Isaiah 47

1Come 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.

2Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.

3Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.

4As for our redeemer, the LORD of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.

5Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms.

6I 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.

7And 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.

8Therefore 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:

9But 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.

10For 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.footnote a

11Therefore 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.footnote bfootnote c

12Stand 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.

13Thou 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.footnote dfootnote e

14Behold, 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.footnote f

15Thus 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.

The Humiliation of Babylon

1“Go down and sit in the dust,O Virgin Daughter of Babylon.Sit on the ground without a throne,O Daughter of the Chaldeans!footnote aFor you will no longer be calledtender or delicate. 2Take millstones and grind flour;remove your veil;strip off your skirt, bare your thigh,and wade through the streams. 3Your nakedness will be uncoveredand your shame will be exposed.I will take vengeance;I will spare no one.”

4Our Redeemer—the LORD of Hosts is His name—is the Holy One of Israel.

5“Sit in silence and go into darkness,O Daughter of the Chaldeans.For you will no longer be calledthe queen of kingdoms. 6I was angry with My people;I profaned My heritage,and I placed them under your control.You showed them no mercy;even on the elderly you laid a most heavy yoke. 7You said, ‘I will be queen forever.’You did not take these things to heartor consider their outcome.

8So now hear this,O lover of luxury who sits securely,who says to herself,‘I am, and there is none besides me.I will never be a widowor know the loss of children.’ 9These two things will overtake you in a moment,in a single day:loss of children, and widowhood.They will come upon you in full measure,in spite of your many sorceriesand the potency of your spells. 10You were secure in your wickedness;you said, ‘No one sees me.’Your wisdom and knowledge led you astray;you told yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’ 11But disaster will come upon you;you will not know how to charm it away.A calamity will befall youthat you will be unable to ward off.Devastation will happen to yousuddenly and unexpectedly.

12So take your stand with your spellsand with your many sorceries,with which you have wearied yourselffrom your youth.Perhaps you will succeed;perhaps you will inspire terror! 13You are wearied by your many counselors;let them come forward now and save you—your astrologers who observe the stars,who monthly predict your fate. 14Surely they are like stubble;the fire will burn them up.They cannot deliver themselvesfrom the power of the flame.There will be no coals to warm themor fire to sit beside. 15This is what they are to you—those with whom you have labored and traded from youth—each one strays in his own direction;not one of them can save you.