Discovery BoxIsaiah 21:2-4 
Context21:2 I have received a distressing message: 1
“The deceiver deceives,
the destroyer destroys.
Attack, you Elamites!
Lay siege, you Medes!
I will put an end to all the groaning!” 2
21:3 For this reason my stomach churns; 3
cramps overwhelm me
like the contractions of a woman in labor.
I am disturbed 4 by what I hear,
horrified by what I see.
I shake in fear; 6
the twilight I desired
has brought me terror.
1 tn Heb “a severe revelation has been related to me.”
2 sn This is often interpreted to mean “all the groaning” that Babylon has caused others.
3 tn Heb “my waist is filled with shaking [or “anguish”].”
4 tn Or perhaps, “bent over [in pain]”; cf. NRSV “I am bowed down.”
5 tn Heb “wanders,” perhaps here, “is confused.”
6 tn Heb “shuddering terrifies me.”
