| Christian Standard Bible | NET Bible |
| 1A pronouncement concerning the desert by the sea: Like storms that pass over the Negev, it comes from the desert, from the land of terror. | 1Here is a message about the Desert by the Sea: Like strong winds blowing in the south, one invades from the desert, from a land that is feared. |
| 2A troubling vision is declared to me: "The treacherous one acts treacherously, and the destroyer destroys. Advance, Elam! Lay siege, you Medes! I will put an end to all the groaning." | 2I have received a distressing message: "The deceiver deceives, the destroyer destroys. Attack, you Elamites! Lay siege, you Medes! I will put an end to all the groaning!" |
| 3Therefore I am filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pain of a woman in labor. I am too perplexed to hear, too dismayed to see. | 3For this reason my stomach churns; cramps overwhelm me like the contractions of a woman in labor. I am disturbed by what I hear, horrified by what I see. |
| 4My heart staggers; horror terrifies me. He has turned my last glimmer of hope into sheer terror. | 4My heart palpitates, I shake in fear; the twilight I desired has brought me terror. |
| 5Prepare a table, and spread out a carpet! Eat and drink! Rise up, you princes, and oil the shields! | 5Arrange the table, lay out the carpet, eat and drink! Get up, you officers, smear oil on the shields! |
| 6For the Lord has said to me, "Go, post a lookout; let him report what he sees. | 6For this is what the sovereign master has told me: "Go, post a guard! He must report what he sees. |
| 7When he sees riders--pairs of horsemen, riders on donkeys, riders on camels--he must pay close attention." | 7When he sees chariots, teams of horses, riders on donkeys, riders on camels, he must be alert, very alert." |
| 8Then the lookout reported, "Lord, I stand on the watchtower all day, and I stay at my post all night. | 8Then the guard cries out: "On the watchtower, O sovereign master, I stand all day long; at my post I am stationed every night. |
| 9Look, riders come--horsemen in pairs." And he answered, saying, "Babylon has fallen, has fallen. All the images of her gods have been shattered on the ground." | 9Look what's coming! A charioteer, a team of horses." When questioned, he replies, "Babylon has fallen, fallen! All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!" |
| 10My people who have been crushed on the threshing floor, I have declared to you what I have heard from the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel. | 10O my downtrodden people, crushed like stalks on the threshing floor, what I have heard from the LORD who commands armies, the God of Israel, I have reported to you. |
| 11A pronouncement concerning Dumah: One calls to me from Seir, "Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?" | 11Here is a message about Dumah: Someone calls to me from Seir, "Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?" |
| 12The watchman said, "Morning has come, and also night. If you want to ask, ask! Come back again." | 12The watchman replies, "Morning is coming, but then night. If you want to ask, ask; come back again." |
| 13A pronouncement concerning Arabia: In the desert brush you will camp for the night, you caravans of Dedanites. | 13Here is a message about Arabia: In the thicket of Arabia you spend the night, you Dedanite caravans. |
| 14Bring water for the thirsty. The inhabitants of the land of Tema meet the refugees with food. | 14Bring out some water for the thirsty. You who live in the land of Tema, bring some food for the fugitives. |
| 15For they have fled from swords, from the drawn sword, from the bow that is strung, and from the stress of battle. | 15For they flee from the swords--from the drawn sword and from the battle-ready bow and from the severity of the battle. |
| 16For the Lord said this to me: "Within one year, as a hired worker counts years, all the glory of Kedar will be gone. | 16For this is what the sovereign master has told me: "Within exactly one year all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. |
| 17The remaining Kedarite archers will be few in number." For the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken. | 17Just a handful of archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be left." Indeed, the LORD God of Israel has spoken. |
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