1-4. A 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 toall 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.
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.
11-12. A Message concerning Edom:A voice calls to mefrom the Seir mountains in Edom,“Night watchman! How long till daybreak?How long will this night last?”The night watchman calls back,“Morning’s coming,But for now it’s still night.If you ask me again, I’ll give the same answer.”