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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.

Det stolta Babel faller

47 (A) Kom ner och sätt dig i stoftet,

        du jungfru dotter Babel.
    Sätt dig på jorden utan tron,
        du kaldeernas dotter,
    för man ska inte mer kalla dig
        den fina och förnäma.

Ta en kvarn[a] och mal mjöl,
        lägg av din slöja[b],
    lyft upp släpet, blotta benen,
        vada genom strömmarna.
(B) Din nakenhet ska blottas,
        din skam ska synas.
    Jag ska utkräva hämnd
        och inte skona någon.
(C) Vår återlösares namn
    är Herren Sebaot, Israels Helige!

Sitt tyst och dra dig undan i mörkret,
        du kaldeernas dotter,
    för du ska inte mer kallas
        kungarikenas drottning.
(D) Jag blev vred på mitt folk,
    jag vanhelgade min arvedel
        och gav dem i din hand.
    Och du visade dem
        ingen barmhärtighet,
    du lät ditt ok tynga de gamla.
(E) Du tänkte:
    "Jag ska vara drottning
        för alltid!"
    Så du tog dig inte i akt
        och tänkte inte på slutet.

(F) Hör nu detta,
    du som lever i lyx,
        du som tronar så trygg,
    du som säger i ditt hjärta:
        "Jag och ingen annan!
    Aldrig ska jag sitta som änka,
        aldrig veta av barnlöshet."
(G) Plötsligt ska båda dessa olyckor
    drabba dig, på en och samma dag:
        barnlöshet och änkestånd.
    I fullt mått ska de drabba dig,
        trots dina många trollkonster[c],
    trots dina besvärjelsers stora kraft.
10 Du litade till din ondska och tänkte:
        "Ingen ser mig."
    Din vishet och kunskap
        förledde dig,
    och du sade i ditt hjärta:
        "Jag och ingen annan."
11 Därför ska en olycka drabba dig
        som du inte kan besvärja,
    ett fördärv ska falla över dig
        som du inte kan avvärja.
    Plötsligt ska förödelsen drabba dig,
        när du minst anar det.

12 Träd fram med dina besvärjelser
        och dina många trollkonster,
    som du har tröttat ut dig med
        sedan din ungdom.
    Kanske kan du få hjälp,
        kanske kan du skrämma bort
            faran?
13 Du har tröttat ut dig
        med dina många rådslag.
    Nu får de träda fram
        och rädda dig,
    de som mäter upp himlen
        och spanar i stjärnorna[d]
    och kungör månad för månad
        vad som ska komma över dig.
14 (H) Se, de är som strå
        som bränns upp i eld,
    de kan inte rädda sitt liv
        ur lågornas våld.
    Det är ingen koleld
        att värma sig vid,
    ingen brasa att sitta vid.
15 Så går det med
        dem som du tröttade ut dig med,
    dem du har handlat med
        sedan din ungdom.
    De irrar bort var och en åt sitt håll,
        det finns ingen som räddar dig.

Footnotes

  1. 47:2 kvarn   Att mala mjöl med handkvarn (två stenar) var en slavinnas syssla (2 Mos 11:5).
  2. 47:2 slöja   En gift kvinnas kännetecken och rättighet.
  3. 47:9 många trollkonster   Babel var beryktat för sin tro på magi. Tusentals besvärjelsetexter har grävts fram.
  4. 47:13 spanar i stjärnorna   Astrologin uppkom i Babylonien redan under patriarktiden.

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

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.
Take the millstones and (F)grind flour,
    (G)put off your veil,
strip off your robe, uncover your legs,
    pass through the rivers.
Your nakedness shall be uncovered,
    and your disgrace shall be seen.
I will take vengeance,
    and I will spare no one.
(H)Our Redeemer—the Lord of hosts is his name—
    is the Holy One of Israel.

(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.
(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.
You said, “I shall be (N)mistress forever,”
    so that you did not lay these things to heart
    or remember their end.

Now 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”:
(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.

10 You 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.”
11 But 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.

12 (X)Stand fast in your enchantments
    and your many sorceries,
    with which you have labored from your youth;
perhaps you may be able to succeed;
    perhaps you may inspire terror.
13 You are wearied with your many counsels;
    let them stand forth and save you,
(Y)those who divide the heavens,
    who gaze at the stars,
who at the new moons make known
    what shall come upon you.

14 Behold, (Z)they are like stubble;
    (AA)the fire consumes them;
they cannot deliver themselves
    from the power of the flame.
No coal for warming oneself is this,
    no fire to sit before!
15 Such to you are those with whom you have labored,
    who have done business with you from your youth;
they wander about, each in his own direction;
    there is no one to save you.

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)

“Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure,
    lounging in your security(AD)
and saying to yourself,
    ‘I am, and there is none besides me.(AE)
I will never be a widow(AF)
    or suffer the loss of children.’
Both of these will overtake you
    in a moment,(AG) on a single day:
    loss of children(AH) and widowhood.(AI)
They will come upon you in full measure,
    in spite of your many sorceries(AJ)
    and all your potent spells.(AK)
10 You have trusted(AL) in your wickedness
    and have said, ‘No one sees me.’(AM)
Your wisdom(AN) and knowledge mislead(AO) you
    when you say to yourself,
    ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’
11 Disaster(AP) will come upon you,
    and you will not know how to conjure it away.
A calamity will fall upon you
    that you cannot ward off with a ransom;
a catastrophe you cannot foresee
    will suddenly(AQ) come upon you.

12 “Keep on, then, with your magic spells
    and with your many sorceries,(AR)
    which you have labored at since childhood.
Perhaps you will succeed,
    perhaps you will cause terror.
13 All the counsel you have received has only worn you out!(AS)
    Let your astrologers(AT) come forward,
those stargazers who make predictions month by month,
    let them save(AU) you from what is coming upon you.
14 Surely they are like stubble;(AV)
    the fire(AW) will burn them up.
They cannot even save themselves
    from the power of the flame.(AX)
These are not coals for warmth;
    this is not a fire to sit by.
15 That is all they are to you—
    these you have dealt with
    and labored(AY) with since childhood.
All of them go on in their error;
    there is not one that can save(AZ) you.

Footnotes

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