- This message came to me concerning Babylon—the desert by the sea[1]: Disaster is roaring down on you from the desert, like a whirlwind sweeping in from the Negev.
- I see a terrifying vision: I see the betrayer betraying, the destroyer destroying. Go ahead, you Elamites and Medes, attack and lay siege. I will make an end to all the groaning Babylon caused.
- My stomach aches and burns with pain. Sharp pangs of anguish are upon me, like those of a woman in labor. I grow faint when I hear what God is planning; I am too afraid to look.
- My mind reels and my heart races. I longed for evening to come, but now I am terrified of the dark.
- Look! They are preparing a great feast. They are spreading rugs for people to sit on. Everyone is eating and drinking. But quick! Grab your shields and prepare for battle. You are being attacked!
- Meanwhile, the Lord said to me, "Put a watchman on the city wall. Let him shout out what he sees.
- He should look for chariots drawn by pairs of horses, and for riders on donkeys and camels. Let the watchman be fully alert."
- Then the watchman[2] called out, "Day after day I have stood on the watchtower, my lord. Night after night I have remained at my post.
- Now at last—look! Here comes a man in a chariot with a pair of horses!" Then the watchman said, "Babylon is fallen, fallen! All the idols of Babylon lie broken on the ground!"
- O my people, threshed and winnowed, I have told you everything the Lord of Heaven's Armies has said, everything the God of Israel has told me.
- This message came to me concerning Edom[3]: Someone from Edom[4] keeps calling to me, "Watchman, how much longer until morning? When will the night be over?"
- The watchman replies, "Morning is coming, but night will soon return. If you wish to ask again, then come back and ask."
- This message came to me concerning Arabia: O caravans from Dedan, hide in the deserts of Arabia.
- O people of Tema, bring water to these thirsty people, food to these weary refugees.
- They have fled from the sword, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow and the terrors of battle.
- The Lord said to me, "Within a year, counting each day,[5] all the glory of Kedar will come to an end.
- Only a few of its courageous archers will survive. I, the Lord, the God of Israel, have spoken!"
A Message about Babylon
A Message about Edom
A Message about Arabia
- Hebrew 'concerning the desert by the sea.'
- As in Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac version; Masoretic Text reads 'a lion.'
- Hebrew 'Dumah,' which means “silence” or “stillness.” It is a wordplay on the word 'Edom.'
- Hebrew 'Seir,' another name for Edom.
- Hebrew 'Within a year, as a servant bound by contract would count it.' Some ancient manuscripts read 'Within three years,' as in 16:14.