The Hebrew Prophets

In the year of the coming in of Tartan to Ashdod, when Sargon king of Asshur sendeth him, and he fighteth against Ashdod, and captureth it,

at that time spake Jehovah by the hand of Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, `Go, and thou hast loosed the sackcloth from off thy loins, and thy sandal thou dost draw from off thy foot,' and he doth so, going naked and barefoot.

And Jehovah saith, `As My servant Isaiah hath gone naked and barefoot three years, a sign and a wonder for Egypt and for Cush,

so doth the king of Asshur lead the captivity of Egypt, and the removal of Cush, young and old, naked and barefoot, with seat uncovered--the nakedness of Egypt;

and they have been affrighted and ashamed of Cush their confidence, and of Egypt their beauty,

and the inhabitant of this isle hath said in that day--Lo, thus is our trust, Whither we have fled for help, To be delivered from the king of Asshur, And how do we escape--we?'

The burden of the wilderness of the sea. `Like hurricanes in the south for passing through, From the wilderness it hath come, From a fearful land.

A hard vision hath been declared to me, The treacherous dealer is dealing treacherously, And the destroyer is destroying. Go up, O Elam, besiege, O Media, All its sighing I have caused to cease.

Therefore filled have been my loins with great pain, Pangs have seized me as pangs of a travailing woman, I have been bent down by hearing, I have been troubled by seeing.

Wandered hath my heart, trembling hath terrified me, The twilight of my desire He hath made a fear to me,

Arrange the table, watch in the watch-tower, Eat, drink, rise, ye heads, anoint the shield,

For thus said the Lord unto me: `Go, station the watchman, That which he seeth let him declare.'

And he hath seen a chariot--a couple of horsemen, The rider of an ass, the rider of a camel, And he hath given attention--He hath increased attention!

And he crieth--a lion, `On a watch-tower my lord, I am standing continually by day, And on my ward I am stationed whole nights.

And lo, this, the chariot of a man is coming, A couple of horsemen.' And he answereth and saith: `Fallen, fallen hath Babylon, And all the graven images of her gods He hath broken to the earth.

O my threshing, and the son of my floor, That which I heard from Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, I have declared to you!'

The burden of Dumah. Unto me is one calling from Seir `Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?'

The watchman hath said, `Come hath morning, and also night, If ye inquire, inquire ye, turn back, come.'

The burden on Arabia. In a forest in Arabia ye lodge, O travellers of Dedanim.

To meet the thirsty brought water have Inhabitants of the land of Tema, With his bread they came before a fugitive.

For from the face of destructions they fled, From the face of a stretched-out sword, And from the face of a trodden bow, And from the face of the grievousness of battle.

For thus said the Lord unto me: `Within a year, as years of a hireling, Consumed hath been all the honour of Kedar.

And the remnant of the number of bow-men, The mighty of the sons of Kedar are few, For Jehovah, God of Israel, hath spoken!'

The burden of the Valley of Vision. What--to thee, now, that thou hast gone up, All of thee--to the roofs?

Full of stirs--a noisy city--an exulting city, Thy pierced are not pierced of the sword, Nor dead in battle.