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Tuesday, July 29th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

Isaiah 21:6

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.'"

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.
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.'
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For thus the Lord says to me, "Go, station the lookout, let him report what he sees.

Contextual Overview

1A Message concerning the desert at the sea: As tempests drive through the Negev Desert, coming out of the desert, that terror-filled place, A hard vision is given me: The betrayer betrayed, the plunderer plundered. Attack, Elam! Lay siege, Media! Persians, attack! Attack, Babylon! I'll put an end to all the moaning and groaning. Because of this news I'm doubled up in pain, writhing in pain like a woman having a baby, Baffled by what I hear, undone by what I see. Absolutely stunned, horror-stricken, I had hoped for a relaxed evening, but it has turned into a nightmare. 5 The banquet is spread, the guests reclining in luxurious ease, Eating and drinking, having a good time, and then, "To arms, princes! The fight is on!" 6The 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.'" 10 Dear Israel, you've been through a lot, you've been put through the mill. The good news I get from God -of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel, I now pass on to 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
Abraham fell flat on his face. And then he laughed, thinking, "Can a hundred-year-old man father a son? And can Sarah, at ninety years, have a baby?"
Genesis 21:22
At about that same time, Abimelech and the captain of his troops, Phicol, spoke to Abraham: "No matter what you do, God is on your side. So swear to me that you won't do anything underhanded to me or any of my family. For as long as you live here, swear that you'll treat me and my land as well as I've treated you."
Genesis 21:27
So the two of them made a covenant. Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. Abraham set aside seven sheep from his flock.
Isaiah 49:15
"Can a mother forget the infant at her breast, walk away from the baby she bore? But even if mothers forget, I'd never forget you—never. Look, I've written your names on the backs of my hands. The walls you're rebuilding are never out of my sight. Your builders are faster than your wreckers. The demolition crews are gone for good. Look up, look around, look well! See them all gathering, coming to you? As sure as I am the living God"— God 's Decree— "you're going to put them on like so much jewelry, you're going to use them to dress up like a bride.
Isaiah 54:1
"Sing, barren woman, who has never had a baby. Fill the air with song, you who've never experienced childbirth! You're ending up with far more children than all those childbearing women." God says so! "Clear lots of ground for your tents! Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big! Use plenty of rope, drive the tent pegs deep. You're going to need lots of elbow room for your growing family. You're going to take over whole nations; you're going to resettle abandoned cities. Don't be afraid—you're not going to be embarrassed. Don't hold back—you're not going to come up short. You'll forget all about the humiliations of your youth, and the indignities of being a widow will fade from memory. For your Maker is your bridegroom, his name, God -of-the-Angel-Armies! Your Redeemer is The Holy of Israel, known as God of the whole earth. You were like an abandoned wife, devastated with grief, and God welcomed you back, Like a woman married young and then left," says your God.
Hebrews 11:11
By faith, barren Sarah was able to become pregnant, old woman as she was at the time, because she believed the One who made a promise would do what he said. That's how it happened that from one man's dead and shriveled loins there are now people numbering into the millions.

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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