1. The burden of the desert of the sea. As the whirlwinds which pass through the wilderness in the land of the south, so they come from the terrible land.
2. A grievous vision is shown unto me. For one who is treacherous, another who deals treacherously, and for one destroyer, another destroyer. Rise up, Elam; besiege Media; all the sighing thereof I have made to cease.
3. Therefore my loins are filled with pain; pangs have taken hold upon me as the pangs of a woman that travails; I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it.
4. My heart panted; the horror frightened me; the night of my pleasure he has turned into fear unto me.
5. Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink; arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield.
6. For thus has the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman who shall declare what he sees.
7. And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; then he looked with more diligence;
8. and he cried, A lion upon the watchman. My lord, I stand continually all the day and all night long upon my watchtower.
9. And, behold, this chariot of men comes with a couple of horsemen. Afterwards he spoke and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he has broken unto the ground.
10. O my harvest, and the people of my threshing floor, that which I have heard of the Lord of the hosts, the God of Israel, I have declared unto you.