Isaiah 21 – read and compare multiple versions of the Bible

World English Bible

Isaiah 21 (WEBP)

[1] The burden of the wilderness of the sea. As whirlwinds in the South sweep through, it comes from the wilderness, from an awesome land.
[2] A grievous vision is declared to me. The treacherous man deals treacherously, and the destroyer destroys. Go up, Elam; attack! I have stopped all of Media’s sighing.
[3] Therefore my thighs are filled with anguish. Pains have seized me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am in so much pain that I can’t hear. I am so dismayed that I can’t see.
[4] My heart flutters. Horror has frightened me. The twilight that I desired has been turned into trembling for me.
[5] They prepare the table. They set the watch. They eat. They drink. Rise up, you princes, oil the shield!
[6] For the Lord said to me, “Go, set a watchman. Let him declare what he sees.
[7] When he sees a troop, horsemen in pairs, a troop of donkeys, a troop of camels, he shall listen diligently with great attentiveness.”
[8] He cried like a lion: “Lord, I stand continually on the watchtower in the daytime, and every night I stay at my post.
[9] Behold, here comes a troop of men, horsemen in pairs.” He answered, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the engraved images of her gods are broken to the ground.
[10] You are my threshing, and the grain of my floor!” That which I have heard from Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, I have declared to you.
[11] The burden of Dumah. One calls to me out of Seir, “Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?”
[12] The watchman said, “The morning comes, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire. Come back again.”
[13] The burden on Arabia. You will lodge in the thickets in Arabia, you caravans of Dedanites.
[14] They brought water to him who was thirsty. The inhabitants of the land of Tema met the fugitives with their bread.
[15] For they fled away from the swords, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow, and from the heat of battle.
[16] For the Lord said to me, “Within a year, as a worker bound by contract would count it, all the glory of Kedar will fail,
[17] and the residue of the number of the archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, will be few; for Yahweh, the God of Israel, has spoken it.”

Scripture quotations are taken from The World English Bible™ of eBible.org, 2020 stable text edition. It is in the public domain.

King James w/Strong’s #s

Isaiah 21 (KJVS)

[1] The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.
[2] A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease.
[3] Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it.
[4] My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he 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 hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.
[7] And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed:
[8] and he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights:
[9] and, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.
[10] O my threshing, and the corn of my floor: that which I have heard of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.
[11] The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?
[12] The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come.
[13] The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim.
[14] The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled.
[15] For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.
[16] For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail:
[17] and the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the Lord God of Israel hath spoken it.

Isaiah 21:2 Heb. hard
Isaiah 21:4a Or, my mind wandered
Isaiah 21:4b Heb. put
Isaiah 21:8a Or, cried as a lion
Isaiah 21:8b Or, every night
Isaiah 21:10 Heb. son
Isaiah 21:14 Or, bring ye
Isaiah 21:15 Or, for fear. Heb. from the face
Isaiah 21:17 Heb. bows

Scripture quotations from The Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible, using the standardized text of 1769. It is in the public domain.

Greek Bible (LXX/BYZ)

Isaiah 21 (BYZ)

