Isaiah 21

¹ The 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 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 anguish; pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman in travail: I am pained so that I cannot hear; I am dismayed so that I cannot see.

⁴ My heart panteth, horror hath affrighted me: the twilight that I desired hath been turned into trembling unto me.

⁵ They prepare the table, they 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 and when he seeth a troop, horsemen in pairs, a troop of asses, 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 watchtower in the day-time, and am set in my ward whole nights:

⁹ and, behold, here cometh a troop of men, horsemen in pairs. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods are broken unto the ground.

¹⁰ O thou my threshing, and the corn of my floor: that which I have heard from the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.

¹¹ The burden of Dumah. One calleth unto 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 inquire, inquire ye: turn ye, come.

¹³ The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanites.

¹⁴ Unto him that was thirsty they brought water; the inhabitants of the land of Tema did meet the fugitives with their bread.

¹⁵ For they fled away 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 the archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be few: for the LORD, the God of Israel, hath spoken it.