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The Fall of Babylon

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 you shall no more be called
    tender and delicate.
Take the millstones and grind meal.
    Uncover your veil,
strip off the skirt, uncover the leg,
    pass over the rivers.
Your nakedness shall be uncovered,
    and your shame shall be seen;
I will take vengeance,
    and I will not meet you as a man.

As for our Redeemer, the Lord of Hosts is His name,
    the Holy One of Israel.

Sit silently, and go into darkness,
    O daughter of the Chaldeans;
for you shall no more be called
    the queen of kingdoms.
I was angry with My people;
    I have polluted My inheritance
and given them into your hand.
    You did not show them mercy;
on the aged
    you have laid your yoke very heavily.
You said, “I shall be a queen forever,”
    but you did not take these things to heart,
    nor remember the outcome of them.

Therefore, now hear this, you who are given to pleasures,
    who dwell carelessly,
who say in your heart,
    “I am, and there is no one 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
    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
    and for the great abundance of your enchantments.
10 For you have trusted in your wickedness;
    you have said, “No one sees me”;
your wisdom and your knowledge have perverted you;
    and you have said in your heart,
    “I am, and there is no one besides me.”
11 Therefore, evil shall come upon you,
    which you shall not know from where it rises.
And disaster shall fall upon you,
    for which you shall not be able to atone.
And desolation shall come upon you suddenly,
    which you shall not know.

12 Stand fast now with your enchantments,
    and with the multitude of your sorceries
    in which you have labored from your youth.
Perhaps you shall be able to profit,
    perhaps you may cause trembling.
13 You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels;
    let now the astrologers, the stargazers,
the monthly prognosticators stand up
    and save you from these things that shall come upon you.
14 Surely they shall be as stubble,
    the fire shall burn them;
they shall not deliver themselves
    from the power of the flame;
it shall not be coal to be warmed by
    nor a fire to sit before.
15 Thus those shall be to you
    with whom you have labored,
    even your merchants, from your youth;
they shall wander, everyone to his quarter.
    No one shall save you.

47 Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate. Take the millstones, and grind meal; remove thy veil, strip off the train, uncover the leg, pass through the rivers. Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and will spare no man. Our Redeemer, Jehovah 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 mistress of kingdoms. I was wroth with my people, I profaned mine inheritance, and gave them into thy hand: thou didst show them no mercy; upon the aged hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke. And thou saidst, I shall be mistress for ever; so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end thereof.

Now therefore hear this, thou that art given to pleasures, that [a]sittest securely, that sayest in thy heart, I am, and there is none else besides 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; in their full measure shall they come upon thee, in the multitude of thy sorceries, and 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 thy heart, I am, and there is none else besides me. 11 Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know [b]the dawning thereof: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it away: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou knowest not.

12 Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast labored from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest [c]prevail. 13 Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels: let now the [d]astrologers, the star-gazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from the 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: it shall not be a coal to warm at, nor a fire to sit before. 15 Thus shall the things be unto thee wherein thou hast labored: they that have trafficked with thee from thy youth shall wander every one to [e]his quarter; there shall be none to save thee.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 47:8 Or, dwellest
  2. Isaiah 47:11 Or, how to charm it away
  3. Isaiah 47:12 Or, strike terror
  4. Isaiah 47:13 Hebrew dividers of the heavens.
  5. Isaiah 47:15 Or, his own way