1 « انزِلِي وَاجلِسِي عَلَى التُّرابِ، يا بابِلُ العَذراءُ. اجلِسِي عَلَى الأرْضِ بِلا عَرْشٍ، يا ابنَةَ الكِلدانِيِّينَ. لأنَّكِ لَنْ تُدعَي فِيما بَعْدُ ‹الرَّقِيقَةَ المُتَرَفِّهَةَ.›

“Come down and sit in the dust, O pure daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground without a throne, O people of the Babylonians. For you will no longer be called soft and gentle.

2 خ ُذِي حِجارَةَ الرَّحَى وَاطحَنِي قَمحاً لِعَمَلِ الدَّقِيقِ، أزِيلِي غِطاءَ وَجْهِكِ، ارفَعِي أطرافَ ثَوبِكِ وَاعبُرِي الأنهارَ.

Take the heavy stones and grind grain. Take off your face-covering and your clothing. Take the covering off your legs, and cross the rivers.

3 س َتَنكَشِفُ عَورَتُكِ، وَخِزيُكِ سَيُرَى. سَأُعاقِبُكِ، وَلَنْ أترُكَ أحَداً بِلا عِقابٍ.»

Your body will not be covered, and your shame will be seen. I will punish, and will not show pity to any man.”

4 « يَقُولُ شَعبِي: ‹فادِينا، يهوه القَدِيرُ اسْمُهُ، هُوَ قُدُّوسُ إسْرائِيلَ.›

The One Who bought us and saves us, the Lord of All is His name, the Holy One of Israel.

5 ا جلِسِي صامِتَةً وَاذْهَبِي إلَى الظَّلامِ، يا ابنَةَ الكِلدانِيِّينَ. لأنَّكِ لَنْ تُدعَي فِيما بَعْدُ مَلِكَةَ المَمالِكِ.

“Sit and be quiet, and go into darkness, O people of the Babylonians. For you will no more be called the queen of nations.

6 « غَضِبتُ عَلَى شَعبِيَ، فَدَنَّسْتُ الَّذِينَ هُمْ لِي! ثُمَّ سَلَّمْتُكِ إيّاهُمْ. فَلَمْ تَرحَميهُمْ بَلْ وَضَعْتِ قُيُودَكِ حَتَّى عَلَى الكِبارِ.

I was angry with My people. I made My chosen nation unclean, and gave them into your hand. You did not show loving-kindness to them. On the older people you made your load very heavy.

7 ق ُلْتِ: ‹سَأعِيشُ إلَى الأبَدِ مَلِكَةً أبَدِيَّةً.› لَمْ تُفَكِّرِي بِهَذِهِ الأُمُورِ، وَلَمْ تَتَأمَّلِي فِي عاقِبَتِها.

You said, ‘I will be a queen forever.’ So you did not think about these things, or remember what might happen.

8 ل ِذا اسْتَمِعِي أيَّتُها المُتَرَفِّهَةُ الجالِسَةُ فِي طُمَأنِينَةٍ. أيَّتُها القائِلَةُ لِنَفسِها: ‹أنا صاحِبَةُ السُّلطانِ، وَلَيسَ هُناكَ غَيرِي. لَنْ أتَرَمَّلَ، وَلَنْ أفقِدَ أولادِي.›

“So now hear this, you who love the desires of the body, who live without fear of danger. You say in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one besides me. I will not sit as a woman whose husband has died, and I will not lose my children.’

9 ب َلْ يُصيبُكِ هَذانِ مَعاً فَجأةً وَفِي يَومٍ واحِدٍ، تَتَرَمَّلِينَ وَتَفقِدِينَ أولادَكِ. بِالرَّغمِ مِنْ كُلِّ سِحرِكِ، وَمِنْ قُوَّةِ تَعاوِيذِكِ العَظِيمَةِ.

But these two things will come upon you all at once in one day. You will lose your children and your husband. All this trouble will come to you, even with all your witchcraft and the strong power of your sinful secret ways.

10 ش َعَرتِ بِالأمانِ فِي شَرِّكِ، وَقُلْتِ: ‹لا أحَدَ يَرانِي.› أضَلَّتْكِ حِكمَتُكِ وَمَعرِفَتُكِ. قُلْتِ فِي قَلبِكِ: ‹أنا صاحِبَةُ السُّلطانِ، وَلَيسَ هُناكَ غَيرِي.›

You trusted in your sin and said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and learning have led you the wrong way, for you have said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one besides me.’

11 « لِذَلِكَ سَتَأتِي المَصائِبُ عَلَيكِ، وَلَنْ تَعرِفِي مَتَى سَتَحدُثُ. سَيَقَعُ الدَّمارُ عَلَيكِ، وَلَنْ تَقدِرِي أنْ تَصُدِّيهِ. وَسَتَأتِي الكارِثَةُ عَلَيكِ فَجأةً مِنْ دُونِ أنْ تَعرِفِي أنَّها آتِيَةٌ.

Much trouble will come upon you, and you will not know how to get away from it. Trouble will fall on you, and there will be no way for you to pay that it might go away. You will not know it but all at once you will be destroyed.

12 ا سْتَمِرِّي فِي تَعاوِيذِكِ وَسِحرِكِ، فَقَدِ انشَغَلتِ بِذَلِكَ مُنذُ صِباكِ. فَلَرُبَّما تَنجَحِينَ! وَرُبَّما تُخِيفِينَ أحَداً.

“Keep on with your sinful secret ways and all your witchcraft that you have used since you were young. It might be that you will get something from it. Maybe you can cause fear.

13 « أنتِ مُنهَكَةٌ مِنْ كُلِّ اسْتِشاراتِكِ. لِيَقِفِ أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ يَدرُسُونَ الأفلاكَ وَيُخَلِّصُوكِ. وَلِيَقِفِ أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ يُراقِبُونَ النُّجُومَ وَاوائِلِ الشُّهُورِ، وَيُخبِرُوكِ بِما سَيَحدُثُ لَكِ.

You are tired with your many wise men. Now call the star watchers, those who tell by the stars what will happen in the future, those who tell the future by the new moons. Have them stand up and save you from what will come upon you.

14 إ نَّهُمْ مِثلُ القَشِّ الَّذِي تُحرِقُهُ النّارُ. لا يَستَطِيعُونَ أنْ يُخَلِّصُوا أنفُسَهُمْ مِنْ قُوَّةِ اللَّهِيبِ. لَيسَ هَذا جَمراً لِتَستَدفِئِي بِهِ، وَلا ناراً لِتَجلِسِي أمامَها.

See, they have become like dry grass. Fire burns them. They cannot take themselves away from the power of the fire. This is no fire for making one warm, or fire to sit by!

15 ه َؤلاءِ هُمُ الَّذِينَ تَعِبتِ عَلَيهِمْ، شُرَكاؤُكِ فِي التِّجارَةِ مُنذُ صِباكِ. كُلُّ واحِدٍ مِنهُمْ ضَلَّ طَرِيقَهُ، وَلا يُوجَدُ مَنْ يُخَلِّصُكِ.»

This is how those are to you, with whom you have worked since you were young. Each one has gone on in his own wrong way. There is no one who can save you.