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Isaiah 21

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1 τὸ ὅραμα τῆς ἐρήμου ὡς καταιγὶς δ{I'} ἐρήμου διέλθοι ἐξ ἐρήμου ἐρχομένη ἐκ γῆς φοβερὸν 2 τὸ ὅραμα καὶ σκληρὸν ἀνηγγέλη μοι ὁ ἀθετῶν ἀθετεῖ ὁ ἀνομῶν ἀνομεῖ ἐ{P'} ἐμοὶ οἱ Αιλαμῖται καὶ οἱ πρέσβεις τῶν Περσῶν ἐ{P'} ἐμὲ ἔρχονται νῦν στενάξω καὶ παρακαλέσω ἐμαυτόν 3 διὰ τοῦτο ἐνεπλήσθη ἡ ὀσφύς μου ἐκλύσεως καὶ ὠδῖνες ἔλαβόν με ὡς τὴν τίκτουσαν ἠδίκησα τὸ μὴ ἀκοῦσαι ἐσπούδασα τὸ μὴ βλέπειν 4 ἡ καρδία μου πλανᾶται καὶ ἡ ἀνομία με βαπτίζει ἡ ψυχή μου ἐφέστηκεν εἰς φόβον

1 What burden for the desert by the sea?[1] From the desert it comes, from a land full of terrors, like the storm-wind rising from the south. 2 Here be stern threats revealed to me: the treacherous one still treacherous, the plunderer still at his plundering! Elam, to the attack! Lay siege to him, Medians! From yonder desert there shall be groaning no more! 3 What wonder if pain gripped the loins of me, sudden as woman’s pangs in travail? What wonder if sight and sound of it daunt and daze me, 4 if heart fails and I grope in darkness, bewildered over her ruin, the Babylon[2] I love?

1 Onus deserti maris.

Sicut turbines ab africo veniunt,
de deserto venit,
de terra horribili. 2
Visio dura nuntiata est mihi:
qui incredulus est infideliter agit;
et qui depopulator est vastat.
Ascende, Ælam; obside, Mede;
omnem gemitum ejus cessare feci. 3
Propterea repleti sunt lumbi mei dolore;
angustia possedit me
sicut angustia parturientis;
corrui cum audirem, conturbatus sum cum viderem. 4
Emarcuit cor meum;
tenebræ stupefecerunt me:
Babylon dilecta mea
posita est mihi in miraculum.

5 ἑτοίμασον τὴν τράπεζαν πίετε φάγετε ἀναστάντες οἱ ἄρχοντες ἑτοιμάσατε θυρεούς

5 What, the banquet spread? From yonder post of vantage look down on them, where they sit at their meat and drink! Now, captains, to arms!

5
Pone mensam, contemplare in specula
comedentes et bibentes:
surgite, principes,
arripite clypeum.

6 ὅτι οὕτως εἶπεν κύριος πρός με βαδίσας σεαυτῷ στῆσον σκοπὸν καὶ ὃ ἂν ἴδῃς ἀνάγγειλον 7 καὶ εἶδον ἀναβάτας ἱππεῖς δύο ἀναβάτην ὄνου καὶ ἀναβάτην καμήλου ἀκρόασαι ἀκρόασιν πολλὴν 8 καὶ κάλεσον Ουριαν εἰς τὴν σκοπιὰν κυρίου καὶ εἶπεν ἔστην διὰ παντὸς ἡμέρας καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς παρεμβολῆς ἔστην ὅλην τὴν νύκτα 9 καὶ ἰδοὺ αὐτὸς ἔρχεται ἀναβάτης συνωρίδος καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν πέπτωκεν Βαβυλών καὶ πάντα τὰ ἀγάλματα αὐτῆς καὶ τὰ χειροποίητα αὐτῆς συνετρίβησαν εἰς τὴν γῆν 10 ἀκούσατε οἱ καταλελειμμένοι καὶ οἱ ὀδυνώμενοι ἀκούσατε ἃ ἤκουσα παρὰ κυρίου σαβαωθ ὁ θεὸς τοῦ Ισραηλ ἀνήγγειλεν ἡμῖν

6 Yes, the Lord’s word has came to me, Go and bid the watchman stand at his post, to give tidings of all he sees. 7 A chariot he saw, with two out-riders, one that rode on an ass, and one that rode on a camel; looked long at them, watching them eagerly. 8 Then he cried, Lonely as lion am I, that have charge of the Lord’s watch-tower; day after day I have stood here, night after night I keep my post. 9 Nearer now, the chariot and its two outriders; Tidings! cries charioteer. Babylon has fallen, has fallen; images of the gods she worshipped have come crashing to the ground.[3] 10 My countrymen, winnowed with me in the same threshing-floor of trial, from the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, such tidings I bring.

