Isaiah 47:1-11

English Standard Version

The Humiliation of Babylon

47 ^(A)Come down and sit in the dust,
    O virgin ^(B)daughter of Babylon;
^(C)sit on the ground without a throne,
    O daughter of ^(D)the Chaldeans!
^(E)For you shall no more be called
    tender and delicate.
²Take the millstones and ^(F)grind flour,
    ^(G)put off your veil,
strip off your robe, uncover your legs,
    pass through the rivers.
³Your nakedness shall be uncovered,
    and your disgrace shall be seen.
I will take vengeance,
    and I will spare no one.
⁴^(H)Our Redeemer—the Lord of hosts is his name—
    is the Holy One of Israel.

⁵^(I)Sit in silence, and go into darkness,
    O daughter of ^(J)the Chaldeans;
for you shall no more be called
    ^(K)the mistress of kingdoms.
⁶^(L)I was angry with my people;
    I profaned my heritage;
I gave them into your hand;
    ^(M)you showed them no mercy;
on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy.
⁷You said, “I shall be ^(N)mistress forever,”
    so that you did not lay these things to heart
    or remember their end.

⁸Now therefore hear this, ^(O)you lover of pleasures,
    ^(P)who sit securely,
who say in your heart,
    ^(Q)“I am, and there is no one besides me;
^(R)I shall not sit as a widow
    or know the loss of children”:
⁹^(S)These two things shall come to you
    in a moment, ^(T)in one day;
the loss of children and widowhood
    shall come upon you in full measure,
^(U)in spite of your many sorceries
    and the great power of your enchantments.

¹⁰You felt secure in your wickedness;
    you said, “No one sees me”;
your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray,
and you said in your heart,
    ^(V)“I am, and there is no one besides me.”
¹¹But evil shall come upon you,
    which you will not know how to charm away;
disaster shall fall upon you,
    for which you will not be able to atone;
^(W)and ruin shall come upon you suddenly,
    of which you know nothing.