The Fall of Babylon

47 “Go down, sit in the dust,(A)
    Virgin Daughter(B) Babylon;
sit on the ground without a throne,
    queen city of the Babylonians.[a](C)
No more will you be called
    tender or delicate.(D)
Take millstones(E) and grind(F) flour;
    take off your veil.(G)
Lift up your skirts,(H) bare your legs,
    and wade through the streams.
Your nakedness(I) will be exposed
    and your shame(J) uncovered.
I will take vengeance;(K)
    I will spare no one.(L)

Our Redeemer(M)—the Lord Almighty(N) is his name(O)
    is the Holy One(P) of Israel.

“Sit in silence,(Q) go into darkness,(R)
    queen city of the Babylonians;(S)
no more will you be called
    queen(T) of kingdoms.(U)
I was angry(V) with my people
    and desecrated my inheritance;(W)
I gave them into your hand,(X)
    and you showed them no mercy.(Y)
Even on the aged
    you laid a very heavy yoke.
You said, ‘I am forever(Z)
    the eternal queen!’(AA)
But you did not consider these things
    or reflect(AB) on what might happen.(AC)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 47:1 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 5

The Fall of Babylon

47 “Come down and sit in the dust,
    Virgin Daughter of Babylon.
Sit on[a] the ground without a chair,
    Daughter of the Chaldeans!
For no longer will they call you
    tender and attractive.
Take millstones and grind flour.
    Remove your veil,
strip off your robes,[b]
    bare your legs,
        and wade through the rivers.
Your nakedness will be[c] exposed,
    and your disgrace will also be seen.
I’ll take vengeance,
    and I will spare no mortal.

“Our Redeemer—
    the Lord of the Heavenly Armies is his name—
        is the Holy One of Israel.

“Sit silent,[d] and enter into the darkness,
    you daughter of the Chaldeans;
for no more will they call you
    Queen of Kingdoms.
I was angry with my people,
    and[e] I desecrated my heritage,
and gave them into your control.
    You showed them no mercy;
        even on the aged you laid your yoke most heavily.
You said, ‘I will always continue—Queen forever!’
    You didn’t take these things into your thinking,
        nor did you think about their consequences.[f]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 47:1 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT use another preposition
  2. Isaiah 47:2 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab 4QIsad MT read skirt
  3. Isaiah 47:3 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT read let it be
  4. Isaiah 47:5 1QIsaa and MT use alternate forms of the same term
  5. Isaiah 47:6 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT lack and
  6. Isaiah 47:7 1QIsaa and MT use alternate forms; LXX reads the last things

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.

Read full chapter