6
Hæc enim dixit mihi Dominus:
Vade, et pone speculatorem,
et quodcumque viderit annuntiet. 7
Et vidit currum duorum equitum,
ascensorem asini,
et ascensorem cameli;
et contemplatus est diligenter multo intuitu. 8
Et clamavit leo:
Super speculam Domini ego sum,
stans jugiter per diem;
et super custodiam meam ego sum,
stans totis noctibus. 9
Ecce iste venit ascensor
vir bigæ equitum;
et respondit, et dixit:
Cecidit, cecidit Babylon,
et omnia sculptilia deorum ejus
contrita sunt in terram. 10
Tritura mea et filii areæ meæ,
quæ audivi a Domino exercituum,
Deo Israël,
annuntiavi vobis.

11 τὸ ὅραμα τῆς Ιδουμαίας πρὸς ἐμὲ καλεῖ παρὰ τοῦ Σηιρ φυλάσσετε ἐπάλξεις 12 φυλάσσω τὸ πρωὶ καὶ τὴν νύκτα ἐὰν ζητῇς ζήτει καὶ πα{R'} ἐμοὶ οἴκει

11 What burden for Duma?[4] A cry comes to me from Seir, How goes the night, watchman? How goes the night? 12 Morning is on its way, says he, but with morning, the night. Come back again and enquire, if enquire you must.

11 Onus Duma.

Ad me clamat ex Seir:
Custos, quid de nocte?
custos, quid de nocte? 12
Dixit custos:
Venit mane et nox;
si quæritis, quærite;
convertimini, venite.

13 ἐν τῷ δρυμῷ ἑσπέρας κοιμηθήσῃ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ Δαιδαν 14 εἰς συνάντησιν διψῶντι ὕδωρ φέρετε οἱ ἐνοικοῦντες ἐν χώρᾳ Θαιμαν ἄρτοις συναντᾶτε τοῖς φεύγουσιν 15 διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν φευγόντων καὶ διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν πλανωμένων καὶ διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῆς μαχαίρας καὶ διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν τοξευμάτων τῶν διατεταμένων καὶ διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν πεπτωκότων ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ 16 ὅτι οὕτως εἶπέν μοι κύριος ἔτι ἐνιαυτὸς ὡς ἐνιαυτὸς μισθωτοῦ ἐκλείψει ἡ δόξα τῶν υἱῶν Κηδαρ 17 καὶ τὸ κατάλοιπον τῶν τοξευμάτων τῶν ἰσχυρῶν υἱῶν Κηδαρ ἔσται ὀλίγον διότι κύριος ἐλάλησεν ὁ θεὸς Ισραηλ

13 What burden for the Arabs?[5] By evening, sleep in the woods you must, you that travel to Dedanim. 14 Dwellers in the south, bring out water to meet the thirsty, bread to meet fleeing men. 15 They have fled to escape the sword, the drawn sword, to escape the bow already bent against them, the stress of battle. 16 In a year’s time, the Lord says, by the time a labourer’s contract is out, Cedar shall be robbed of all its glory;[6] 17 of all the brave archers that were Cedar’s sons, only a dwindling remnant shall be left; the Lord, the God of Israel has decreed it.

13 Onus in Arabia.

In saltu ad vesperam dormietis,
in semitis Dedanim. 14
Occurrentes sitienti ferte aquam,
qui habitatis terram austri;
cum panibus occurrite fugienti. 15
A facie enim gladiorum fugerunt,
a facie gladii imminentis,
a facie arcus extenti,
a facie gravis prælii. 16
Quoniam hæc dicit Dominus ad me:
Adhuc in uno anno, quasi in anno mercenarii,
et auferetur omnis gloria Cedar. 17
Et reliquiæ numeri sagittariorum fortium
de filiis Cedar imminuentur;
Dominus enim Deus Israël locutus est.

[1] The desert by the sea is evidently Babylon. Some think this prophecy refers to the defeat of Merodach-Baladan, who was friendly to Juda (see ch. 39 below), which would explain the prophet’s sympathy. Others connect it with the defeat of Baltassar (Dan. 5), supposing verse 5 here to be an allusion to Baltassar’s feast; in that case, the prophet must be speaking in an assumed character, or perhaps in irony.

[2] ‘Babylon’; the Hebrew text has ‘twilight’.

[3] It is not clear how much of this verse, if any, is spoken by the watchman.

[4] Duma, which is the Hebrew word for silence, is here used to represent Idumaea, or Edom; some think, by a play upon words.

[5] The Hebrew forms ‘in Arabia’ and ‘at evening’ differ from one another only minutely. The Hebrew text reads ‘in Arabia’ twice over; some modern scholars, on the contrary, give this prophecy the heading ‘A burden (or, oracle) at evening’.

[6] Cf. 16.14 above; the reference is perhaps to the time of year at which labourers were paid off.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd