The Lord

47 ¹Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin[1] daughter of Babylon;
sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans,

for they will no longer call you “tender” and “delicate.”

²Take the millstones
and grind flour.

Take off your veil,
strip off your robe,
uncover your leg, cross the rivers.

³Your nakedness will be uncovered;
also, your shame will be seen.

I will take vengeance,
and I will spare no human.

Isaiah

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

The Lord

⁵Sit in silence
and go in darkness,

O daughter of the Chaldeans;
for you will no more be called

Unnamed individuals

“The Mistress of Kingdoms.”

The Lord

⁶I was angry with My people;
I profaned My inheritance,
and I gave them into your hand.

You showed them no mercy.
You made your yoke exceedingly heavy on the aged.

⁷And you said,

Babylon

“I will be a mistress forever.”

The Lord

You did not lay these things to heart
or remember the end.

⁸And now listen, you lover of pleasures
who sits securely,
who says in her heart:

Babylon

“I am,
and there is no one besides me.

I will not dwell as a widow
or know the loss of children.”

The Lord

⁹These two things will come to you in a moment,
in one day—

the loss of children
and widowhood.

They will come upon you in full measure,

despite your many sorceries
and the power of your great spells.

¹⁰You have trusted in your wickedness;
you said,

Babylon

“No one sees me.”

The Lord

Your wisdom and your knowledge have led you astray,
and in your heart, you said:

Babylon

“I am,
and there is no one besides me.”

The Lord

¹¹But evil will come upon you;
you will not know its dawn.

And disaster will fall upon you;
you will not be able to make atonement for it,

and catastrophe of which you know nothing
will come upon you suddenly.

¹²Now stand fast in your enchantments
and your many sorceries with which you have labored since your youth.

Perhaps you may be able to profit;
perhaps you may inspire terror.

¹³You are worn out because of your many advisors.
Let them stand up and save you,

those who divide the heavens,
who gaze at the stars,
who announce month by month what is about to happen to you.

¹⁴Behold, they are like stubble; fire consumes them.
They cannot deliver their souls from the power of the flame.

There is no coal for warming oneself,
no light to sit before.

¹⁵That is all they can do for you—these you have labored with
and merchandised with since your youth.

They wander, each in his own direction.
There is no one to save you.