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Babulooni Esalirwa Omusango

47 (A)“Omuwala wa Babulooni embeerera,
    kakkana wansi otuule mu nfuufu,
tuula wansi awatali ntebe ya bwakabaka,
    ggwe omuwala w’Abakaludaaya.
Ekibuga ekitawangulwangako.
    Toliddayo nate kuyitibwa kyatika oba nnalulungi.
(B)Ddira olubengo ose obutta.
    Ggyako akatimba ku maaso,
situla ku ngoye z’oku magulu
    oyite mu mazzi.
(C)Obwereere bwo bulibikkulwa;
    obusungu bwo bulyeraga.
Nzija kuwoolera eggwanga;
    tewali muntu yenna gwe ndirekawo.”

(D)Omununuzi waffe Mukama Katonda ow’Eggye lye linnya lye,
    ye Mutukuvu wa Isirayiri.

(E)“Tuula mu kasirise
    yingira mu kizikiza ggwe omuwala w’Abakaludaaya,
tebakyakuyita kabaka omukazi
    afuga obwakabaka obungi.
(F)Nnali nsunguwalidde abantu bange,
    ne nyonoonesa omugabo gwange.
Nabawaayo mu mikono gyo,
    n’otobasaasira n’akatono.
N’abakadde wabateekako ekikoligo ekinene ennyo.
(G)Wayogera nti,
    ‘Nzija kubeera kabaka omukazi emirembe gyonna,’
naye n’otolowooza ku bintu bino
    wadde okulowooza ku kyali kigenda okubaawo.

(H)“Kale nno kaakano wuliriza kino,
    ggwe awoomerwa amasanyu
ggwe ateredde mu mirembe gyo,
    ng’oyogera mu mutima gwo nti,
‘Nze ndiwo era tewali mulala wabula nze.
    Siribeera nnamwandu
    wadde okufiirwa abaana.’
(I)Ebintu bino byombi birikutuukako mangu nnyo mu lunaku lumu,
    eky’okufiirwa abaana
    n’okufuuka nnamwandu.
Birikutuukako mu kigera kyabyo ekituufu,
    newaakubadde obulogo bwo nga bungi okuyitirira,
    n’eby’obufumu byo nga bigenze wala.
10 (J)Weesiga obutali butuukirivu bwo,
    n’olowooza nti, ‘Siriiko annondoola.’
Amagezi go era n’okumanya kwo byakuwabya,
    bwe wayogera nti, ‘Nze ndiwo, era teri mulala wabula nze.’
11 (K)Kyokka ensasagge erikujjira
    era tolimanya ngeri yakugyeggyako;
n’okuzikirira kw’otoliyinza kweggyako na muwendo gwa nsimbi;
    akabi k’otolirabirawo kalikutuukako amangu ddala.

12 (L)“Weeyongere nno n’obulogo bwo
    n’obufumu bwo obwayinga obungi,
    bwe wanyiikiriramu okuva mu buto bwo.
Oboolyawo olibaako kyoggyamu,
    oboolyawo olikolawo ekyobulabe.
13 (M)Amagezi ago g’ofuna gakukooya bukooya.
    Abalagulira ku munyeenye basembera,
n’abo abakebera emmunyeenye,
    era aboogera ebiribaawo buli mwezi, babadduukirire mu bigenda okubatuukako.
14 (N)Laba, bali ng’ebisusunku
    era omuliro gulibookya!
Tebalyewonya
    maanyi ga muliro.
Tewaliiwo manda ga kukubugumya
    wadde omuliro ogw’okwota!
15 (O)Ekyo kye bayinza okukukolera kyokka;
    b’obonyeebonye nabo
    b’oteganidde okuva mu buto bwo.
Buli muntu alikwata ekkubo lye nga yeeyongera okukola ebibi bye
    era tewali n’omu ayinza okukulokola.”

Babylon’s Fall

47 Come down and sit on the dust, virgin daughter of Babylon!
    Sit on the ground without a throne, daughter of Chaldea!
For they shall no longer call[a] you tender and delicate.
    Take the pair of mill stones and grind flour!
Uncover your veil,
    strip off your skirt,
uncover your thigh,
    pass through the rivers!
Your nakedness shall be exposed;
    indeed, your shame shall become visible.
I will take vengeance
    and I will not spare[b] a person.

Our redeemer, Yahweh of hosts is his name, the holy one of Israel.

