New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Isaiah 21
1
Here is a message the Lord gave me about Babylonia. It is known as the Desert by the Two Rivers. An attack is coming through the desert. It is coming from a land of terror. It's sweeping along like a windstorm blowing across the Negev Desert.
Reference
2
I have seen a vision about something terrible that will happen. People are turning against Babylon. Robbers are taking its goods. Elamites, attack the city! Medes, surround it! The Lord will put an end to all of the suffering Babylon has caused.
Reference
Creation
Psalm 60:3
Parallel theme
Isaiah 33:1
Jeremiah 49:34
Isaiah 24:16
Revelation 13:10
Daniel 5:28
3
The vision fills my body with pain. Pains take hold of me. They are like the pains of a woman having a baby. I am shaken by what I hear. I'm terrified by what I see.
Reference
4
My heart grows weak. Fear makes me tremble. I longed for evening to come. But it brought me horror instead of rest.
5
In my vision the Babylonians set the tables. They spread the rugs out. They eat. They drink. Get up, you officers! Rub your shields with oil!
Reference
6
The Lord said to me, "Go. Put a guard on duty on Jerusalem's walls. Have him report what he sees.
Reference
7
Tell him to watch for chariots that are pulled by teams of horses. Tell him to watch for men riding on donkeys or camels. Make sure he stays awake. Make sure he stays wide awake."
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 21:9
8
"My master!" the guard shouts back. "Day after day I stand here on the lookout tower. Every night I stay here on duty.
9
Look! Here comes a man in a chariot! It's being pulled by a team of horses. He's calling out the news, 'Babylon has fallen! It has fallen! All of the statues of its gods lie broken in pieces on the ground!' "
Reference
References Babylon
Revelation 18:2
Revelation 14:8
Jeremiah 51:8
Jeremiah 51:44
References God
Isaiah 13:19
10
My people, you have been crushed like grain on a threshing floor. But now I'm telling you the good news I've heard. It comes from the Lord who rules over all. He is the God of Israel.
Reference
11
Here is a message the Lord gave me about Edom. Someone is calling out to me from the land of Seir. He says, "Guard, when will the night be over? Guard, how soon will it end?"
Reference
📍 Dumah 2
12
The guard answers, "Morning is coming. But the night will return. If you want to ask again, come back and ask."
13
Here is a message the Lord gave me about Arabia. He told me to give orders to traders from Dedan. They were camping in the bushes of Arabia.
Reference
14
I told them to bring water for those who are thirsty. I also gave orders to those who live in Tema. I told them to bring food for those who are running away.
Reference
15
They are running away from where the fighting is heaviest. That's where the swords are ready to strike. That's where the bows are ready to shoot.
16
The Lord says to me, "In exactly one year, Kedar's grand show of power will come to an end.
Reference
Song of Solomon 1:5
Glory
Isaiah 60:7
Isaiah 16:14
Parallel theme
Psalm 120:5
Ezekiel 27:21
Isaiah 42:11
Genesis 25:13
References Lord
Jeremiah 49:28
Summary of Isaiah 21
Isaiah 21 contains three prophetic messages concerning Babylon, Dumah, and Arabia, all connected by themes of uncertainty, judgment, watchfulness, and the temporary nature of human power.
The first and longest section concerns Babylon.
Isaiah receives a terrifying vision of destruction and describes his own emotional suffering as he watches the events unfold.
The prophecy presents Elam and Media as forces involved in Babylon's downfall, while Babylon itself is pictured preparing a feast and enjoying a moment of confidence immediately before disaster arrives.
The image is deliberately dramatic: people are eating and drinking when suddenly the command comes to prepare for battle.
A watchman is then appointed to observe the approaching events.
His role is to remain alert and report what he sees.
Eventually, he announces the central message:
Babylon has fallen.
The prophecy was ultimately associated with the fall of Babylon to Cyrus the Great in 539 BC.
Isaiah then describes the suffering of God's people under Babylon using the image of grain being threshed.
The second message concerns Dumah and contains the memorable question, “Watchman, what of the night?”
The answer is significant: morning is coming, but night will come again.
This suggests that periods of relief and difficulty can follow one another, and that people should continue seeking God rather than assuming that one temporary improvement means every problem has disappeared.
The final section concerns Arabia, where fleeing travelers need food, water, and shelter.
The people of Tema are instructed to help them, while the warriors of Kedar are warned that their strength will soon be reduced.
The chapter therefore combines a warning about the collapse of powerful empires with a reminder to remain watchful during uncertain times.
Its central message is that human kingdoms can appear secure while destruction is approaching, suffering may last through changing seasons, and military strength cannot guarantee survival; therefore God's people should remain watchful, seek understanding, and show practical compassion toward those suffering from war and displacement.
The first and longest section concerns Babylon.
Isaiah receives a terrifying vision of destruction and describes his own emotional suffering as he watches the events unfold.
The prophecy presents Elam and Media as forces involved in Babylon's downfall, while Babylon itself is pictured preparing a feast and enjoying a moment of confidence immediately before disaster arrives.
The image is deliberately dramatic: people are eating and drinking when suddenly the command comes to prepare for battle.
A watchman is then appointed to observe the approaching events.
His role is to remain alert and report what he sees.
Eventually, he announces the central message:
Babylon has fallen.
The prophecy was ultimately associated with the fall of Babylon to Cyrus the Great in 539 BC.
Isaiah then describes the suffering of God's people under Babylon using the image of grain being threshed.
The second message concerns Dumah and contains the memorable question, “Watchman, what of the night?”
The answer is significant: morning is coming, but night will come again.
This suggests that periods of relief and difficulty can follow one another, and that people should continue seeking God rather than assuming that one temporary improvement means every problem has disappeared.
The final section concerns Arabia, where fleeing travelers need food, water, and shelter.
The people of Tema are instructed to help them, while the warriors of Kedar are warned that their strength will soon be reduced.
The chapter therefore combines a warning about the collapse of powerful empires with a reminder to remain watchful during uncertain times.
Its central message is that human kingdoms can appear secure while destruction is approaching, suffering may last through changing seasons, and military strength cannot guarantee survival; therefore God's people should remain watchful, seek understanding, and show practical compassion toward those suffering from war and displacement.