Isaiah 21:1--22:14

The Lord Will Judge Babylon

21:1 Here is a message about the Desert by the Sea:

Like strong winds blowing in the south,

one invades from the desert,

from a land that is feared.

21:2 I have received a distressing message:

“The deceiver deceives,

the destroyer destroys.

Attack, you Elamites!

Lay siege, you Medes!

I will put an end to all the groaning!”

21:3 For this reason my stomach churns;

cramps overwhelm me

like the contractions of a woman in labor.

I am disturbed by what I hear,

horrified by what I see.

21:4 My heart palpitates,

I shake in fear;

the twilight I desired

has brought me terror.

21:5 Arrange the table,

lay out the carpet,

eat and drink!

Get up, you officers,

smear oil on the shields!

21:6 For this is what the sovereign master has told me:

“Go, post a guard!

He must report what he sees.

21:7 When he sees chariots,

teams of horses,

riders on donkeys,

riders on camels,

he must be alert,

very alert.”

21:8 Then the guard cries out:

“On the watchtower, O sovereign master,

I stand all day long;

at my post

I am stationed every night.

21:9 Look what’s coming!

A charioteer,

a team of horses.”

When questioned, he replies,

“Babylon has fallen, fallen!

All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!”

21:10 O my downtrodden people, crushed like stalks on the threshing floor,

what I have heard

from the Lord who commands armies,

the God of Israel,

I have reported to you.

Bad News for Seir

21:11 Here is a message about Dumah:

Someone calls to me from Seir,

“Watchman, what is left of the night?

Watchman, what is left of the night?”

21:12 The watchman replies,

“Morning is coming, but then night.

If you want to ask, ask;

come back again.”

The Lord Will Judge Arabia

21:13 Here is a message about Arabia:

In the thicket of Arabia you spend the night,

you Dedanite caravans.

21:14 Bring out some water for the thirsty.

You who live in the land of Tema,

bring some food for the fugitives.

21:15 For they flee from the swords –

from the drawn sword

and from the battle-ready bow

and from the severity of the battle.

21:16 For this is what the sovereign master has told me: “Within exactly one year all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. 21:17 Just a handful of archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be left.” Indeed, the Lord God of Israel has spoken.

The Lord Will Judge Jerusalem

22:1 Here is a message about the Valley of Vision:

What is the reason

that all of you go up to the rooftops?

22:2 The noisy city is full of raucous sounds;

the town is filled with revelry.

Your slain were not cut down by the sword;

they did not die in battle.

22:3 All your leaders ran away together –

they fled to a distant place;

all your refugees were captured together –

they were captured without a single arrow being shot.

22:4 So I say:

“Don’t look at me!

I am weeping bitterly.

Don’t try to console me

concerning the destruction of my defenseless people.”

22:5 For the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies,

has planned a day of panic, defeat, and confusion.

In the Valley of Vision people shout

and cry out to the hill.

22:6 The Elamites picked up the quiver,

and came with chariots and horsemen;

the men of Kir prepared the shield.

22:7 Your very best valleys were full of chariots;

horsemen confidently took their positions at the gate.

22:8 They removed the defenses of Judah.

At that time you looked

for the weapons in the House of the Forest.

22:9 You saw the many breaks

in the walls of the city of David;

you stored up water in the lower pool.

22:10 You counted the houses in Jerusalem,

and demolished houses so you could have material to reinforce the wall.

22:11 You made a reservoir between the two walls

for the water of the old pool –

but you did not trust in the one who made it;

you did not depend on the one who formed it long ago!

22:12 At that time the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, called for weeping and mourning,

for shaved heads and sackcloth.

22:13 But look, there is outright celebration!

You say, “Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep,

eat meat and drink wine.

Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

22:14 The Lord who commands armies told me this: “Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,” says the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies.