Isaiah 47
Expanded Bible
God Will Destroy Babylon
47 The Lord says, “·City of [L Virgin daughter] Babylon, go down and sit in the ·dirt [dust].
·People of Babylon [L Daughter of the Chaldeans], sit on the ground.
·You are no longer the ruler [L …without a throne].
You will no longer be called
tender or ·beautiful [delicate; pampered].
2 Take millstones and grind grain into flour.
Remove your veil and ·take [strip] off your nice skirts.
Uncover your legs and cross the rivers [C actions of a servant, not a queen].
3 People will see your nakedness;
they will see your shame [C probably a euphemism for sexual organs].
I will ·punish you [take vengeance];
I will ·punish every one of you [spare no one].”
4 Our ·Savior [Redeemer] is named the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts];
he is the Holy One of Israel [1:4].
5 “·Babylon [L Daughter of the Chaldeans], sit in ·darkness and say nothing [L silence and go into darkness].
You will no longer be called the queen of kingdoms.
6 I was angry with my people,
so I ·rejected [defiled; desecrated; profaned] ·those who belonged to me [my inheritance/possession].
I gave them ·to you [L into your hand],
but you showed them no mercy.
You even ·made the old people
work very hard [L laid a very heavy yoke on the aged].
7 You said, ‘I will ·live [reign; be] forever as the queen.’
But you did not think about these things
or consider ·what would happen [the outcome/end].
8 “Now, listen, you lover of pleasure.
You ·think you are safe [who dwell in security].
You tell yourself,
‘·I am the only one [L I am], and there is no other [Zeph. 2:15].
I will never be a widow
or ·lose [L know the loss of] my children.’
9 Two things will happen to you suddenly, in a single day.
You will lose your children and ·your husband [L become a widow].
These things will ·truly happen to [or overwhelm; L come in abundance upon] you,
in spite of all your ·magic [sorceries],
in spite of your powerful ·tricks [spells; enchantments].
10 You ·do evil things, but you feel safe [L trusted/felt secure in your evil/wickedness]
and say, ‘No one sees ·what I do [L me].’
Your wisdom and knowledge
have ·fooled [mislead] you.
You say to yourself,
‘·I am the only one [L I am], and there is no other [v. 8].’
11 But ·troubles [disaster; evil] will come ·to [upon] you,
and you will not know how to ·stop them [conjure/charm it away].
·Disaster [Calamity; Destruction] will fall on you,
and you will not be able to ·keep it away [appease it; make atonement/pay ransom for it].
A catastrophe will strike ·quickly [suddenly];
you will not even ·see it coming [L know].
12 “Keep on using your ·tricks [magic spells; enchantments]
and doing all your ·magic [sorceries]
that you have ·used [practiced; labored at] since you were young.
Maybe ·they will help you [you will succeed/profit];
maybe you will be able to ·scare someone [provoke terror].
13 You are tired of the ·advice [counsel] you have received.
So let ·those who study the sky [the astrologers; L those who divide the heavens]—
those who ·tell the future by looking at the stars and the new moons [L gaze at the stars to know the months]—
let them save you from what is about to happen to you.
14 But they are like straw;
fire will quickly burn them up.
They cannot save themselves
from the power of the fire.
They are not like coals that give warmth
nor like a fire that you may sit beside.
15 You have ·worked [labored] with these people,
and they have ·been [or done business] with you since you were young,
but they will not be able to help you.
Everyone will ·go [or wander off] his own way,
and there will be no one left to save you.”
Isaiah 47
New American Standard Bible
Mourning for Babylon
47 “(A)Come down and sit in the dust,
(B)Virgin (C)daughter of Babylon;
Sit on the ground without a throne,
Daughter of the Chaldeans!
For you will no longer be called (D)tender and delicate.
2 Take the (E)millstones and (F)grind flour.
Remove your (G)veil, (H)strip off the skirt,
Uncover the leg, cross the rivers.
3 Your (I)nakedness will be uncovered,
Your shame will also be exposed;
I will (J)take vengeance and will not spare anyone.”
4 Our (K)Redeemer, the Lord of armies is His name,
The Holy One of Israel.
5 “(L)Sit silently, and go into (M)darkness,
Daughter of the Chaldeans;
For you will no longer be called
The (N)queen of (O)kingdoms.
6 I was angry with My people,
I profaned My heritage
And handed them over to you.
You did not show mercy to them,
On the (P)aged you made your yoke very heavy.
7 Yet you said, ‘I will be a (Q)queen forever.’
These things you did not (R)consider
Nor remember the (S)outcome of [a]them.
8 “Now, then, hear this, you (T)luxuriant one,
Who (U)lives securely,
Who says in her heart,
‘(V)I am, and there is no one besides me.
I will (W)not sit as a widow,
Nor know the loss of children.’
9 But these (X)two things will come on you (Y)suddenly in one day:
Loss of children and widowhood.
They will come on you in full measure
In spite of your many (Z)sorceries,
In spite of the great power of your spells.
10 You felt (AA)secure in your wickedness and said,
‘(AB)No one sees me,’
Your (AC)wisdom and your knowledge, [b]they have led you astray;
For you have said in your heart,
‘(AD)I am, and there is no one besides me.’
11 But (AE)evil will come on you
Which you will not know how to charm away;
And disaster will fall on you
For which you cannot atone;
And (AF)destruction about which you do not know
Will come on you (AG)suddenly.
12 “Persist now in your (AH)spells
And in your many sorceries
With which you have labored from your youth;
Perhaps you will be able to benefit,
Perhaps you may cause trembling.
13 You are (AI)wearied with your many counsels;
Let now the (AJ)astrologers,
Those who prophesy by the stars,
Those who predict by the new moons,
Stand up and (AK)save you from what will come upon you.
14 Behold, they have become (AL)like stubble,
(AM)Fire burns them;
They cannot save themselves from the power of the flame;
There will be (AN)no coal to warm by
Nor a fire to sit before!
15 So have those become to you with whom you have labored,
Those who have (AO)done business with you from your youth;
Each has wandered in his own [c]way;
There is (AP)no one to save you.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 47:7 Lit it
- Isaiah 47:10 Lit it has
- Isaiah 47:15 Lit side, region
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
