Isaiah 21

The Oracle concerning the Desert of the Sea

1The burden of the desert of the sea.

As whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.

2A grievous vision is declared unto me; The treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Me´di-a: all the sighing thereof have I made to cease.

3Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it ; I was dismayed at the seeing of it .

4My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me.

5Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield.

6For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.

7And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed:

8and he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights:

9and, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.[#Rev 14.8; 18.2.]

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

The Oracle concerning Dumah

11The burden of Dumah.

He calleth to me out of Se´ir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?

12The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ye: return, come.

The Oracle concerning Arabia

13The burden upon Arabia.

In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye traveling companies of De´danim.

14The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled.[#21.14 or Unto him that is thirsty bring ye water; ye inhabitants of the land of Tema, meet the fugitives with their bread.]

15For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.

16For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of a hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail:

17and the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the Lord God of Israel hath spoken it .

King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.
Published by: American Bible Society