巴比伦的覆灭

47 “巴比伦的少女啊,
下来坐在尘土中吧!
迦勒底的姑娘啊,
坐在没有宝座的地上吧!
因为你必不再娇柔细嫩。
你要推磨磨面,
揭下面纱,掀起裙子,
露出大腿,涉水过河。
你必赤身裸体,
露出羞处。
我必报仇,不放过一人。
我们的救赎主是以色列的圣者,
祂名叫万军之耶和华。

“迦勒底的姑娘啊,
要静静地坐着,进入黑暗中,
因为你不再被称为列国之后。
我曾向我的子民发怒,
让我的产业被玷污,
把他们交在你手中。
你对他们毫不留情,
甚至让老人负极重的轭。
你声称要永远做王后,
不把这些事放在心上,
也不思想以后的结局。

“淫逸安舒的人啊,听着!
你以为天地间唯你独尊,
你必不致寡居,
也不会遭丧子之痛。
谁知寡居、丧子二事却忽然在同一天临到你身上。
即使你懂得许多邪术和符咒,
也于事无补。

10 “你肆无忌惮地行恶,
自以为没有人看见。
你被自己的聪明智慧欺骗,
自以为天下无双。
11 你必大祸临头,
不知如何祛灾避祸。
灾祸必落在你身上,
无可挽回。
你意想不到的祸患必突然来到。

12 “你自幼就勤练符咒和五花八门的邪术,继续施展吧!
也许会有用处,
也许会令人害怕。
13 众多的计谋使你疲惫不堪,
让那些观天象、
每月说预言的占星家来救你脱离将临的灾祸吧!

14 “看啊,他们不过像枯草,
必遭焚烧,
无法救自己脱离烈焰。
这火并非取暖的炭火,
也不是人可以靠近的火。
15 你自幼交往的占星家帮不上你,
他们都四散奔逃,无人救你。

巴比倫的覆滅

47 「巴比倫的少女啊,
下來坐在塵土中吧!
迦勒底的姑娘啊,
坐在沒有寶座的地上吧!
因為你必不再嬌柔細嫩。
你要推磨磨麵,
揭下面紗,掀起裙子,
露出大腿,涉水過河。
你必赤身裸體,
露出羞處。
我必報仇,不放過一人。
我們的救贖主是以色列的聖者,
祂名叫萬軍之耶和華。

「迦勒底的姑娘啊,
要靜靜地坐著,進入黑暗中,
因為你不再被稱為列國之後。
我曾向我的子民發怒,
讓我的產業被玷污,
把他們交在你手中。
你對他們毫不留情,
甚至讓老人負極重的軛。
你聲稱要永遠做王后,
不把這些事放在心上,
也不思想以後的結局。

「淫逸安舒的人啊,聽著!
你以為天地間唯你獨尊,
你必不致寡居,
也不會遭喪子之痛。
誰知寡居、喪子二事卻忽然在同一天臨到你身上。
即使你懂得許多邪術和符咒,
也於事無補。

10 「你肆無忌憚地行惡,
自以為沒有人看見。
你被自己的聰明智慧欺騙,
自以為天下無雙。
11 你必大禍臨頭,
不知如何祛災避禍。
災禍必落在你身上,
無可挽回。
你意想不到的禍患必突然來到。

12 「你自幼就勤練符咒和五花八門的邪術,繼續施展吧!
也許會有用處,
也許會令人害怕。
13 眾多的計謀使你疲憊不堪,
讓那些觀天象、
每月說預言的占星家來救你脫離將臨的災禍吧!

14 「看啊,他們不過像枯草,
必遭焚燒,
無法救自己脫離烈焰。
這火並非取暖的炭火,
也不是人可以靠近的火。
15 你自幼交往的占星家幫不上你,
他們都四散奔逃,無人救你。

47 Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.

Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.

Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.

As for our redeemer, the Lord of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.

Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms.

I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke.

And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it.

Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:

But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.

10 For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.

11 Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.

12 Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.

13 Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.

14 Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.

15 Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.

The Humiliation of Babylon

47 “Come (A)down and (B)sit in the dust,
O virgin daughter of (C)Babylon;
Sit on the ground without a throne,
O daughter of the Chaldeans!
For you shall no more be called
Tender and [a]delicate.
(D)Take the millstones and grind meal.
Remove your veil,
Take off the skirt,
Uncover the thigh,
Pass through the rivers.
(E)Your nakedness shall be uncovered,
Yes, your shame will be seen;
(F)I will take vengeance,
And I will not arbitrate with a man.”

As for (G)our Redeemer, the Lord of hosts is His name,
The Holy One of Israel.

“Sit in (H)silence, and go into darkness,
O daughter of the Chaldeans;
(I)For you shall no longer be called
The Lady of Kingdoms.
(J)I was angry with My people;
(K)I have profaned My inheritance,
And given them into your hand.
You showed them no mercy;
(L)On the elderly you laid your yoke very heavily.
And you said, ‘I shall be (M)a lady forever,’
So that you did not (N)take these things to heart,
(O)Nor remember the latter end of them.

“Therefore hear this now, you who are given to pleasures,
Who dwell securely,
Who say in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me;
I shall not sit as a widow,
Nor shall I know the loss of children’;
But these two things shall come to you
(P)In a moment, in one day:
The loss of children, and widowhood.
They shall come upon you in their fullness
Because of the multitude of your sorceries,
For the great abundance of your enchantments.

10 “For you have trusted in your wickedness;
You have said, ‘No one (Q)sees me’;
Your wisdom and your knowledge have [b]warped you;
And you have said in your heart,
‘I am, and there is no one else besides me.’
11 Therefore evil shall come upon you;
You shall not know from where it arises.
And trouble shall fall upon you;
You will not be able [c]to put it off.
And (R)desolation shall come upon you (S)suddenly,
Which you shall not know.

12 “Stand now with your enchantments
And the multitude of your sorceries,
In which you have labored from your youth—
Perhaps you will be able to profit,
Perhaps you will prevail.
13 (T)You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels;
Let now (U)the[d] astrologers, the stargazers,
And [e]the monthly prognosticators
Stand up and save you
From what shall come upon you.
14 Behold, they shall be (V)as stubble,
The fire shall (W)burn them;
They shall not deliver themselves
From the power of the flame;
It shall not be a coal to be warmed by,
Nor a fire to sit before!
15 Thus shall they be to you
With whom you have labored,
(X)Your merchants from your youth;
They shall wander each one to his [f]quarter.
No one shall save you.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 47:1 dainty
  2. Isaiah 47:10 led you astray
  3. Isaiah 47:11 Lit. to cover it or atone for it
  4. Isaiah 47:13 Lit. viewers of the heavens
  5. Isaiah 47:13 Lit. those giving knowledge for new moons
  6. Isaiah 47:15 own side or way