The Bible in Basic English BBE
Orthodox Jewish Bible OJB
1 The word about the waste land. As storm-winds in the South go rushing through, it comes from the waste land, from the land greatly to be feared.
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1 The massa (burden) concerning the Midbar Yam (desert by the sea). As sufot (whirlwinds) in the Negev sweep through; so it cometh from the midbar, from eretz nora’ah.
2 A vision of fear comes before my eyes; the worker of deceit goes on in his false way, and the waster goes on making waste. Up! Elam; to the attack! Media; I have put an end to her sorrow.
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A chazut kashah (harsh vision) is declared unto me; the boged (traitor) dealeth treacherously, and the shoded (destroyer) destroyeth. Go up, O Elam; besiege, O Media; all the groaning she [Babylon] caused have I made to cease.
3 For this cause I am full of bitter grief; pains like the pains of a woman in childbirth have come on me: I am bent down with sorrow at what comes to my ears; I am shocked by what I see.
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Therefore are my loins filled with pain; tzirim (pangs) have taken hold upon me, as the tzirim (pangs) of a woman in labor; I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it.
4 My mind is wandering, fear has overcome me: the evening of my desire has been turned into shaking for me.
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My lev panted, fearfulness seized upon me; the neshef (twilight) of my longing hath become unto me as kharadah (shuddering horror).
5 They make ready the table, they put down the covers, they take food and drink. Up! you captains; put oil on your breastplates.
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[They are] setting the shulchan, spreading the tzafit (dining carpet), to eat, to drink; arise, ye sarim (princes), and anoint the mogen.
6 For so has the Lord said to me, Go, let a watchman be placed; let him give word of what he sees:
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For thus hath Adonoi said unto me, Go, post the metzapeh (watchman), let him report what he seeth.
7 And when he sees war-carriages, horsemen by twos, war-carriages with asses, war-carriages with camels, let him give special attention.
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When he sees riders with a pair of parashim, donkey riders and camel riders, then he pays heed diligently with great care;
8 And the watchman gave a loud cry, O my lord, I am on the watchtower all day, and am placed in my watch every night:
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And the one seeing cried out, Adoni, I stand continually on the mitzpeh (watchtower) in the daytime, and I am set in my mishmeret (guard duty) kol halailot (every night),
9 See, here come war-carriages with men, horsemen by twos: and in answer he said, Babylon is made low, is made low, and all her images are broken on the earth.
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And, hinei, here cometh a merkavah with a man, a pair of parashim. And he answered and said, Bavel (Babylon) is fallen, is fallen; and all the pesilim (images) of her elohim (g-ds) hath been shattered on the ground.
10 O my crushed ones, the grain of my floor! I have given you the word which came to me from the Lord of armies, the God of Israel.
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O my threshed [people], and the grain of my goren (threshing floor); that which I have heard of Hashem Tzva’os Elohei Yisroel, have I declared unto you.
11 The word about Edom. A voice comes to me from Seir, Watchman, how far gone is the night? how far gone is the night?
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The massa (burden) of Dumah [Edom]. One calleth to me out of Seir [Edom], Shomer (watchman), what of the lailah? Shomer, what of the lailah?
12 The watchman says, The morning has come, but night is still to come: if you have questions to put, put them, and come back again.
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The shomer said, The boker cometh, and also the lailah; if ye will inquire, inquire ye; shuvu (return), come.
13 The word about Arabia. In the thick woods of Arabia will be your night's resting-place, O travelling bands of Dedanites!
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The massa (burden) concerning Arabia. In the ya’ar (forest) of Arabia shall ye encamp O ye caravans of Dedanim.
14 Give water to him who is in need of water; give bread, O men of the land of Tema, to those in flight.
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The inhabitants of Eretz Tema brought mayim to him that was tzameh (thirsty), they met with their lechem him that fled.
15 For they are in flight from the sharp sword, and the bent bow, and from the trouble of war.
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For they fled from the charavot (swords), from the drawn cherev, and from the bent keshet (bow), and from the grievousness of milchamah (war).
16 For so has the Lord said to me, In a year, by the years of a servant working for payment, all the glory of Kedar will come to an end:
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For thus hath Hashem said unto me, Within a shanah (year), according to the way a year is counted by a sakhir (hireling, hired servant), all the kavod of Kedar shall end;
17 And the rest of the bowmen, the men of war of the children of Kedar, will be small in number: for the Lord, the God of Israel, has said it.
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And the remainder of the mispar (number) of archers, the gibborim (mighty men) of the Bnei Kedar, shall be few; for Hashem Elohei Yisroel hath spoken.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.
The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.