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Isaiah 21:1-10
Lexham English Bible

The Fall of Babylon

21 The oracle of the wilderness of the sea:

As storm winds passing over in the Negev,

it comes[a] from the desert,
    from a frightful land.

2 A hard revelation is told to me;

the treacherous deals treacherously,
    and the destroyer destroys.
Go up, Elam;
    lay siege, Media!

I put an end to all of her sighing.

3 Therefore my loins are filled with anguish;
    pangs have seized me, like the pangs of a woman giving birth.
I am too bent to hear,[b]
    I am too dismayed to see.[c]
4 My mind[d] staggers; fear terrifies me;
    the twilight I desired[e] brought[f] me fear.
5 Set out the table in order!
    Spread out the rugs![g]
    Eat! drink!
Rise up, commanders;
    smear[h] the shield!

6 For the Lord said this to me:

“Go, set a watchman in position.
    He must announce what he sees.
7 When[i] he sees riders,[j]
    a pair of horsemen,
riders[k] of donkeys,[l]
    riders[m] of camels,[n]
then[o] he must listen attentively,
    paying attention, paying special[p] attention.”

8 Then[q] the watchman[r] called,

“Lord, I am standing on the watchtower continually by day,
    and I am standing at my post throughout[s] the night.
9 And look at this! A man’s a chariot is coming,
    a pair of horsemen!”

Then[t] he responded and said,

“It has fallen! Babylon has fallen!
    And all the images of her gods are[u] smashed on the ground!”
10 My downtrodden people
    and the son of my threshing floor,

I will announce to you what I have heard from Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 21:1 Literally “to come”
  2. Isaiah 21:3 Literally “bent from hearing,” which could also mean “bent because of what I heard”
  3. Isaiah 21:3 Literally “dismayed from seeing,” which could also mean “dismayed because of what I saw”
  4. Isaiah 21:4 Literally “heart”
  5. Isaiah 21:4 Literally “of my desire”
  6. Isaiah 21:4 Literally “put”
  7. Isaiah 21:5 Hebrew “rug”
  8. Isaiah 21:5 That is, prepare with oil
  9. Isaiah 21:7 Or “And”
  10. Isaiah 21:7 Hebrew “rider”
  11. Isaiah 21:7 Hebrew “rider”
  12. Isaiah 21:7 Hebrew “donkey”
  13. Isaiah 21:7 Hebrew “rider”
  14. Isaiah 21:7 Hebrew “camel”
  15. Isaiah 21:7 Or “and”
  16. Isaiah 21:7 Literally “much”
  17. Isaiah 21:8 Or “And”
  18. Isaiah 21:8 Literally “lion”
  19. Isaiah 21:8 Literally “all of”
  20. Isaiah 21:9 Or “and”
  21. Isaiah 21:9 Hebrew “is”
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Isaiah 21:1-10
American Standard Version

21 The [a]burden of the wilderness of the sea.

As whirlwinds in the South sweep through, it cometh from the wilderness, from a terrible land. 2 A [b]grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous man dealeth treacherously, and the destroyer destroyeth. Go up, O Elam; besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof [c]have I made to cease. 3 Therefore are my loins filled with anguish; pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman in travail: I am [d]pained so that I cannot hear; I am dismayed so that I cannot see. 4 My heart [e]fluttereth, horror hath affrighted me; the twilight that I desired hath been turned into trembling unto me. 5 They prepare the table, they [f]set the watch, they eat, they drink: rise up, ye princes, anoint the shield. 6 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman; let him declare what he seeth: 7 [g]and when he seeth [h]a troop, [i]horsemen in pairs, [j]a troop of asses, [k]a troop of camels, he shall hearken diligently with much heed. 8 And he cried as a lion: O Lord, I stand continually upon the watch-tower in the day-time, and am set in my ward [l]whole nights; 9 and, behold, here [m]cometh a troop of men, [n]horsemen in pairs. And he answered and said, Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the graven images of her gods are broken unto the ground.

10 O thou my threshing, and the [o]grain of my floor! that which I have heard from Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 21:1 Or, oracle concerning
  2. Isaiah 21:2 Or, hard
  3. Isaiah 21:2 Or, will I make
  4. Isaiah 21:3 Hebrew bent.
  5. Isaiah 21:4 Hebrew wandereth.
  6. Isaiah 21:5 Or, spread the carpets
  7. Isaiah 21:7 Or, and he saw . . . and he hearkened
  8. Isaiah 21:7 Or, a chariot. Or, chariots
  9. Isaiah 21:7 Or, a pair of horsemen
  10. Isaiah 21:7 Or, a chariot. Or, chariots
  11. Isaiah 21:7 Or, a chariot. Or, chariots
  12. Isaiah 21:8 Or, every night
  13. Isaiah 21:9 Or, come chariots of men
  14. Isaiah 21:9 Or, a pair of horsemen
  15. Isaiah 21:10 Hebrew son.
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