Isaiah 21

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¹The word about the waste land. As storm-winds in the South go rushing through, it comes from the waste land, from the land greatly to be feared.

²A vision of fear comes before my eyes; the worker of deceit goes on in his false way, and the waster goes on making waste. Up! Elam; to the attack! Media; I have put an end to her sorrow.

³For this cause I am full of bitter grief; pains like the pains of a woman in childbirth have come on me: I am bent down with sorrow at what comes to my ears; I am shocked by what I see.

⁴My mind is wandering, fear has overcome me: the evening of my desire has been turned into shaking for me.

⁵They make ready the table, they put down the covers, they take food and drink. Up! you captains; put oil on your breastplates.

⁶For so has the Lord said to me, Go, let a watchman be placed; let him give word of what he sees:

⁷And when he sees war-carriages, horsemen by twos, war-carriages with asses, war-carriages with camels, let him give special attention.

⁸And the watchman gave a loud cry, O my lord, I am on the watchtower all day, and am placed in my watch every night:

⁹See, here come war-carriages with men, horsemen by twos: and in answer he said, Babylon is made low, is made low, and all her images are broken on the earth.

¹⁰O my crushed ones, the grain of my floor! I have given you the word which came to me from the Lord of armies, the God of Israel.

¹¹The word about Edom. A voice comes to me from Seir, Watchman, how far gone is the night? how far gone is the night?

¹²The watchman says, The morning has come, but night is still to come: if you have questions to put, put them, and come back again.

¹³The word about Arabia. In the thick woods of Arabia will be your night's resting-place, O travelling bands of Dedanites!

¹⁴Give water to him who is in need of water; give bread, O men of the land of Tema, to those in flight.

¹⁵For they are in flight from the sharp sword, and the bent bow, and from the trouble of war.

¹⁶For so has the Lord said to me, In a year, by the years of a servant working for payment, all the glory of Kedar will come to an end:

¹⁷And the rest of the bowmen, the men of war of the children of Kedar, will be small in number: for the Lord, the God of Israel, has said it.