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Monday, July 28th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

Complete Jewish Bible

Isaiah 21:6

For this is what Adonai said to me: "Go, post a watchman to report what he sees!

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Babylon;   Isaiah;   Persia;   Watchman;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Babylon;   Watchmen;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Towers;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Persia;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Watches;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Babel;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Isaiah, Book of;   Prince;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - First and Last ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Babylon ;   Elam ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Medes;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Garden;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Ba'bel;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - War;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Evil;   Habakkuk;   Hezekiah (2);   Isaiah;   Watchman;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Bible in Mohammedan Literature;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For the Lord has said to me,“Go, post a lookout;let him report what he sees.
Hebrew Names Version
For thus has the Lord said to me, Go, set a watchman: let him declare what he sees:
King James Version
For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.
English Standard Version
For thus the Lord said to me: "Go, set a watchman; let him announce what he sees.
New American Standard Bible
For this is what the Lord says to me: "Go, station the lookout, have him report what he sees.
New Century Version
The Lord said to me, "Go, place a lookout for the city and have him report what he sees.
Amplified Bible
This is what the Lord says to me, "Go, station the lookout, let him report what he sees.
World English Bible
For thus has the Lord said to me, Go, set a watchman: let him declare what he sees:
Geneva Bible (1587)
For thus hath the Lord said vnto me, Go, set a watchman, to tell what he seeth.
Legacy Standard Bible
For thus the Lord says to me,"Go, station the lookout, let him declare what he sees.
Berean Standard Bible
For this is what the Lord says to me: "Go, post a lookout to report what he sees.
Contemporary English Version
The Lord said to me, "Send guards to find out what's going on.
Darby Translation
For thus hath the Lord said unto me: Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.
Easy-to-Read Version
The Lord said to me, "Go find someone to guard this city. He must report whatever he sees.
George Lamsa Translation
For thus has the LORD said to me: Go, set a watchman, that he may declare what he sees.
Good News Translation
Then the Lord said to me, "Go and post a sentry, and tell him to report what he sees.
Lexham English Bible
For the Lord said this to me: "Go, set a watchman in position. He must announce what he sees.
Literal Translation
For so the Lord has said to me: Go, set a watchman; he will declare what he sees.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
for thus the LORDE hath charged me: go thy waye, and set a watchma, that he maye tell what he seyth.
American Standard Version
For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman; let him declare what he seeth:
Bible in Basic English
For so has the Lord said to me, Go, let a watchman be placed; let him give word of what he sees:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
For thus hath the Lord said unto me: Go, set a watchman; let him declare what he seeth!
King James Version (1611)
For thus hath the Lord sayd vnto me; Goe, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For thus hath the Lorde sayde vnto me: Go and set a watchman to tel what he seeth.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For thus said the Lord to me, Go and station a watchman for thyself, and declare whatever thou shalt see.
English Revised Version
For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman; let him declare what he seeth:
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For whi the Lord seide these thingis to me, Go thou, and sette a lokere; and telle he, what euer thing he seeth.
Update Bible Version
For thus has the Lord said to me, Go, set a watchman: let him declare what he sees:
Webster's Bible Translation
For thus hath the Lord said to me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.
New English Translation
For this is what the sovereign master has told me: "Go, post a guard! He must report what he sees.
New King James Version
For thus has the Lord said to me: "Go, set a watchman, Let him declare what he sees."
New Living Translation
Meanwhile, the Lord said to me, "Put a watchman on the city wall. Let him shout out what he sees.
New Life Bible
For the Lord says to me, "Go, set a man to keep watch. Let him tell what he sees.
New Revised Standard
For thus the Lord said to me: "Go, post a lookout, let him announce what he sees.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, thus, hath My Lord said unto me, - Go, set the watchman, What he seeth, let him tell!
Douay-Rheims Bible
For thus hath the Lord said to me: Go, and set a watchman: and whatsoever he shall see, let him tell.
Revised Standard Version
For thus the Lord said to me: "Go, set a watchman, let him announce what he sees.
Young's Literal Translation
For thus said the Lord unto me: `Go, station the watchman, That which he seeth let him declare.'
THE MESSAGE
The Master told me, "Go, post a lookout. Have him report whatever he spots. When he sees horses and wagons in battle formation, lines of donkeys and columns of camels, Tell him to keep his ear to the ground, note every whisper, every rumor." Just then, the lookout shouted, "I'm at my post, Master, Sticking to my post day after day and all through the night! I watched them come, the horses and wagons in battle formation. I heard them call out the war news in headlines: ‘Babylon fallen! Fallen! And all its precious god-idols smashed to pieces on the ground.'"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For thus the Lord says to me, "Go, station the lookout, let him report what he sees.

