The Fall of Babylon

¹ The oracle of the wilderness of the sea: As storm winds passing over in the Negev, ⌞it comes⌟¹ from the desert, from a frightful land.

1. Literally “to come”

² A hard revelation is told to me; the treacherous deals treacherously, and the destroyer destroys. Go up, Elam; lay siege, Media! I put an end to all of her sighing.

³ Therefore my loins are filled with anguish; pangs have seized me, like the pangs of a woman giving birth. I am ⌞too bent to hear⌟,¹ I am ⌞too dismayed to see⌟.²

1. Literally “bent from hearing,” which could also mean “bent because of what I heard”
2. Literally “dismayed from seeing,” which could also mean “dismayed because of what I saw”

⁴ My ⌞mind⌟¹ staggers; fear terrifies me; the twilight ⌞I desired⌟² ⌞brought⌟³ me fear.

1. Literally “heart”
2. Literally “of my desire”
3. Literally “put”

⁵ Set out the table in order! Spread out the rugs!¹ Eat! drink! Rise up, commanders; smear² the shield!

1. Hebrew “rug”
2. That is, prepare with oil

⁶ For the Lord said this to me: “Go, set a watchman in position. He must announce what he sees.

⁷ When¹ he sees riders,² a pair of horsemen, riders³ of donkeys,⁴ riders⁵ of camels,⁶ ⌞then⌟⁷ he must listen attentively, paying attention, paying ⌞special⌟⁸ attention.”

1. Or “And”
2. Hebrew “rider”
3. Hebrew “rider”
4. Hebrew “donkey”
5. Hebrew “rider”
6. Hebrew “camel”
7. Or “and”
8. Literally “much”

⁸ Then¹ the ⌞watchman⌟² called, “Lord, I am standing on the watchtower continually by day, and I am standing at my post ⌞throughout⌟³ the night.

1. Or “And”
2. Literally “lion”
3. Literally “all of”

⁹ And look at this! A man’s a chariot is coming, a pair of horsemen!” Then¹ he responded and said, “It has fallen! Babylon has fallen! And all the images of her gods are² smashed on the ground!”

1. Or “and”
2. Hebrew “is”

¹⁰ My downtrodden people and the son of my threshing floor, I will announce to you what I have heard from Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel.

Oracle regarding Dumah

¹¹ The oracle of Dumah: One is calling to me from Seir, “Watchman, what ⌞of⌟¹ the night? Watchman, what ⌞of⌟² the night?”

1. Literally “from”
2. Literally “from”

¹² The watchman says, “Morning comes, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire; ⌞come back again⌟.”¹

1. Literally “return come”

Oracle against Arabia

¹³ An oracle ⌞concerning⌟¹ Arabia: You will spend the night in the thicket in a desert-plateau,² caravans of Dedanites.

1. Literally “in”
2. The Hebrew for “in a desert-plateau” is the same as for “concerning Arabia” in the preceding line

¹⁴ ⌞When you happen to meet⌟¹ the thirsty, bring water. Inhabitants of the land of Tema came to meet the fugitive with his bread.

1. Literally “Toward encountering”

¹⁵ For they have fled from the swords, from the drawn sword and the bent bow, and from the heaviness of the battle.

¹⁶ For the Lord said this to me: “⌞In one more year⌟,¹ like the years of a hired worker, all the glory of Kedar will come to an end.

1. Literally “In yet a year”

¹⁷ And the remainder of the number of the bows¹ of the warriors of the sons of Kedar will be few.” For Yahweh, the God of Israel, has spoken.

1. Hebrew “bow”