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Saturday, December 20th, 2025
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Read the Bible

Myles Coverdale Bible

Isaiah 21:6

for thus the LORDE hath charged me: go thy waye, and set a watchma, that he maye tell what he seyth.

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.
Complete Jewish Bible
For this is what Adonai said to me: "Go, post a watchman to report what he sees!
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.
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 This is the heuy burthe of the waist see: A greuous visio was shewed vnto me, like as when a storme of wynde and rayne russheth in from the wyldernesse, that terrible londe. 2 Who so maye disceaue (sayde the voyce) let him disceaue: Who so maye distroye, let him distroye. Vp Elam, besege it o Madai, for I will still all their gronynges. 3 With this, the raynes of my backe were ful of payne: Panges came vpon me, as vpon a woman in hir trauayle. When I herde it, I was abasshed: and whe I loked vp, I was afrayde. 4 Myne herte paunted, I trembled for feare. The darcknesse made me fearfull in my mynde. 5 Yee soone make redy the table (sayde this voyce) kepe the watch, eate and drynke: Vp ye captaynes, take you to youre shylde, 6 for thus the LORDE hath charged me: go thy waye, and set a watchma, that he maye tell what he seyth. 7 And whe he had wayted diligetly, he sawe two horsmen: the one rydinge vpon an Asse, the other vpon a camel. 8 And the lyon cried: LORDE, I haue stonde waytinge all the whole daye, and haue kepte my watch all the night. 9 With yt came there one rydinge vpon a charet, which answered, and sayde Babilon is fallen, she is turned vpsyde downe, and all ye ymages of hir goddes are smytten to ye grounde. 10 This (o my felowe throsshers and fanners) haue I herde of the LORDE of hoostes the God of Israel, to shewe it vnto you.

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
Then fell Abraha vpo his face, and laughed, and sayde in his hert: Shal a childe be borne vnto me that am an hundreth yeare olde? And shall Sara yt is nyentie yeare olde, beare?
Genesis 21:12
Neuertheles God sayde vnto him: let it not displease the because of the childe and the hand mayde: What so euer Sara hath sayde vnto the, folowe it, for in Isaac shall the sede be called vnto the.
Genesis 21:15
Now whan the water in the botell was out, she layed the childe vnder a bush,
Genesis 21:21
and dwelt in ye wildernes of Pharan, and his mother toke him a wyfe out of the londe of Egipte.
Genesis 21:22
At the same tyme talked Abimelech and Phicol his chefe captayne with Abraham, and sayde: God is with the in all that thou doest.
Genesis 21:27
The toke Abraham shepe and oxen, and gaue them vnto Abimelech, and they both made a bonde together.
Genesis 21:28
And Abraham set seuen lambes by them selues.
Psalms 113:9
Which maketh the baren woman to kepe house, and to be a ioyfull mother of children. Halleluya.
Psalms 126:2
The shal oure mouth be fylled with laughter, and oure tonge with ioye.
Isaiah 49:15
Doth a wife forget the childe of hir wombe, ad the sonne who she hath borne? And though she do forget, yet wil not I forget the.

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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