Sit silently and go into the darkness, daughter of Chaldea,
    for they shall no longer call[c] you mistress of kingdoms.
I was angry with my people;
    I profaned my inheritance,
and I gave them into your hand.
    You did not give[d] them mercy;
on the aged you made your yoke very heavy.
    And you said, “I shall be an eternal mistress forever!”
You did not set these things upon your heart;
    you did not remember its end.
Therefore now hear this, luxuriant one who sits[e] in security,
    who says[f] in her heart, “I am, and besides me there is no one.
I shall not sit as a widow,
    and I shall not know the loss of children.”
And these two shall come to you in a moment, in one day:
    the loss of children and widowhood shall come on you completely,[g]
in spite of your many sorceries,
    in spite of the power of your great enchantments.
10 And you felt secure in your wickedness;
    you said, “No one[h] sees[i] me.”
Your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray,
    and you said in your heart, “I am, and besides me there is no one.”
11 And evil shall come upon you, you will not know;
    it will be on the lookout for her.
And disaster shall fall upon you; you will not be able to avert[j] it.
    And ruin shall come on you suddenly; you do not know.
12 Stand, now, in your enchantments,
    and in your many sorceries with which you have labored from your youth.
Perhaps you may be able to benefit;
    perhaps you may scare away.[k]
13 You struggle with your many consultations;[l]
    let them stand, now, and save you—
those who see the stars, divide the celestial sphere,[m]
    who inform by new moons—
        from those things that are coming upon you.
14 Look! They are like stubble;
    the fire burns them completely.
        They cannot deliver themselves[n] from the power[o] of the flame;
there is no coal for warming oneself,[p]
    no fire before which to sit.
15 So are to you those with whom you have labored,
    your traders from your youth.
They wander, each to his side;
    there is no one who can save you.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 47:1 Literally “you shall not add they shall call to”
  2. Isaiah 47:3 Literally “plead with”
  3. Isaiah 47:5 Literally “you shall not add they shall call to”
  4. Isaiah 47:6 Literally “set up”
  5. Isaiah 47:8 Or “sitting”
  6. Isaiah 47:8 Or “saying”
  7. Isaiah 47:9 Literally “as their fullness”
  8. Isaiah 47:10 Literally “none”
  9. Isaiah 47:10 Or “is seeing”
  10. Isaiah 47:11 Literally “make amends”
  11. Isaiah 47:12 Literally “terrify”
  12. Isaiah 47:13 Or “advice”
  13. Isaiah 47:13 Literally “heavens,” that is, for astrology
  14. Isaiah 47:14 Literally “their lives”
  15. Isaiah 47:14 Literally “hand”
  16. Isaiah 47:14 Literally “to grow warm”

Chapter 47

The Fall of Babylon[a]

Come down, sit in the dust,
    virgin daughter Babylon;
Sit on the ground, dethroned,
    daughter of the Chaldeans.
No longer shall you be called
    dainty and delicate.(A)
Take the millstone and grind flour,
    remove your veil;
Strip off your skirt, bare your legs,
    cross through the streams.
Your nakedness shall be uncovered,
    and your shame be seen;
I will take vengeance,
    I will yield to no entreaty,
    says our redeemer,
Whose name is the Lord of hosts,
    the Holy One of Israel.

Go into darkness and sit in silence,
    daughter of the Chaldeans,
No longer shall you be called
    sovereign mistress of kingdoms.
Angry at my people,
    I profaned my heritage
And gave them into your power;
    but you showed them no mercy;
Upon the aged
    you laid a very heavy yoke.
You said, “I shall remain always,
    a sovereign mistress forever!”
You did not take these things to heart,
    but disregarded their outcome.(B)
Now hear this, voluptuous one,
    enthroned securely,
Saying in your heart,
    “I, and no one else![b]
I shall never be a widow,
    bereft of my children”—(C)
Both these things shall come to you
    suddenly, in a single day:
Complete bereavement and widowhood
    shall come upon you
Despite your many sorceries
    and the full power of your spells;[c]
10 Secure in your wickedness,
    you said, “No one sees me.”
Your wisdom and your knowledge
    led you astray,
And you said in your heart,
    “I, and no one else!”
11 But upon you shall come an evil
    you will not be able to charm away;
Upon you shall fall a disaster
    you cannot ward off.
Upon you shall suddenly come
    a ruin you cannot imagine.

12 Keep on with your spells
    and your many sorceries,
    at which you toiled from your youth.
Perhaps you can prevail,
    perhaps you can strike terror!
13 You wore yourself out with so many consultations!
    Let the astrologers stand forth to save you,
The stargazers who forecast at each new moon
    what would happen to you.
14 See, they are like stubble,
    fire consumes them;
They cannot deliver themselves
    from the spreading flames.
This is no warming ember,
    no fire to sit before!
15 Thus do your wizards serve you
    with whom you have toiled from your youth;
They wander their separate ways,
    with none to save you.

Footnotes

  1. 47:1–15 A taunt-song, mocking Babylon, once queen of the nations, now a mere slave.
  2. 47:8, 10 I, and no one else: Babylon is mockingly presented as making the same claim as the Lord (cf. 45:6, 14, 22; 46:9), a claim that events will soon prove to be false and foolish (v. 11).
  3. 47:9–13, 15 Babylon was known for its sorcery and astrology.

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