Isaiah 47

1 Go down and sit in the dust, virgin daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground without a throne, daughter of Babylonia! No longer will people call you gentle 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 Go to work grinding flour with millstones. Remove your veil. Strip off your skirt, bare your legs, wade through rivers.

Take the mill stones, and grinde meale: loose thy lockes: make bare the feete: vncouer the legge, and passe through the floods.

3 You will be seen naked; what should be kept private will be shamefully exposed. I will take vengeance—I won't spare anyone.

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—his name is the Lord Almighty—is the Holy One of Israel.

Our redeemer, the Lord of hostes is his Name, the holy one of Israel.

5 Sit quietly, and go into the darkness, daughter of Babylonia. Never again will you be called queen of all 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, and I abandoned those who belonged to me. I handed them over to you. But you didn't show them mercy—you even mistreated 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 reign forever as the eternal queen.” But you didn't think about what was coming; you didn't remember what would happen to you in the end.

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 Now listen to this, you sensual woman, sitting there so sure of yourself, saying to yourself, “I am supreme—there's nobody besides me. I shall never be a widow or experience the loss of my 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 both these things will happen to you in quick succession! In just one day you will lose your children and become a widow. You will have this experience in its totality, in spite of all your witchcraft, in spite of all your magic spells.

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 put your trust in your evil actions, saying “No one can see what I'm doing.” Your wisdom and knowledge seduced you, and you told yourself, “I am supreme—there's nobody besides 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 Evil is going to strike you, and you won't be able to magic it away. Disaster will fall on you that you can't stop by paying a ransom. Destruction will suddenly hit you that you weren't expecting.

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 So keep going with your magic spells and all your witchcraft, which you have worked at since you were young. Maybe you'll be successful, maybe you'll terrify people!

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 All the advice you've received has worn you out! Where are your astrologers, those who look to the stars for guidance, who give you their predictions every month? Let them stand up and save you from what's coming down on 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 But look at them! They're like stubble that fire burns up completely—they can't even save their own lives from the flames. This is no fire to sit beside and grow warm!

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 All those people you've worked with, all those you've traded with from when you were young—they will all go their own way, nobody will come and save 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.