Contextual Overview

1 A prophecy about the coastal desert: Like whirlwinds sweeping over the Negev, it comes from the desert, from a fearsome land. 2 A dire vision has been shown to me: the betrayer betrays, and the spoiler spoils. ‘Eilam, advance! Madai, lay siege! I will end all groaning. 3 This is why my insides are racked with pain; I am seized by pangs, like a woman in labor; wrenched by what I hear, aghast at what I see. 4 My mind reels, shuddering assails me. The twilight I longed for terrifies me. 5 They set the table, light the lamps, eat and drink — "Get going, princes! Oil the shields!" 6 For this is what Adonai said to me: "Go, post a watchman to report what he sees! 7 If he sees the cavalry, horsemen in pairs, riders on donkeys, riders on camels, he must be on alert, on full alert!" 8 He calls out like a lion: "My lord, I stand on the watchtower all day long, I stay at my post all night." 9 Then, as they appeared — the cavalry, horsemen in pairs — he spoke these words: "She has fallen! She has fallen — Bavel! All the carved images of her gods lie shattered on the ground." 10 My people, who have been threshed, grain trodden down on my threshing-floor: I am telling you what I have heard from Adonai -Tzva'ot, the God of Isra'el.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Go: Isaiah 62:6, 2 Kings 9:17-20, Jeremiah 51:12, Jeremiah 51:13, Ezekiel 3:17, Ezekiel 33:2-7, Habakkuk 2:1, Habakkuk 2:2

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 18:24 - the watchman Song of Solomon 3:3 - watchmen Isaiah 21:11 - what

Cross-References

Genesis 17:17
At this Avraham fell on his face and laughed — he thought to himself, "Will a child be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah give birth at ninety?"
Genesis 21:12
But God said to Avraham, "Don't be distressed because of the boy and your slave-girl. Listen to everything Sarah says to you, because it is your descendants through Yitz'chak who will be counted.
Genesis 21:15
When the water in the skin was gone, she left the child under a bush,
Genesis 21:21
He lived in the Pa'ran Desert, and his mother chose a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
Genesis 21:22
(vi) At that time Avimelekh and Pikhol the commander of his army spoke to Avraham. They said, "God is with you in everything you do.
Genesis 21:27
Avraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Avimelekh, and the two of them made a covenant.
Genesis 21:28
Avraham put seven female lambs from the flock by themselves.
Psalms 113:9
He causes the childless woman to live at home happily as a mother of children. Halleluyah!
Psalms 126:2
Our mouths were full of laughter, and our tongues shouted for joy. Among the nations it was said, " Adonai has done great things for them!"
Isaiah 49:15
Can a woman forget her child at the breast, not show pity on the child from her womb? Even if these were to forget, I would not forget you.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For thus hath the Lord said unto me,.... This is a confirmation of the above prophecy from the Lord himself, he showing to the prophet, in a visionary way, the ruin of Babylon, and the means and instruments of it:

go, set a watchman; not Habakkuk, as Jarchi; nor Urias, as the Septuagint; nor Jeremiah, as others; but himself, who, in a way of vision, represented a watchman on the walls of Babylon; and which was no way unsuitable to his character and office as a prophet:

let him declare what he seeth; what he sees coming at a distance, or at hand, let him faithfully and publicly make it known: these are not the words of the king of Babylon to one of his watchmen; but of the Lord of hosts to his prophet.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Go, set a watchman - This was said to Isaiah in the vision. He represents himself as in Babylon, and as hearing God command him to set a watchman on the watch-tower who would announce what was to come to pass. All this is designed merely to bring the manner of the destruction of the city more vividly before the eye.


 
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