Isaiah 47

1 “Come down and sit in the dust, virgin daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground without a throne, daughter of the Kasdim. For you will no longer be called tender and delicate.

[Yahweh also says], “You people of Babylon, you should go and sit in the dust/dirt [to show that you are mourning], because your time to rule [MTY] [other countries] is almost ended. People will never again say that Babylonia is beautiful [like] a very attractive/beautiful young woman.

2 Take the millstones and grind flour. Remove your veil, lift up your skirt, uncover your legs, and wade through the rivers.

[You will be slaves, so] take heavy stones and grind grain [like slave women do]. Take off your [beautiful] veils and take off your robes [as you prepare to cross streams to go where you will be forced to go].

3 Your nakedness will be uncovered. Yes, your shame will be seen. I will take vengeance, and will spare no one.”

You will be naked and [very] ashamed. I will get vengeance on you and not pity you.”

4 Our Redeemer, the LORD of Hosts is his name, is the Holy One of Israel.

The one who frees us [people of Judah], whom we call ‘the Commander of the armies of angels’, is the Holy One of Israel.

5 “Sit in silence, and go into darkness, daughter of the Kasdim. For you shall no longer be called the mistress of kingdoms.

[Yahweh says], “You people of Babylon, sit silently in the darkness, because people will never again say that your city is [like] [MET] a queen that rules many kingdoms.

6 I was angry with my people. I profaned my inheritance and gave them into your hand. You showed them no mercy. You laid a very heavy yoke on the aged.

I was angry with the people whom I chose [to belong to me], and I punished them. I allowed you [people of Babylon] to conquer them. But [when you conquered them], you did not have mercy on them. You (oppressed/treated cruelly) [MET] even the old people.

7 You said, ‘I will be a princess forever,’ so that you didn’t lay these things to your heart, nor did you remember the results.

You said, ‘We will rule [other nations] forever; [it is as though our city] will be the queen [of the world] forever!’ But you did not think about the things [that you were doing], or think about what would result.

8 “Now therefore hear this, you who are given to pleasures, who sit securely, who say in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me. I won’t sit as a widow, neither will I know the loss of children.’

You people [of Babylon] who enjoy pleasure and sex, listen to this: You enjoy a luxurious life and you feel secure. You say, ‘We are [like gods], and there are no others like us. Our women will never become widows, and our children will never be killed [in wars].’

9 But these two things will come to you in a moment in one day: the loss of children and widowhood. They will come on you in their full measure, in the multitude of your sorceries, and the great abundance of your enchantments.

But both of those things will happen to you suddenly: Many of your women will become widows and many of your children will die, even though you perform much sorcery and many kinds of magic [to prevent bad things from happening to you].

10 For you have trusted in your wickedness. You have said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and your knowledge has perverted you. You have said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me.’

You felt protected even though you were doing many wicked things, and you said, ‘No one will see what we [are doing]!’ [You thought that] you were very wise and knew many things, and you said, ‘We are gods, and there are no others like us,’ but you deceived yourselves.

11 Therefore disaster will come on you. You won’t know when it dawns. Mischief will fall on you. You won’t be able to put it away. Desolation will come on you suddenly, which you don’t understand.

So you will experience terrible things, and you will not be able to prevent them by working magic. You will experience disasters, and you will not be able to pay anyone to prevent those things from happening. (A catastrophe/Something terrible) will happen to you suddenly, something that you will not realize [is about to happen].

12 “Stand now with your enchantments and with the multitude of your sorceries, in which you have laboured from your youth, as if you might profit, as if you might prevail.

So you can continue to perform all your magic spells [IRO]! You can perform the many kinds of sorcery that you have practiced for many years! Perhaps [doing those things will enable you to] be successful; perhaps you will be able to cause your enemies to be afraid of you!

13 You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels. Now let the astrologers, the stargazers, and the monthly prognosticators stand up and save you from the things that will happen to you.

But [all that has resulted from your] doing all the things that the magicians have told you to do is that you have become tired! The men who look at the stars every month and predict what will happen should come forward and rescue you [from the disasters that you are about to experience].

14 Behold, they are like stubble. The fire will burn them. They won’t deliver themselves from the power of the flame. It won’t be a coal to warm at or a fire to sit by.

But [they cannot do that, because] they are like [SIM] straw that is burning in a fire; they cannot save themselves from being burned up in the flames. Those men are unable to help you [MET]; they are as useless as stubble [that burns quickly and produces no heat] for you.

15 The things that you laboured in will be like this: those who have trafficked with you from your youth will each wander in his own way. There will be no one to save you.

The people whom you have associated with and worked with since you were young [will not help you], because they will just continue doing their own foolish things, and they will not pay any attention to you [when you cry out for help].”