All the statues of her false gods
were thrown to the ground and broken to pieces.”
10 My people, you will be like the grain crushed on my threshing floor. I have told you everything I heard from the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel.
11 This is a message about Dumah [ g ] :
There is someone calling to me from Seir, [ h ]
“Guard, how much of the night is left?
How much longer will it be night?”
12 The guard answered,
“Morning is coming, but then night will come again.
If you have something else to ask,
then come back [ i ] later and ask.”
13 This is a message about Arabia:
A caravan from Dedan spent the night
near some trees in the Arabian Desert.
14 They gave water to some thirsty travelers.
The people of Tema gave them food.
15 They were running from swords
that were ready to kill.
They were running from bows
that were ready to shoot.
They were running from a hard battle.
16 The Lord told me this would happen. He said, “In one year, the way a hired helper counts time, all Kedar’s glory will be gone. 17 Only a few of the archers, the great soldiers of Kedar, will be left alive.” The Lord , the God of Israel, told me this.
21 The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.
2 A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease.
3 Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it.
4 My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me.
5 Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield.
6 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.
7 And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed:
8 And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights:
9 And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.
10 O my threshing, and the corn of my floor: that which I have heard of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.
11 The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?
12 The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come.
13 The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim.
14 The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled.
15 For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.
16 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail:
17 And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the Lord God of Israel hath spoken it.
21 The ( A ) pronouncement concerning the [ a ] ( B ) wilderness of the sea:
As ( C ) windstorms in the [ b ] Negev come in turns,
It comes from the wilderness, from a terrifying land.
2 A ( D ) harsh vision has been shown to me;
The ( E ) treacherous one still deals treacherously, and the destroyer still destroys.
Go up, ( F ) Elam, lay siege, Media;
I have put an end to all [ c ] the groaning she has caused.
3 For this reason my ( G ) loins are full of anguish;
Pains have seized me like the pains of a ( H ) woman in labor.
I am so bewildered I cannot hear, so terrified I cannot see.
4 My [ d ] mind reels, [ e ] horror overwhelms me;
The twilight I longed for has been ( I ) turned into trembling for me.
5 They ( J ) set the table, they [ f ] 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 ( K ) report what he sees.
7 When he sees [ g ] a ( L ) column of chariots, horsemen in pairs,
A train of donkeys, a train of camels,
He is to pay close attention, very close attention.”
8 Then [ h ] the lookout called,
“ ( M ) 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, “ ( N ) Fallen, fallen is Babylon;
And all the ( O ) images of her gods [ i ] are shattered on the ground.”
10 My ( P ) downtrodden people , and my [ j ] afflicted of the threshing floor!
What I have heard from the Lord of armies,
The God of Israel, I make known to you.
11 The pronouncement concerning [ k ] ( Q ) Edom:
One keeps calling to me from ( R ) Seir,
“Watchman, [ l ] how far gone is the night?
Watchman, [ m ] 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 ( S ) Arabia:
In the thickets of Arabia you [ n ] must spend the night,
You caravans of ( T ) Dedanites.
14 Bring water [ o ] for the thirsty,
You inhabitants of the land of ( U ) Tema;
Meet the fugitive with bread.
15 For they have ( V ) fled 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 ( W ) year, as [ p ] a hired worker would count it, all the splendor of ( X ) Kedar will come to an end; 17 and the ( Y ) remainder of the number of bowmen, the warriors of the sons of Kedar, will be few; for the Lord God of Israel ( Z ) has spoken.”
21 A prophecy ( A ) against 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.
2 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.
3 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.
4 My heart ( L ) falters,
fear makes me tremble; ( M )
the twilight I longed for
has become a horror ( N ) to me.
5 They set the tables,
they spread the rugs,
they eat, they drink! ( O )
Get up, you officers,
oil the shields! ( P )
6 This is what the Lord says to me:
“Go, post a lookout ( Q )
and have him report what he sees.
7 When he sees chariots ( R )
with teams of horses,
riders on donkeys
or riders on camels, ( S )
let him be alert,
fully alert.”
8 And the lookout [ a ] ( T ) shouted,
“Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower;
every night I stay at my post.
9 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!’”
10 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.
11 A prophecy against Dumah [ b ] : ( AA )
Someone calls to me from Seir, ( AB )
“Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night?”
12 The watchman replies,
“Morning is coming, but also the night.
If you would ask, then ask;
and come back yet again.”
13 A prophecy ( AC ) against Arabia: ( AD )
You caravans of Dedanites, ( AE )
who camp in the thickets of Arabia,
14 bring water for the thirsty;
you who live in Tema, ( AF )
bring food for the fugitives.
15 They flee ( AG ) from the sword, ( AH )
from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow
and from the heat of battle.
16 This is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a servant bound by contract ( AI ) would count it, all the splendor ( AJ ) of Kedar ( AK ) will come to an end. 17 The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few. ( AL ) ” The Lord , the God of Israel, has spoken. ( AM )
