Isaiah, 47

1. Step down! Sit in the dust, virgin daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground, no throne, daughter of the Chaldaeans, for never again will you be called tender and delicate.

1. Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chalde'ans! For you shall no more be called tender and delicate.

2. Take the grinding mill, crush up the meal. Remove your veil, tie up your skirt, bare your legs, cross the rivers.

2. Take the millstones and grind meal, put off your veil, strip off your robe, uncover your legs, pass through the rivers.

3. Let your nakedness be displayed and your shame exposed. I am going to take vengeance and no one will stand in my way.

3. Your nakedness shall be uncovered, and your shame shall be seen. I will take vengeance, and I will spare no man.

4. Our redeemer, Yahweh Sabaoth is his name, the Holy One of Israel, says:

4. Our Redeemer -- the LORD of hosts is his name -- is the Holy One of Israel.

5. Sit in silence, bury yourself in darkness, daughter of the Chaldaeans, for never again will you be called the mistress of kingdoms.

5. Sit in silence, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chalde'ans; for you shall no more be called the mistress of kingdoms.

6. Being angry with my people, I rejected my heritage, surrendering them into your clutches. You showed them no mercy, you made your yoke very heavy on the aged.

6. I was angry with my people, I profaned my heritage; I gave them into your hand, you showed them no mercy; on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy.

7. You thought, 'I shall be a queen for ever.' You did not reflect on these matters or think about the future.

7. You said, "I shall be mistress for ever," so that you did not lay these things to heart or remember their end.

8. Now listen to this, voluptuous woman, lolling at ease and thinking to yourself, 'I am the only one who matters. I shall never be widowed, never know bereavement.'

8. Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures, who sit securely, who say in your heart, "I am, and there is no one besides me; I shall not sit as a widow or know the loss of children":

9. Yet both these things will befall you, suddenly, in one day. Bereavement and widowhood will suddenly befall you in spite of all your witchcraft and the potency of your spells.

9. These two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day; the loss of children and widowhood shall come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the great power of your enchantments.

10. Confident in your wickedness, you thought, 'No one can see me.' Your wishes and your knowledge were what deluded you, as you thought to yourself, 'I am the only one who matters.'

10. You felt 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 am, and there is no one besides me."

11. Hence, disaster will befall you which you will not know how to charm away, calamity overtake you which you will not be able to avert, ruination will suddenly befall you, such as you have never known.

11. But evil shall come upon you, for which you cannot atone; disaster shall fall upon you, which you will not be able to expiate; and ruin shall come on you suddenly, of which you know nothing.

12. Keep to your spells then, and all your sorceries, at which you have worked so hard since you were young. Perhaps you will succeed, perhaps you will strike terror!

12. Stand fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries, with which you have labored from your youth; perhaps you may be able to succeed, perhaps you may inspire terror.

13. You have had many tiring consultations: let the astrologers come forward now and save you, the star-gazers who announce month by month what will happen to you next.

13. You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons predict what shall befall you.

14. Look, they are like wisps of straw, the fire will burn them up. They will not save their lives from the power of the flame. No embers these, for keeping warm, no fire to sit beside!

14. Behold, they are like stubble, the fire consumes them; they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. No coal for warming oneself is this, no fire to sit before!

15. Such will your wizards prove to be for you, for whom you have worked so hard since you were young; each wandering his own way, none of them can save you.

15. Such to you are those with whom you have labored, who have trafficked with you from your youth; they wander about each in his own direction; there is no one to save you.