1 C ome down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.
Come down, and sit in the dust, O Virgin Daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground; there is no throne for you, O Daughter of the Chaldeans, for you shall no longer be called dainty and delicate.
2 T ake the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.
Take the millstones and grind meal; take off your veil and uncover your hair. Remove your skirt, bare your leg, wade through the rivers.
3 T hy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.
Your nakedness shall be exposed, and your shame shall be seen. I will take vengeance, and I will spare no man,
4 A s for our redeemer, the Lord of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.
our Redeemer—the Lord of hosts is His name—the Holy One of Israel.
5 S it thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms.
Sit in silence and go into darkness, O Daughter of the Chaldeans; for you shall no more be called the lady and mistress of kingdoms.
6 I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke.
I was angry with My people, I profaned My inheritance; and I gave them into your hand. You showed them no mercy; upon the old people you made your yoke very heavy.
7 A nd thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it.
And you said, I shall be the mistress forever! So you did not lay these things to heart, nor did you remember the certain, ultimate end of such conduct.
8 T herefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:
Therefore now, hear this, you who love pleasures and are given over to them, you who dwell safely and sit securely, who say in your mind, I am and there is no one else besides me. I shall not sit as a widow, nor shall I know the loss of children.
9 B ut these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.
But these two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day: loss of children and widowhood. They shall come upon you in full measure, in spite of the multitude of power given you by the assistance of evil spirits, in spite of the great abundance of your enchantments.
10 F or thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.
For you have trusted in your wickedness; you have said, No one sees me. Your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart and mind, I am, and there is no one besides me.
11 T herefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.
Therefore shall evil come upon you; you shall not know the dawning of it or how to charm it away. And a disaster and evil shall fall upon you that you shall not be able to atone for; and desolation shall come upon you suddenly, about which you shall know nothing or how to avert it.
12 S tand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.
Persist, then, with your enchantments and the multitude of your sorceries, in which you have labored from your youth; and see if perhaps you will be able to profit, if you will prevail and strike terror!
13 T hou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.
You are wearied with your many counsels and plans. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, and the monthly prognosticators stand up and make known to you and save you from the things that shall come upon you.
14 B ehold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.
Behold, they are like stubble; the fire consumes them. They cannot even deliver themselves from the power of the flame. There is no coal for warming or fire before which to sit!
15 T hus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.
Such to you shall they be, those with whom you have labored and such their fate, those who have done business with you from your youth; they will wander, every one to his own quarter and in his own direction. No one will save you.