Isaiah 21

1 This is the burden [message from God, prophecy] against the Desert [wilderness, desolate land] by the Sea [large body of water, west]: Like whirlwinds [storms, hurricanes] sweeping through the Negev [south country, southern district], an invader [army, enemy] comes from the desert [wilderness, open field], from a land [territory, region] of terror [fear, awe]. word study 2 A dire [grievous, severe] vision [a striking appearance or revelation] is declared [told, revealed openly] to me: “The traitor [transgressor, one who acts unfaithfully] still betrays [deals treacherously, acts deceitfully], and the destroyer [one who ruins, devastates] still destroys [ruins, devastates]. Go up [ascend, rise], O Elam [a region, a son of Shem]! Lay siege [besiege, confine], O Media [a people, a land northwest of Persia]! I will put an end [cause to cease, stop] to all [everything, the entirety] her groaning [sighing, sound of sadness or pain].” word study 3 Therefore my body [loins, waist area] is filled with anguish [intense pain, sorrow]. Pain [pangs, sharp distress] grips me, like the pains [sorrows, travail] of a woman in labor [childbirth, giving birth]. I am bewildered [confused, dismayed] to hear [listen, attend to], I am dismayed [alarmed, troubled] to see [look, behold]. word study 4 My heart [mind, innermost being] falters [goes astray, wanders]; fear [fearfulness, terror] makes me tremble [shudder, quake]. The twilight [dawn or dusk, time of breeze] of my desire [longing, delight] has turned [been set] to horror [fear, anxiety]. word study 5 They prepare [set in order, arrange] a table [for a meal or sacred purpose], they lay out [overlay, cover] a carpet [rug, mat], they eat [devour, consume], they drink [feast, indulge]! Rise up [stand, arise], O princes [rulers, captains], oil [anoint, rub with oil] the shields [protective armor, defense]! word study 6 For [thus, in this manner] this is what the Lord [Adonay, the reverenced God] says to me: “Go [to walk, move forward], post [set, station] a lookout [watchman, one who observes] and have him report [declare, tell openly] what he sees [perceives, observes]. word study 7 When he sees [a troop, horsemen in pairs] chariots [vehicles, teams of horses, or cavalry] with teams of horsemen [cavalry soldiers, riders on horses], riders on donkeys [asses, male donkeys], riders on camels [valuable animals, used for riding or carrying loads], he must be [fully, diligently] alert [watchful, attentive, listening carefully with much heed], fully alert.” word study 8 Then the lookout [watchman, one who observes] shouted: “Day after day [continually, daily], my lord [Adonay, Lord and Master], I stand [remain, abide] on the watchtower [a place of observation]; night after night [whole nights, every night] I stay [am stationed, remain] at my post [charge, a place of responsibility]. word study 9 Look [behold, see], here come the riders, horsemen [cavalry soldiers, men on horseback] in pairs [a team of two, a couple].” And one answered, saying: “Fallen [utterly defeated, completely overthrown], fallen is Babylon [the city of confusion]! All [everything, the entirety] the images [idols, carved representations] of her gods [false deities, idols] lie shattered [broken, smashed] on the ground [the earth, the land]!” word study 10 O my people [my threshing, my crushed ones], crushed [trampled, downtrodden] on the threshing floor [the place of separation and refinement], I tell [declare, make known] you what I have heard [received, listened to] from the LORD [Yehovah, the God of Israel] of Hosts [the army of heaven, the God of angels], the God [Elohim, the supreme ruler] of Israel [the descendants of Jacob, the chosen people]. word study 11 This is the burden [message from God, prophecy] against Dumah [a region in Arabia, associated with Edom]: One calls [cries out, summons] to me from Seir [a mountain in Idumaea], “Watchman [guardian, protector], what is left [remaining, passing] of the night [time of darkness, period of rest]? Watchman, what is left [remaining, passing] of the night?” word study 12 The watchman [guardian, sentinel] replies, “Morning [break of day, new beginnings] has come, but also [in addition, too] the night [time of darkness, adversity]. If you would inquire [seek, ask questions], then inquire [search, investigate]. Come back [return, turn back] yet again [once more, another time].” word study 13 This is the burden [message from God, prophecy] against Arabia [the country east of Palestine]: In the thickets [forest, copse of bushes] of Arabia you must lodge [spend the night, tarie], O caravans [travelling companies, groups of travelers] of Dedanites [descendants of Dedan, people of a low-lying area]. word study 14 Bring water [refreshment, a source of life] for the thirsty [those who are parched, in need of spiritual nourishment], O dwellers [inhabitants, residents] of Tema [a desert region, a place of refuge]; meet [go before, provide for] the refugees [fugitives, those fleeing from danger] with food [bread, sustenance]. word study 15 For they flee [from the face of destruction] from the sword [a cutting instrument]— the sword that is drawn [stretched out, unsheathed]— from the bow [a weapon for battle] that is bent [trod, or stepped upon, to string it], and from the stress [heaviness, weight] of battle [war, conflict]. word study 16 For this is what the Lord [Adonay, the divine Master] says to me: “Within one year [a period of twelve months, according to the years of a hireling], as a hired worker [a servant working for payment, a laborer] would count it, all [everything, the entirety] the glory [great honor, splendor, or majesty] of Kedar [a son of Ishmael, a tribe of people] will be gone [come to an end, fail, or disappear]. word study 17 The remaining [surviving, residual] archers, the warriors [mighty men, champions] of Kedar [the son of Ishmael, a desert tribe], will be few [diminished, reduced in number].” For the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], the God [Elohim, the supreme deity] of Israel [the descendants of Jacob, the chosen people], has spoken [communicated, declared]. word study