מַשָּׂ֖א מִדְבַּר־יָ֑ם כְּסוּפ֤וֹת בַּנֶּ֙גֶב֙ לַחֲלֹ֔ף מִמִּדְבָּ֣ר בָּ֔א מֵאֶ֖רֶץ נוֹרָאָֽה׃ The “Desert of the Sea” Pronouncement.aThe “Desert of the Sea” Pronouncement Emendation yields “The ‘From the Desert’ Pronouncement,” agreeing with the phrase farther on in the verse.
Like the gales
That race through the Negeb,
It comes from the desert,
The terrible land.
חָז֥וּת קָשָׁ֖ה הֻגַּד־לִ֑י הַבּוֹגֵ֤ד ׀ בּוֹגֵד֙ וְהַשּׁוֹדֵ֣ד ׀ שׁוֹדֵ֔ד עֲלִ֤י עֵילָם֙ צוּרִ֣י מָדַ֔י כׇּל־אַנְחָתָ֖הֿ הִשְׁבַּֽתִּי׃ A harsh prophecy
Has been announced to me:
“The betrayer is betraying,
The ravager ravaging.bbetraying, / The ravager ravaging Emendation yields “betrayed … ravaged”; cf. 33.1.
Advance, Elam!
Lay siege, Media!
I have put an end
To all her sighing.”cI have put an end / To all her sighing Emendation yields “Put an end to all her merrymaking!”
עַל־כֵּ֗ן מָלְא֤וּ מׇתְנַי֙ חַלְחָלָ֔ה צִירִ֣ים אֲחָז֔וּנִי כְּצִירֵ֖י יוֹלֵדָ֑ה נַעֲוֵ֣יתִי מִשְּׁמֹ֔עַ נִבְהַ֖לְתִּי מֵרְאֽוֹת׃ Therefore my loins
Are seized with trembling;
I am gripped by pangs
Like a woman in travail,
Too anguished to hear,
Too frightened to see.
תָּעָ֣ה לְבָבִ֔י פַּלָּצ֖וּת בִּֽעֲתָ֑תְנִי אֵ֚ת נֶ֣שֶׁף חִשְׁקִ֔י שָׂ֥ם לִ֖י לַחֲרָדָֽה׃ My mind is confused,
I shudder in panic.
My night of pleasure
He has turned to terror:
עָרֹ֧ךְ הַשֻּׁלְחָ֛ן צָפֹ֥ה הַצָּפִ֖ית אָכ֣וֹל שָׁתֹ֑ה ק֥וּמוּ הַשָּׂרִ֖ים מִשְׁח֥וּ מָגֵֽן׃ {ס} “Set the table!”
To “Let the watchman watch!”
“Eat and drink!”
To “Up, officers! GreasedGrease Emendation yields “Grasp.” the shields!”
כִּ֣י כֹ֥ה אָמַ֛ר אֵלַ֖י אֲדֹנָ֑י לֵ֚ךְ הַעֲמֵ֣ד הַֽמְצַפֶּ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִרְאֶ֖ה יַגִּֽיד׃ For thus my Sovereign said to me:
“Go, set up a sentry;
Let him announce what he sees.
וְרָ֣אָה רֶ֗כֶב צֶ֚מֶד פָּרָשִׁ֔ים רֶ֥כֶב חֲמ֖וֹר רֶ֣כֶב גָּמָ֑ל וְהִקְשִׁ֥יב קֶ֖שֶׁב רַב־קָֽשֶׁב׃ He will see mounted men,
Horsemen in pairs—
Riders on donkeys,
Riders on camels—
And he will listen closely,
Most attentively.”
וַיִּקְרָ֖א אַרְיֵ֑ה עַל־מִצְפֶּ֣ה ׀ אֲדֹנָ֗י אָנֹכִ֞י עֹמֵ֤ד תָּמִיד֙ יוֹמָ֔ם וְעַ֨ל־מִשְׁמַרְתִּ֔י אָנֹכִ֥י נִצָּ֖ב כׇּל־הַלֵּילֽוֹת׃ And [like] a lion hee[like] a lion he 1QIsᵃ reads “The watcher.” called out:
“On my Sovereign’s lookoutfOn my Sovereign’s lookout Or “On a lookout, my Sovereign,…” I stand
Ever by day,
And at my post I watch
Every night.
