< Isaiah 47 >
1 Come down and sit in the dust, virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, daughter of the Chaldeans. You will no longer be called dainty and delicate.
Come downe and sit in the dust: O virgine, daughter Babel, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, Tender and delicate.
2 Take the millstone and grind flour; remove your veil, strip off your flowing robe, uncover your legs, cross the streams.
Take the mill stones, and grinde meale: loose thy lockes: make bare the feete: vncouer the legge, and passe through the floods.
3 Your nakedness will be uncovered, yes, your shame will be seen: I will take vengeance and will not spare a man.
Thy filthinesse shall be discouered, and thy shame shall be seene: I will take vengeance, and I will not meete thee as a man.
4 Our Redeemer, Yahweh of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.
Our redeemer, the Lord of hostes is his Name, the holy one of Israel.
5 Sit in silence and go into darkness, daughter of the Chaldeans; for you will no longer be called queen of kingdoms.
Sit still, and get thee into darkenesse, O daughter of the Chaldeas: for thou shalt no more be called, The ladie of kingdomes.
6 I was angry with my people; I defiled my heritage and gave them over into your hand, but you showed them no mercy; you placed a very heavy yoke on the old people.
I was wroth with my people: I haue polluted mine inheritance, and giuen them into thine had: thou diddest shew them no mercy, but thou didest lay thy very heauy yoke vpon the ancient.
7 You said, “I will rule forever as sovereign queen.” You did not take these things to heart, nor did you consider how they would turn out.
And thou saidest, I shall be a ladie for euer, so that thou diddest not set thy mind to these things, neither diddest thou remember ye latter end therof.
8 So now hear this, you who love pleasure and sit securely; you who say in your heart, “I exist, and there is no one else like me; I will never sit as a widow, nor will I ever experience loss of children.”
Therefore nowe heare, thou that art giuen to pleasures, and dwellest carelesse, Shee sayeth in her heart, I am and none els: I shall not sit as a widowe, neither shall knowe the losse of children.
9 But these two things will come to you in a moment in one day: the loss of children and widowhood; in full force they will come on you, despite your sorceries and your many incantations and amulets.
But these two thinges shall come to thee suddenly on one day, the losse of children and widowhoode: they shall come vpon thee in their perfection, for the multitude of thy diuinations, and for the great abundance of thine inchanters.
10 You have trusted in your wickedness; you have said, “No one sees me”; your wisdom and your knowledge lead you astray, but you say in your heart, “I exist, and there is no one else like me.”
For thou hast trusted in thy wickednesse: thou hast sayd, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, they haue caused thee to rebel, and thou hast saide in thine heart, I am, and none els.
11 Disaster will overcome you; you will not be able to drive it away with your incantations. Destruction will fall on you; you will not be able to ward it off. Calamity will strike you suddenly, before you know it.
Therefore shall euill come vpon thee, and thou shalt not knowe the morning thereof: destruction shall fal vpon thee, which thou shalt not be able to put away: destruction shall come vpon thee suddenly, or thou beware.
12 Persist in casting your spells and your many sorceries which you have faithfully recited since your childhood; perhaps you will be successful, perhaps you will scare away disaster.
Stand now among thine inchanters, and in the multitude of thy southsaiers (with whome thou hast wearied thy selfe from thy youth) if so be thou maist haue profit, or if so be thou maist haue strength.
13 You are tired out with your many consultations; let those men stand up and save you—those who chart the heavens and look at the stars, those who declare the new moons—let them save you from what will happen to you.
Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels: let now the astrologers, the starre gasers, and prognosticatours stand vp, and saue thee from these things, that shall come vpon thee.
14 See, they will become like stubble. The fire will burn them up. They will not save themselves from the hand of the flame. There are no coals to warm them and no fire for them to sit by!
Beholde, they shall be as stubble: the fire shall burne them: they shall not deliuer their owne liues from the power of the flame: there shalbe no coles to warme at, nor light to sit by.
15 This is what they have become to you— those with whom you have worked, and you have bought and sold with them since your youth— they wandered about each one in his own direction; there is no one who can rescue you.”
Thus shall they serue thee, with whom thou hast wearied thee, euen thy marchants from thy youth: euery one shall wander to his owne quarter: none shall saue thee.