ISAIAH 47 [†]  e Come down and sit in the dust,

O virgin  f daughter of Babylon;

 g sit on the ground without a throne,

O daughter of  h the Chaldeans!

 i For you shall no more be called

tender and delicate.

2[†] Take the millstones and  j grind flour,

 k put off your veil,

strip off your robe, uncover your legs,

pass through the rivers.

3[^] Your nakedness shall be uncovered,

and your disgrace shall be seen.

I will take vengeance,

and I will spare no one.

4[†]  l Our Redeemer—the LORD of hosts is his name—

is the Holy One of Israel.

5[†]  m Sit in silence, and go into darkness,

O daughter of  h the Chaldeans;

for you shall no more be called

 n the mistress of kingdoms.

6  o I was angry with my people;

I profaned my heritage;

I gave them into your hand;

 p you showed them no mercy;

on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy.

7 You said, “I shall be  q mistress forever,”

so that you did not lay these things to heart

or remember their end.

8[^][†] Now therefore hear this,  q you lover of pleasures,

 r who sit securely,

who say in your heart,

 s “I am, and there is no one besides me;

 t I shall not sit as a widow

or know the loss of children”:

9[†]  u These two things shall come to you

in a moment,  v in one day;

the loss of children and widowhood

shall come upon you in full measure,

 w in spite of your many sorceries

and the great power of your enchantments.

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,

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

11[†] But evil shall come upon you,

which you will not know how to charm away;

disaster shall fall upon you,

for which you will not be able to atone;

 y and ruin shall come upon you suddenly,

of which you know nothing.

12[†]  z 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 are wearied with your many counsels;

let them stand forth and save you,

 a those who divide the heavens,

who gaze at the stars,

who at the new moons make known

what shall come upon you.

14[†] Behold,  b they are like stubble;

 c 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 to you are those with whom you have labored,

who have done business with you from your youth;

they wander about, each in his own direction;

there is no one to save you.