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Prediction of Babylon’s Fall

47 “Come down, virgin daughter of Babylon, and sit in the dust.
    For your days of sitting on a throne have ended.
O daughter of Babylonia,[a] never again will you be
    the lovely princess, tender and delicate.
Take heavy millstones and grind flour.
    Remove your veil, and strip off your robe.
    Expose yourself to public view.[b]
You will be naked and burdened with shame.
    I will take vengeance against you without pity.”

Our Redeemer, whose name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
    is the Holy One of Israel.

“O beautiful Babylon, sit now in darkness and silence.
    Never again will you be known as the queen of kingdoms.
For I was angry with my chosen people
    and punished them by letting them fall into your hands.
But you, Babylon, showed them no mercy.
    You oppressed even the elderly.
You said, ‘I will reign forever as queen of the world!’
    You did not reflect on your actions
    or think about their consequences.

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Footnotes

  1. 47:1 Or Chaldea; also in 47:5.
  2. 47:2 Hebrew Bare your legs; pass through the rivers.

The Fall of Babylon

47 “Come down and sit in the dust,
    Virgin Daughter of Babylon.
Sit on[a] the ground without a chair,
    Daughter of the Chaldeans!
For no longer will they call you
    tender and attractive.
Take millstones and grind flour.
    Remove your veil,
strip off your robes,[b]
    bare your legs,
        and wade through the rivers.
Your nakedness will be[c] exposed,
    and your disgrace will also be seen.
I’ll take vengeance,
    and I will spare no mortal.

“Our Redeemer—
    the Lord of the Heavenly Armies is his name—
        is the Holy One of Israel.

“Sit silent,[d] and enter into the darkness,
    you daughter of the Chaldeans;
for no more will they call you
    Queen of Kingdoms.
I was angry with my people,
    and[e] I desecrated my heritage,
and gave them into your control.
    You showed them no mercy;
        even on the aged you laid your yoke most heavily.
You said, ‘I will always continue—Queen forever!’
    You didn’t take these things into your thinking,
        nor did you think about their consequences.[f]

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 47:1 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT use another preposition
  2. Isaiah 47:2 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab 4QIsad MT read skirt
  3. Isaiah 47:3 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT read let it be
  4. Isaiah 47:5 1QIsaa and MT use alternate forms of the same term
  5. Isaiah 47:6 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT lack and
  6. Isaiah 47:7 1QIsaa and MT use alternate forms; LXX reads the last things