[1] Τὸ () ὅραμα () τῆς () ἐρήμου. () Ὡς () καταιγὶς δι’ () ἐρήμου () διέλθοι () ἐξ () ἐρήμου () ἐρχομένη () ἐκ () γῆς, () φοβερὸν ()
[2] τὸ () ὅραμα () καὶ () σκληρὸν () ἀνηγγέλη () μοι. () Ὁ () ἀθετῶν () ἀθετεῖ, () ὁ () ἀνομῶν ἀνομεῖ. Ἐπ’ () ἐμοὶ () οἱ () Αιλαμῖται, καὶ () οἱ () πρέσβεις τῶν () Περσῶν ἐπ’ () ἐμὲ () ἔρχονται. () Νῦν () στενάξω () καὶ () παρακαλέσω () ἐμαυτόν. ()
[3] Διὰ () τοῦτο () ἐνεπλήσθη () ἡ () ὀσφύς () μου () ἐκλύσεως, καὶ () ὠδῖνες () ἔλαβόν () με () ὡς () τὴν () τίκτουσαν· () ἠδίκησα () τὸ () μὴ () ἀκοῦσαι, () ἐσπούδασα () τὸ () μὴ () βλέπειν. ()
[4] Ἡ () καρδία () μου () πλανᾶται, () καὶ () ἡ () ἀνομία () με () βαπτίζει, () ἡ () ψυχή () μου () ἐφέστηκεν () εἰς () φόβον. ()
[5] Ἑτοίμασον () τὴν () τράπεζαν· () πίετε, () φάγετε· () ἀναστάντες, () οἱ () ἄρχοντες, () ἑτοιμάσατε () θυρεούς. ()
[6] Ὅτι () οὕτως () εἶπεν () κύριος () πρός () με () Βαδίσας σεαυτῷ () στῆσον () σκοπὸν () καὶ () ὃ () ἂν () ἴδῃς () ἀνάγγειλον· ()
[7] καὶ () εἶδον () ἀναβάτας ἱππεῖς () δύο, () ἀναβάτην ὄνου () καὶ () ἀναβάτην καμήλου. () Ἀκρόασαι ἀκρόασιν πολλὴν ()
[8] καὶ () κάλεσον () Ουριαν () εἰς () τὴν () σκοπιὰν κυρίου. () Καὶ () εἶπεν () Ἔστην () διὰ () παντὸς () ἡμέρας () καὶ () ἐπὶ () τῆς () παρεμβολῆς () ἔστην () ὅλην () τὴν () νύκτα, ()
[9] καὶ () ἰδοὺ () αὐτὸς () ἔρχεται () ἀναβάτης συνωρίδος. Καὶ () ἀποκριθεὶς () εἶπεν () Πέπτωκεν () Βαβυλών, () καὶ () πάντα () τὰ () ἀγάλματα αὐτῆς () καὶ () τὰ () χειροποίητα () αὐτῆς () συνετρίβησαν () εἰς () τὴν () γῆν. ()
[10] Ἀκούσατε, () οἱ () καταλελειμμένοι () καὶ () οἱ () ὀδυνώμενοι, () ἀκούσατε () ἃ () ἤκουσα () παρὰ () κυρίου () σαβαωθ· () ὁ () θεὸς () τοῦ () Ισραηλ () ἀνήγγειλεν () ἡμῖν. ()
[11] Τὸ () ὅραμα () τῆς () Ιδουμαίας. () Πρὸς () ἐμὲ () καλεῖ () παρὰ () τοῦ () Σηιρ Φυλάσσετε () ἐπάλξεις.
[12] Φυλάσσω () τὸ () πρωῒ () καὶ () τὴν () νύκτα· () ἐὰν () ζητῇς, () ζήτει () καὶ () παρ’ () ἐμοὶ () οἴκει· ()
[13] ἐν () τῷ () δρυμῷ ἑσπέρας () κοιμηθήσῃ () ἐν () τῇ () ὁδῷ () Δαιδαν.
[14] Εἰς () συνάντησιν () διψῶντι () ὕδωρ () φέρετε, () οἱ () ἐνοικοῦντες () ἐν () χώρᾳ () Θαιμαν, ἄρτοις () συναντᾶτε () τοῖς () φεύγουσιν ()
[15] διὰ () τὸ () πλῆθος () τῶν () φευγόντων () καὶ () διὰ () τὸ () πλῆθος () τῶν () πλανωμένων () καὶ () διὰ () τὸ () πλῆθος () τῆς () μαχαίρας () καὶ () διὰ () τὸ () πλῆθος () τῶν () τοξευμάτων τῶν () διατεταμένων καὶ () διὰ () τὸ () πλῆθος () τῶν () πεπτωκότων () ἐν () τῷ () πολέμῳ. ()
[16] Ὅτι () οὕτως () εἶπέν () μοι () κύριος () Ἔτι () ἐνιαυτὸς () ὡς () ἐνιαυτὸς () μισθωτοῦ, () ἐκλείψει () ἡ () δόξα () τῶν () υἱῶν () Κηδαρ,
[17] καὶ () τὸ () κατάλοιπον () τῶν () τοξευμάτων τῶν () ἰσχυρῶν () υἱῶν () Κηδαρ ἔσται () ὀλίγον, () διότι () κύριος () ἐλάλησεν () ὁ () θεὸς () Ισραηλ. ()

Old Testament scripture quotations and versification from Septuaginta, edited by Alfred Rahlfs (Stuttgart: Württembergische Bibelanstalt, 1935). New Testament quotations are from the Byzantine Text (Guardian Press, LLC, Robinson-Pierpont Byzantine Textform, 2026). Both are in the public domain.