Isaiah 21:1-10

Evangelical Heritage Version

Like windstorms that sweep through the Negev,
it comes from the wilderness,
from a terrifying place.
² An ominous vision has been shown to me.
The betrayer betrays; the destroyer destroys.
Elam, attack! Media, lay siege!^[a]
I will bring all her groaning to an end.

³ That is why I am full of anguish.
Pain has taken hold of me,
    like the pain of a woman in labor.
I am stunned by what I hear,
terrified by what I see.
⁴ My heart pounds!
I am shaking with fear.
The twilight that I longed for is making me quake with terror.
⁵ They prepare the table.
They spread out the luxurious carpets.
They eat. They drink.
“Officers! Get up and oil your shields!”
⁶ Yes, this is what the Lord said to me:
    Go, post a watchman.
    Have him declare what he sees.
⁷     When he sees chariots pulled by teams of horses,
    riders on donkeys, and riders on camels,
    have him listen carefully—very carefully.
⁸ The lookout^[b] cried out:
    Lord,^[c] I stand on the watchtower day after day,
    and every night I stay at my post.
⁹     Now, look! Here come men in chariots pulled by teams of horses.
Then he announced:
    Fallen, fallen is Babylon!
    All the images of her gods lie broken on the ground.