6AND HE WILL SAY [ONE WHO] DWELLS THE COAST <THE> THIS IN THE DAY <THE> THAT THERE! [IS] THUS HOPE OUR WHERE WE FLED THERE FOR HELP TO BE DELIVERED FROM BEFORE [THE] KING OF ASSYRIA AND HOW? WILL WE ESCAPE WE 6And on that day the dwellers of this coastland will say, ‘See what has happened to our source of hope, those to whom we fled for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?’”
1[THE] ORACLE OF [THE] WILDERNESS OF [THE] SEA LIKE STORM-WINDS IN THE SOUTH TO SWEEP ON FROM [THE] WILDERNESS [SOMEONE IS] COMING FROM A LAND TO BE FEARED Babylon Is Fallen (Revelation 18:1–8) 1This is the burden against the Desert by the Sea: Like whirlwinds sweeping through the Negev, an invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror.
2A VISION SEVERE IT HAS BEEN TOLD TO ME THE TRAITOR [IS] ACTING TREACHEROUSLY AND THE DESTROYER [IS] DESTROYING GO UP O ELAM LAY SIEGE O MEDIA ALL GROANING ITS I WILL CAUSE TO CEASE 2A dire vision is declared to me: “The traitor still betrays, and the destroyer still destroys. Go up, O Elam! Lay siege, O Media! I will put an end to all her groaning.”
3THERE- -FORE THEY ARE FULL LOINS MY ANGUISH PANGS THEY HAVE SEIZED ME LIKE [THE] PANGS OF [A WOMAN WHO] GIVES BIRTH I AM BENT OVER FROM HEARING I AM TERRIFIED FROM SEEING 3Therefore my body is filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am bewildered to hear, I am dismayed to see.
4IT HAS WANDERED HEART MY SHUDDERING IT HAS OVERWHELMED ME <OBJ.> [THE] TWILIGHT OF DESIRE MY IT HAS MADE FOR ME <INTO> TREMBLING 4My heart falters; fear makes me tremble. The twilight I desired has turned to horror.
5THEY ARE ARRANGING THE TABLE THEY ARE SPREADING OUT THE RUG EATING DRINKING <YOU> ARISE O OFFICIALS SMEAR A SHIELD 5They prepare a table, they lay out a carpet, they eat, they drink! Rise up, O princes, oil the shields!
6FOR THUS HE HAS SAID TO ME [THE] LORD GO STATION THE WATCHMAN [THAT] WHICH HE WILL SEE LET HIM TELL 6For this is what the Lord says to me: “Go, post a lookout and have him report what he sees.
7AND HE WILL SEE A RIDER A PAIR OF HORSES A RIDER OF A DONKEY A RIDER OF A CAMEL AND HE WILL PAY ATTENTION ATTENTIVENESS GREATNESS OF ATTENTIVENESS 7When he sees chariots with teams of horsemen, riders on donkeys, riders on camels, he must be alert, fully alert.”
8AND HE CALLED OUT A LION ON A WATCHTOWER O LORD I [AM] STANDING CONTINUALLY BY DAY AND AT POST MY I [AM] STATIONED ALL THE NIGHTS 8Then the lookout*NoteCloseDSS and Syriac; MT lion shouted: “Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower; night after night I stay at my post.
9AND THERE! THIS [IS] COMING A RIDER A MAN A PAIR OF HORSES AND HE ANSWERED AND HE SAID IT HAS FALLEN IT HAS FALLEN BABYLON AND ALL [THE] IMAGES OF GODS ITS SOMEONE HAS BROKEN TO THE GROUND 9Look, here come the riders, horsemen in pairs.” And one answered, saying: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon!*NoteCloseSee Revelation 14:8 and Revelation 18:2. All the images of her gods lie shattered on the ground!”
10O THRESHED ONE MY AND [THE] SON OF THRESHING FLOOR MY [THAT] WHICH I HAVE HEARD FROM WITH YAHWEH OF HOSTS [THE] GOD OF ISRAEL I HAVE TOLD TO <THE> YOU 10O my people, crushed on the threshing floor, I tell you what I have heard from the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel.
11[THE] ORACLE OF DUMAH TO ME [SOMEONE IS] CALLING FROM SEIR O WATCHMAN WHAT? [IS] FROM [THE] NIGHT O WATCHMAN WHAT? [IS] FROM [THE] NIGHT The Burden against Edom (Isaiah 34:5–17) 11This is the burden against Dumah:*NoteCloseDumah is a wordplay on Edom, meaning silence. One calls to me from Seir,*NoteCloseSeir is another name for Edom. “Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?”
12HE SAYS [THE] WATCHMAN IT WILL COME MORNING AND ALSO NIGHT IF YOU WILL ENQUIRE! ENQUIRE RETURN COME 12The watchman replies, “Morning has come, but also the night. If you would inquire, then inquire. Come back yet again.”
13[THE] ORACLE ON ARABIA IN THE THICKET[S] IN ARABIA YOU WILL LODGE O CARAVANS OF DEDANITES The Burden against Arabia 13This is the burden against Arabia: In the thickets of Arabia you must lodge, O caravans of Dedanites.
14TO MEET [THE] THIRSTY BRING WATER O INHABITANTS OF [THE] LAND OF TEMA WITH BREAD HIS THEY MET FUGITIVE[S] 14Bring water for the thirsty, O dwellers of Tema; meet the refugees with food.
15FOR FROM BEFORE SWORDS THEY HAVE FLED FROM BEFORE A SWORD DRAWN AND FROM BEFORE A BOW BENT AND FROM BEFORE [THE] WEIGHT OF BATTLE 15For they flee from the sword— the sword that is drawn— from the bow that is bent, and from the stress of battle.
16FOR THUS HE HAS SAID [THE] LORD TO ME IN YET A YEAR LIKE [THE] YEARS OF A HIRED LABORER AND IT WILL BE FINISHED ALL [THE] SPLENDOR OF KEDAR 16For this is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a hired worker would count it, all the glory of Kedar will be gone.
17AND [THE] REMNANT OF A NUMBER OF BOWMEN [THE] WARRIORS OF [THE] PEOPLE OF KEDAR THEY WILL BE FEW FOR YAHWEH [THE] GOD OF ISRAEL HE HAS SPOKEN 17The remaining archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.” For the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken.