A Prophecy Against Babylon
1A prophecy against the Desert by the Sea:
Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland,
an invader comes from the desert,
from a land of terror.
2A dire vision has been shown to me:
The traitor betrays, the looter takes loot.
Elam, attack! Media, lay siege!
I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.
3At this my body is racked with pain,
pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;
I am staggered by what I hear,
I am bewildered by what I see.
4My heart falters,
fear makes me tremble;
the twilight I longed for
has become a horror to me.
5They set the tables,
they spread the rugs,
they eat, they drink!
Get up, you officers,
oil the shields!
6This is what the Lord says to me:
“Go, post a lookout
and have him report what he sees.
7When he sees chariots
with teams of horses,
riders on donkeys
or riders on camels,
let him be alert,
fully alert.”
8And the lookout21:8 Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac; Masoretic Text A lion shouted,
“Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower;
every night I stay at my post.
9Look, here comes a man in a chariot
with a team of horses.
And he gives back the answer:
‘Babylon has fallen, has fallen!
All the images of its gods
lie shattered on the ground!’ ”
10My people who are crushed on the threshing floor,
I tell you what I have heard
from the Lord Almighty,
from the God of Israel.
A Prophecy Against Edom
11A prophecy against Dumah21:11 Dumah, a wordplay on Edom, means silence or stillness.:
Someone calls to me from Seir,
“Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night?”
12The watchman replies,
“Morning is coming, but also the night.
If you would ask, then ask;
and come back yet again.”
A Prophecy Against Arabia
13A prophecy against Arabia:
You caravans of Dedanites,
who camp in the thickets of Arabia,
14bring water for the thirsty;
you who live in Tema,
bring food for the fugitives.
15They flee from the sword,
from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow
and from the heat of battle.
16This is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a servant bound by contract would count it, all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. 17The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.” The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.
關於巴比倫的預言
1以下是關於海邊沙漠21·1 「海邊沙漠」指巴比倫。的預言：
敵人從可怕的沙漠之地上來，
好像狂風掃過南部的曠野。
2我看見一個可怖的異象：
「詭詐的在行詭詐，
毀滅的在行毀滅。
以攔人啊，攻打吧！
瑪代人啊，圍城吧！
耶和華必終止巴比倫帶來的痛苦。」
3這使我充滿痛苦，
我陷入劇痛中，
如同分娩的婦人，
我因聽見的話而驚慌，
因看見的景象而害怕。
4我心慌意亂，驚懼不堪，
我期盼的黃昏卻令我恐懼。
5他們擺設宴席，
鋪開地毯又吃又喝。
首領啊，起來擦亮盾牌備戰吧！
6主對我說：
「你去派人守望，
讓他報告所看見的情況。
7他看到戰車、一對對的騎兵、
驢隊和駱駝隊的時候，
要提高警惕，密切察看。」
8守望的人大喊：
「主啊，我終日站在瞭望塔上，
整夜守在自己的崗位上。
9看啊，戰車和一對對的騎兵來了。」
他又接著說：「巴比倫傾倒了！
傾倒了！
它所有的神像都被打碎在地上。」
10於是，我說：「我的百姓啊！
你們像場上被碾、被篩的穀物，
現在我把從以色列的上帝——萬軍之耶和華那裡聽見的都告訴你們了。」
關於以東的預言
11以下是關於度瑪的預言。
有人從西珥大聲問道：
「守望者啊，黑夜還有多長？
守望者啊，黑夜還有多長？」
12守望者回答：
「黎明將到，但黑夜會再來。
你們想問就問吧，可以再回來。」
關於阿拉伯的預言
13以下是關於阿拉伯的預言：
底但的商隊必宿在阿拉伯的樹林中。
14提瑪的居民啊，要送水給這些口渴的人，
拿食物給這些逃難的人。
15他們逃離了刀光箭影和激烈的戰爭。
16主對我說：「按雇工規定的做工年限，一年之內，基達所有的榮耀必消失， 17勇敢的弓箭手必所剩無幾。這是以色列的上帝耶和華說的。」