וְהִנֵּה־זֶ֥ה בָא֙ רֶ֣כֶב אִ֔ישׁ צֶ֖מֶד פָּרָשִׁ֑ים וַיַּ֣עַן וַיֹּ֗אמֶר נָפְלָ֤ה נָֽפְלָה֙ בָּבֶ֔ל וְכׇל־פְּסִילֵ֥י אֱלֹהֶ֖יהָ שִׁבַּ֥ר לָאָֽרֶץ׃ And there they come, mounted men—
Horsemen in pairs!”
Then he spoke up and said,
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon,
And all the images of her gods
Have crashed to the ground!”
מְדֻשָׁתִ֖י וּבֶן־גׇּרְנִ֑י אֲשֶׁ֣ר שָׁמַ֗עְתִּי מֵאֵ֨ת יְהֹוָ֧ה צְבָא֛וֹת אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל הִגַּ֥דְתִּי לָכֶֽם׃ {פ}
My threshing, the product of my threshing floor:gMy threshing, the product of my threshing floor Connection of Heb. uncertain.
What I have heard from GOD of Hosts,
The God of Israel—
That I have told to you.
מַשָּׂ֖א דּוּמָ֑ה אֵלַי֙ קֹרֵ֣א מִשֵּׂעִ֔יר שֹׁמֵר֙ מַה־מִּלַּ֔יְלָה שֹׁמֵ֖ר מַה־מִּלֵּֽיל׃ The “Dumah”hDumah Name of a people; cf. Gen. 25.14. Pronouncement.
A call comes to me from Seir:
“Watchman, what of the night?
Watchman, what of the night?”
אָמַ֣ר שֹׁמֵ֔ר אָתָ֥ה בֹ֖קֶר וְגַם־לָ֑יְלָה אִם־תִּבְעָי֥וּן בְּעָ֖יוּ שֻׁ֥בוּ אֵתָֽיוּ׃ {פ}
The watchman replied,
“Morning came, and so did night.
If you would inquire, inquire.
Come back again.”
מַשָּׂ֖א בַּעְרָ֑ב בַּיַּ֤עַר בַּעְרַב֙ תָּלִ֔ינוּ אֹרְח֖וֹת דְּדָנִֽים׃ The “In the Steppe” Pronouncement.
In the scrub, in the steppe, you will lodge,
O caravans of the Dedanites!
לִקְרַ֥את צָמֵ֖א הֵתָ֣יוּ מָ֑יִם יֹֽשְׁבֵי֙ אֶ֣רֶץ תֵּימָ֔א בְּלַחְמ֖וֹ קִדְּמ֥וּ נֹדֵֽד׃ Meet the thirsty with water,
You who dwell in the land of Tema;
Greet the fugitive with bread.
כִּֽי־מִפְּנֵ֥י חֲרָב֖וֹת נָדָ֑דוּ מִפְּנֵ֣י ׀ חֶ֣רֶב נְטוּשָׁ֗ה וּמִפְּנֵי֙ קֶ֣שֶׁת דְּרוּכָ֔ה וּמִפְּנֵ֖י כֹּ֥בֶד מִלְחָמָֽה׃ {ס} For they have fled before swords:
Before the whetted sword,
Before the bow that was drawn,
Before the stress of war.
כִּי־כֹ֛ה אָמַ֥ר אֲדֹנָ֖י אֵלָ֑י בְּע֤וֹד שָׁנָה֙ כִּשְׁנֵ֣י שָׂכִ֔יר וְכָלָ֖ה כׇּל־כְּב֥וֹד קֵדָֽר׃ For thus my Sovereign has said to me: “In another year, fixed like the years of a hired laborer, all the multitude of Kedar shall vanish;
וּשְׁאָ֧ר מִסְפַּר־קֶ֛שֶׁת גִּבּוֹרֵ֥י בְנֵֽי־קֵדָ֖ר יִמְעָ֑טוּ כִּ֛י יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל דִּבֵּֽר׃ {ס} the remaining bows of Kedar’s warriors shall be few in number; for the ETERNAL, the God of Israel, has spoken.”