The Burden against Arabia

The burden against Arabia begins with caravan travelers lodging in the thickets and the people of Tema being told to meet the thirsty and the fleeing with water and bread. Their need is urgent because they are escaping the sword, the drawn bow, and the press of battle, so the scene is one of displacement, mercy, and imminent danger.

T¹³his is the burden against Arabia: ¹⁴Bring water for the thirsty, ¹⁵For they flee from the sword—

The Lord then gives a precise measure: within one year, counted as strictly as a hired worker would count it, all Kedar's glory will vanish. The remnant of its archers and warriors will be few, because the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken and fixed the outcome.

¹⁶For this is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a hired worker would count it, all the glory of Kedar will be gone. ¹⁷The remaining archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.”