Isaiah 21

Watchman, What of the Night?

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The Vision of the Wilderness

21:1The vision of the wilderness. As a squall might pass through a wilderness, coming from a wilderness, from a land—a fearsome

21:2and harsh vision was announced to me. The faithless deals faithlessly, and the lawless acts lawlessly. The Elamites are against me, and Persian envoys come against me. Now I will groan and comfort myself.

21:3Therefore my loins filled with weakness, and labor pains seized me like a woman giving birth. I did wrong by not hearing; I strove not to see.

21:4My heart wanders, and lawlessness submerges me; my soul has come to stand in fear.

Prepare the Table; Rise, Rulers

21:5Prepare the table; drink, eat! Rise, rulers; prepare shields!

21:6For thus the Lord said to me: “Go, station a watcher for yourself, and report whatever you see.

21:7I saw mounted riders, two horsemen, a donkey rider and a camel rider. Listen with great attention,

21:8and call Uriah to the Lord’s watchtower.” He said, “I stood continually by day, and at the camp I stood all night,

21:9and look, he himself comes, a rider of a two-horse team.” He answered and said, “Babylon has fallen, and all her statues and handmade objects were shattered to the ground.”

21:10Hear, you who remain and suffer; hear what I heard from the Lord Sabaoth. Israel’s God announced it to us.

The Vision of Idumea

21:11The vision of Idumea. One calls to me from Seir: “Guard the battlements.”

21:12“I watch morning and night. If you seek, seek, and dwell beside me;

You Will Sleep in the Wood at Evening

21:13in the wood you will sleep at evening, on Daidan’s road.”

21:14Bring water to meet the thirsty, you dwelling in Thaiman’s country; meet the fugitives with loaves,

21:15because of the multitude of those fleeing, the multitude of those wandering, the multitude of the sword, the multitude of ready arrows, and the multitude of those fallen in war.

21:16For thus the Lord said to me: “Yet one year, like a hired worker’s year, and the glory of Kedar’s sons will fail,

21:17and the remaining arrows of Kedar’s strong sons will be few, because the Lord, Israel’s God, has spoken.”

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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V1 · working draft awaiting specialist review.