Isaiah 21:1-17
Watchman, What Remains of the Night
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1This is the burden against the Desert by the Sea: Like whirlwinds sweeping through the Negev, an invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror.
2A dire vision is declared to me: “The traitor still betrays, and the destroyer still destroys. Go up, O Elam! Lay siege, O Media! I will put an end to all her groaning.”
3Therefore my body is filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am bewildered to hear, I am dismayed to see.
4My heart falters; fear makes me tremble. The twilight I desired has turned to horror.
5They prepare a table, they lay out a carpet, they eat, they drink! Rise up, O princes, oil the shields!
6For this 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 horsemen, riders on donkeys, riders on camels, he must be alert, fully alert.”
8Then the lookout shouted: “Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower; night after night I stay at my post.
9Look, here come the riders, horsemen in pairs.” And one answered, saying: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon! All the images of her gods lie shattered on the ground!”
10O my people, crushed on the threshing floor, I tell you what I have heard from the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel.
11This is the burden against Dumah: One calls to me from Seir, “Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?”
12The watchman replies, “Morning has come, but also the night. If you would inquire, then inquire. Come back yet again.”
13This is the burden against Arabia: In the thickets of Arabia you must lodge, O caravans of Dedanites.
14Bring water for the thirsty, O dwellers of Tema; meet the refugees with food.
15For they flee from the sword—the sword that is drawn—from the bow that is bent, and from the stress of battle.
16For this is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a hired worker would count it, all the glory of Kedar will be gone.
17The remaining archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.” For the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Isaiah sees a harsh vision from the wilderness, like whirlwinds sweeping through the Negev. A betrayer betrays, and a destroyer destroys. Elam and Media are summoned to attack. The vision fills Isaiah with anguish; the twilight he had looked forward to becomes a time of horror.
The people prepare a table, spread rugs, and eat and drink, but the command comes to rise and oil the shields. Celebration gives way to alarm. A watchman is appointed to report what he sees, and he announces that Babylon has fallen.
The oracle against Dumah brings a question from Seir: “Watchman, what is left of the night?” The answer is restrained: morning has come, but also the night. The watchman invites another question, yet he does not pretend to know more than he has been given.
The oracle against Arabia calls the people of Tema to bring water and food to refugees. These people are fleeing drawn swords, bent bows, and the pressure of battle; they need help while danger continues. The LORD also sets a definite limit for Kedar: within one year its glory will be gone and few warriors will remain.
Questions
1 What announcement does the watchman make about Babylon?
AnswerHe announces that Babylon has fallen and that her images are shattered.
2 What happens to the feast?
AnswerA prepared feast is interrupted by the command to rise and prepare for danger.
3 What answer is given to the question about the night?
AnswerThe watchman says that morning has come, but also the night, and invites the questioner to return.
4 What happens to Kedar?
AnswerWithin one year, all its glory will be gone and its remaining warriors will be few.
What This Means for Us
The watchman's answer is honest enough to resist false certainty. The answer includes both morning and night, without explaining every event ahead.
When your family asks what happens next, do not fill uncertainty with confident guesses. Say what Scripture makes clear and pray through what remains hidden. Uncertainty need not prevent kindness: like Tema’s people, we can offer food, water, and help to someone in distress now.
Prayer
God of the night and morning, make us faithful watchmen. Keep us truthful when we do not know the whole story, steady when danger comes, and hopeful because your word will stand. Amen.
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