מַשָּׂא מִדְבַּר יָם כְּסוּפוֹת בַּנֶּגֶב לַחֲלֹף מִמִּדְבָּר בָּא מֵאֶרֶץ נוֹרָאָה

A prophecy of the western wilderness: Like massive, daunting storms sweeping in the flat and exposed South, it is coming from the wilderness, from a terrible land. The verse does not refer to rainstorms, as these are uncommon in desert regions, but rather, to windstorms and sandstorms. The prophet uses these sandstorms as a metaphor for the mighty enemy coming from afar. It is difficult to identify the actual events and time period to which this prophecy relates, or the identity of the enemy.

חָזוּת קָשָׁה הֻגַּד לִי — הַבּוֹגֵד בּוֹגֵד וְהַשּׁוֹדֵד שׁוֹדֵד עֲלִי עֵילָם צוּרִי מָדַי כָּל אַנְחָתָה הִשְׁבַּתִּי

The prophet declares: A harsh vision was told to me: The traitor betrays and the plunderer plunders. This is a terrible and dangerous combination: An enemy that resembles a gang of bandits without, and traitors within. In such a situation, nobody can be trusted. Go up, Elam, to war; besiege, Media. All its present sighing, I have ended. The quantity and frequency of new calamities will render irrelevant Babylon’s previous sighing. Alternatively, Babylon’s sighs will not be heard because no one will have sympathy for its plight. It could also mean that Babylon’s troubles will provide relief to her enemies, who will no longer sigh due to Babylon’s oppression.

עַל כֵּן מָלְאוּ מָתְנַי חַלְחָלָה צִירִים אֲחָזוּנִי כְּצִירֵי יוֹלֵדָה נַעֲוֵיתִי מִשְּׁמֹעַ נִבְהַלְתִּי מֵרְאוֹת

The invaded nation declares: Therefore, my loins are filled with trembling; pains have overcome me, like the pains of a woman in childbirth, psychosomatic symptoms caused by great anxiety. I am twisted from hearing; I am frightened from seeing the unfolding events.

תָּעָה לְבָבִי פַּלָּצוּת בִּעֲתָתְנִי אֵת נֶשֶׁף חִשְׁקִי שָׂם לִי לַחֲרָדָה

My heart is bewildered, my mind unsettled; terror has frightened me. The evening of my desire, the desirable night, he has made for me into anxiety. The threat of enemy attack has ruined my drinking parties.

עָרֹךְ הַשֻּׁלְחָן — צָפֹה הַצָּפִית אָכוֹל שָׁתֹה — קוּמוּ הַשָּׂרִים מִשְׁחוּ מָגֵן

When it is the time to set the table for a banquet, set the lookout to watch from a tower, to see whether the enemy is approaching. Even at the party itself, the worries do not abate: Eat, drink; but when called upon, arise, princes; anoint, smooth, a shield. Even while preparing for balls and celebrations, the residents remain very tense, in fear of the impending danger, and they actively prepare for war.

כִּי כֹה אָמַר אֵלַי אֲדֹנָי לֵךְ הַעֲמֵד הַמְצַפֶּה אֲשֶׁר יִרְאֶה — יַגִּיד

For so the Lord said to me: Go, post the lookout at the top of the wall or the tower; that which he sees, he will tell.

וְרָאָה רֶכֶב צֶמֶד פָּרָשִׁים רֶכֶב חֲמוֹר רֶכֶב גָּמָל וְהִקְשִׁיב קֶשֶׁב רַב קָשֶׁב

He will see a chariot, a pair of horsemen, a donkey chariot, or a camel chariot. The sentry must watch all of the regular movements of vehicles on the roads, whether these are drawn by horses or other animals. The danger of the approaching enemy is real, and therefore everything must be observed closely, in case their men are scouting the place, spying, or preparing for an advance. He will listen very attentively. The sentry must be on the lookout for the distant steps of the enemy, as the time, manner, and direction of his approach are all unknown.

וַיִּקְרָא אַרְיֵה עַל מִצְפ אֲדֹנָי אָנֹכִי עֹמֵד תָּמִיד יוֹמָם וְעַל מִשְׁמַרְתִּי אָנֹכִי נִצָּב כָּל הַלֵּילוֹת

A lion will call, roar: On the lookout, Lord, I stand continually during the day, and I stand on my watch every night. The speaker could be the person in charge of the sentry, or, more likely, the prophet himself.

