以赛亚书 21
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
关于巴比伦的预言
21 以下是关于海边沙漠[a]的预言：
敌人从可怕的沙漠之地上来，
好像狂风扫过南部的旷野。
2 我看见一个令人胆战心惊的异象：
“诡诈的在行诡诈，
毁灭的在行毁灭。
以拦人啊，攻打吧！
玛代人啊，围城吧！
耶和华必终止巴比伦带来的痛苦。”
3 这使我充满痛苦，
我陷入剧痛中，
如同分娩的妇人，
我因听见的话而惊慌，
因看见的景象而害怕。
4 我心慌意乱，惊惧不堪，
我期盼的黄昏却令我恐惧。
5 他们摆设宴席，
坐在地毯上又吃又喝。
突然有人大喊：
“官长啊，起来擦亮盾牌，备战吧！”
6 耶和华对我说：
“你去派人守望，
让他报告所看见的情况。
7 他看到战车、一对对的骑兵、
驴队和骆驼队的时候，
要提高警惕，密切察看。”
8 守望的人大喊：
“我主啊，我在瞭望塔上日夜观看。
9 看啊，战车和一对对的骑兵来了。”
他又接着说：“巴比伦倾倒了！
倾倒了！
她所有的神像都被打碎在地上。”
10 于是，我说：“我的百姓啊！
你们像场上被碾、被筛的谷物，
现在我把从以色列的上帝——万军之耶和华那里听见的都告诉你们了。”
关于以东的预言
11 以下是关于以东的预言。
有人从西珥大声问我：
“守夜的啊，黑夜还有多长？
守夜的啊，黑夜还有多长？”
12 我回答：
“黎明将到，但黑夜会再来。
如果你们还想问，再来问吧。”
关于阿拉伯的预言
13 以下是关于阿拉伯的预言：
成群结队的底但客旅必躲在阿拉伯的荒野过夜。
14 提玛的居民啊，要送水给这些口渴的人，
拿食物给这些逃难的人。
15 他们从敌人的刀光箭影中逃生。
16 耶和华对我说：“如同雇工合约规定的做工年限，一年之内，基达所有的荣耀必消失， 17 勇敢的弓箭手必所剩无几。这是以色列的上帝耶和华说的。”
Footnotes
- 21:1 “海边沙漠”指巴比伦。
以赛亚书 21
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
關於巴比倫的預言
21 關於海旁曠野的默示：
有敵人從曠野，從可怕之地而來，
好像南地的暴風猛烈掃過一般。
2 我被指示去看一個慘酷的異象：
那行詭詐的仍然行詭詐，那行破壞的仍然行破壞。
以攔哪，上去吧！瑪代啊，圍攻吧！
我要使一切歎息止住。
3 因此，我滿腰疼痛，
痛苦抓住我，好像產婦的痛苦一樣；
我絞痛彎腰至聽不見，我驚惶至看不到。
4 我的心迷糊，驚恐威嚇著我；
我所愛慕的黃昏，竟使我戰兢。
5 他們擺設筵席，鋪張地氈，又吃又喝。
領袖們，起來吧！用油抹淨盾牌。
6 因為主這樣對我說：
“你去設立守望的，叫他把所看見的報告出來。
7 他一看見騎兵一對一對而來，
又有驢隊和駱駝隊，
他就要留意，非常留意。”
8 後來，守望者（按照《馬索拉文本》，“守望者”作“獅子”；現參照《死海古卷》和敍利亞文古譯本翻譯）喊叫著說：
“主啊！我每日不斷站在守望樓上，
每夜立在我守望的崗位中。
9 看哪！有一隊騎兵來了，馬兵一對一對而來。”
又有人答話說：“傾倒了，巴比倫傾倒了！
它所有雕刻的神像都被打碎在地上了。”
10 我那被打的禾稼啊！我禾場上的穀啊！
我從萬軍之耶和華，以色列的 神那裡聽見的，
都告訴你們了。
關於以東的預言
11 關於以東（“以東”原文作“度瑪”，意即寂靜，在這裡暗示以東的困境的）默示：
有人從西珥呼叫我說：
“守望的啊！黑夜還有多長？
守望的啊！黑夜還有多長？”
12 守望的說：
“早晨到了，黑夜也會再來；
你們若要問，就儘管問；
也可以回頭再來問。”
關於阿拉伯的預言
13 關於阿拉伯的默示：
底但的商隊啊！
你們必在阿拉伯的森林中住宿。
14 提瑪地的居民哪！
要拿水來給那些口渴的，
拿餅來接待那些逃難的。
15 因為他們逃避了刀劍、
已出鞘的刀劍和上了弦的弓，
以及嚴重的戰禍。
16 主對我這樣說：“按照雇工的年數，一年之內，基達的一切光榮都必化為烏有。 17 弓箭手剩餘的人數，就是基達人的勇士，必定很少；這是耶和華以色列的 神說的。”
Isaiah 21
New English Translation
The Lord Will Judge Babylon
21 This is an oracle[a] about the wilderness by the Sea:[b]
Like strong winds blowing in the south,[c]
one invades from the wilderness,
from a land that is feared.
2 I have received a distressing message:[d]
“The deceiver deceives,
the destroyer destroys.
Attack, you Elamites!
Lay siege, you Medes!
I will put an end to all the groaning.”[e]
3 For this reason my stomach churns;[f]
cramps overwhelm me
like the contractions of a woman in labor.
I am disturbed[g] by what I hear,
horrified by what I see.