וְהִנֵּה זֶה בָא רֶכֶב צֶמֶד פָּרָשִׁים וַיַּעַן וַיֹּאמֶר נָפְלָה נָפְלָה בָּבֶל וְכָל פְּסִילֵי אֱלֹהֶיהָ שִׁבַּר לָאָרֶץ

The prophet describes what he saw next in his vision: Behold, it comes, a chariot with a man inside and a pair of horses. This chariot was sent to convey a message; it would not be a war chariot, as these typically contained two or three men. And he spoke aloud and said: Fallen, fallen is Babylon, and all the idols of its gods are smashed on the ground.

מְדֻשָׁתִי וּבֶן גָּרְנִי אֲשֶׁר שָׁמַעְתִּי מֵאֵת ה' צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הִגַּדְתִּי לָכֶם

It, Babylon, is My threshing floor and it is like the mere corner of My grain pile. Babylon has become a wasteland. That which I heard from the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, I told you. The prophet fills the role of the sentry, who sees and reports on all these events from afar.

מַשָּׂא דּוּמָה אֵלַי קֹרֵא מִשֵּׂעִיר שֹׁמֵר מַה מִּלַּיְלָה! שֹׁמֵר מַה מִּלֵּיל!

This verse begins another vision: A prophecy of Duma, the name of one of the sons of Ishmael, whose descendants dwelled in the wilderness surrounding the land of Canaan: To me, the prophet, one calls from Seir, in the South: Sentry, what of the night? Sentry, what of the night? People who went to sleep inquire: What happened during the night? Upon awaking, they ask the sentry for news. As in the previous prophecy, where the prophet served as a sentry who receives reports of shocking political events, here too he stands watch in a place dominated by fear of the future. In this case, however, he will announce that the approaching threat has yet to arrive.

אָמַר שֹׁמֵר אָתָה בֹקֶר וְגַם לָיְלָה אִם תִּבְעָיוּן — בְּעָיוּ שֻׁבוּ אֵתָיוּ

The sentry said: The morning comes, and also night; if you ask, ask; come again. In other words, there is nothing new yet; if you wish, you may return and ask a second time. The verbs in this verse are all Aramaic.

מַשָּׂא בַּעְרָב בַּיַּעַר בַּעְרַב תָּלִינוּ אֹרְחוֹת דְּדָנִים

A prophecy of Arabia, which is probably a general name for the nomadic peoples or tribes living in the East: In the forest in Arabia you will stay the night, caravans of Dedanites, tribes who inhabit the southern wilderness.

לִקְרַאת צָמֵא הֵתָיוּ מָיִם יֹשְׁבֵי אֶרֶץ תֵּימָא בְּלַחְמוֹ קִדְּמוּ נֹדֵד

Bring water to the thirsty. You can rest in a relatively tranquil spot, in the woods, as the war is being fought elsewhere. However, refugees fleeing from the battle will come to you asking for water. The inhabitants of the land of Tema, far to the southeast of the Land of Israel, greeted the wanderer with his bread. Alternatively, this can be understood as a command: Give bread to the wanderers.

כִּי מִפְּנֵי חֲרָבוֹת נָדָדוּ מִפְּנֵי חֶרֶב נְטוּשָׁה וּמִפְּנֵי קֶשֶׁת דְּרוּכָה וּמִפְּנֵי כֹּבֶד מִלְחָמָה

For they, the refugees, wandered due to swords: Due to the drawn sword, or the sharpened swords, due to the bent bow, and due to the weight of war.

כִּי כֹה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי אֵלָי בְּעוֹד שָׁנָה כִּשְׁנֵי שָׂכִיר וְכָלָה כָּל כְּבוֹד קֵדָר

For so said the Lord to me: In another year, measured precisely to the day like the years of a hired laborer, all the glory of Kedar will end. The tribes of Kedar will suffer a terrible downfall.

וּשְׁאָר מִסְפַּר קֶשֶׁת גִּבּוֹרֵי בְנֵי קֵדָר — יִמְעָטוּ כִּי ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל דִּבֵּר

And the few remaining archers, the valiant of the children of Kedar, will diminish. The army of Kedar will decrease, as the Lord, God of Israel, who determines the fate of all the nations of the world, has spoken.