4 My heart palpitates,[h]
I shake in fear;[i]
the twilight I desired
has brought me terror.
5 Arrange the table,
lay out[j] the carpet,
eat and drink![k]
Get up, you officers,
smear oil on the shields![l]
6 For this is what the Lord[m] has told me:
“Go, post a guard!
He must report what he sees.
7 When he sees chariots,
teams of horses,[n]
riders on donkeys,
riders on camels,
he must be alert,
very alert.”
8 Then the guard[o] cries out:
“On the watchtower, O Lord,[p]
I stand all day long;
at my post
I am stationed every night.
9 Look what’s coming!
A charioteer,
a team of horses.”[q]
When questioned, he replies,[r]
“Babylon has fallen, fallen!
All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!”
10 O my downtrodden people, crushed like stalks on the threshing floor,[s]
what I have heard
from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
the God of Israel,
I have reported to you.
Bad News for Seir
11 This is an oracle about Dumah:[t]
Someone calls to me from Seir,[u]
“Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night?”[v]
12 The watchman replies,
“Morning is coming, but then night.[w]
If you want to ask, ask;
come back again.”[x]
The Lord Will Judge Arabia
13 This is an oracle about Arabia:
In the thicket of Arabia you spend the night,
you Dedanite caravans.
14 Bring out some water for the thirsty.
You who live in the land of Tema,
bring some food for the fugitives.
15 For they flee from the swords—
from the drawn sword,
and from the battle-ready bow,
and from the severity of the battle.
16 For this is what the Lord[y] has told me: “Within exactly one year[z] all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. 17 Just a handful of archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be left.”[aa] Indeed,[ab] the Lord God of Israel has spoken.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 21:1 tn See note at Isa 13:1.
- Isaiah 21:1 sn The phrase is quite cryptic, at least to the modern reader. Verse 9 seems to indicate that this message pertains to Babylon. Southern Mesopotamia was known as the Sealand in ancient times, because of its proximity to the Persian Gulf. Perhaps the reference to Babylon as a “wilderness” foreshadows the destruction that would overtake the city, making it like an uninhabited wilderness.
- Isaiah 21:1 tn Or “in the Negev” (NASB).
- Isaiah 21:2 tn Heb “a severe revelation has been related to me.”
- Isaiah 21:2 sn This is often interpreted to mean “all the groaning” that Babylon has caused others.
- Isaiah 21:3 tn Heb “my waist is filled with shaking [or “anguish”].”
- Isaiah 21:3 tn Or perhaps, “bent over [in pain]”; cf. NRSV “I am bowed down.”
- Isaiah 21:4 tn Heb “wanders”; perhaps here, “is confused.”
- Isaiah 21:4 tn Heb “shuddering terrifies me.”
- Isaiah 21:5 tn The precise meaning of the verb in this line is debated. Some prefer to derive the form from the homonymic צָפֹה (tsafoh, “keep watch”) and translate “post a guard” (cf. KJV “watch in the watchtower”; ASV “set the watch”).
- Isaiah 21:5 tn The verbal forms in the first three lines are infinitives absolute, which are functioning here as finite verbs. It is uncertain if the forms should have an imperatival or indicative/descriptive force here.
- Isaiah 21:5 sn Smearing the shields with oil would make them more flexible and effective in battle. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:394.
- Isaiah 21:6 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 8, 16 is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
- Isaiah 21:7 tn Or “a pair of horsemen.”
- Isaiah 21:8 tn The Hebrew text has, “the lion,” but this makes little sense here. אַרְיֵה (ʾaryeh, “lion”) probably needs to be emended to an original הָרֹאֶה (haroʾeh, “the one who sees”), i.e., the guard mentioned previously in v. 6. The Dead Sea Scrolls (1Q Isaa) and the Syriac support an original הָרֹאֶה (haroʾeh, “the one who sees”).
- Isaiah 21:8 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay). Some translations take this to refer to the Lord (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV), while others take it to refer to the guard’s human master (“my lord”; cf. NIV, NLT).
- Isaiah 21:9 tn Or “[with] teams of horses,” or perhaps, “with a pair of horsemen.”
- Isaiah 21:9 tn Heb “and he answered and said” (so KJV, ASV).
- Isaiah 21:10 tn Heb “My trampled one, and the son of the threshing floor.”
- Isaiah 21:11 tn The noun דּוּמָה (dumah) means “silence,” but here it is a proper name, probably referring to a site in northern Arabia or to the nation of Edom. See BDB 189 s.v. II דּוּמָה. If Dumah was an area in northern Arabia, it would be of interest to the Edomites because of its strategic position on trade routes which they used. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:398.
- Isaiah 21:11 sn Seir is another name for Edom. See BDB 973 s.v. שֵׂעִיר.
- Isaiah 21:11 sn The “night” probably here symbolizes distress and difficult times. See BDB 539 s.v. לַיְלָה.
- Isaiah 21:12 sn Dumah will experience some relief, but it will be short-lived as night returns.
- Isaiah 21:12 sn The point of the watchman’s final instructions (“if you want to ask, ask; come again”) is unclear. Perhaps they are included to add realism to the dramatic portrayal. The watchman sends the questioner away with the words, “Feel free to come back and ask again.”
- Isaiah 21:16 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
- Isaiah 21:16 tn Heb “in still a year, like the years of a hired worker.” See the note at 16:14.
- Isaiah 21:17 tn Heb “and the remnant of the number of the bow, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, will be few.”
- Isaiah 21:17 tn Or “for” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
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