1 “ 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.

“ Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; Sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no longer be called tender and delicate.

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

“Take the millstones and grind meal. Remove your veil, strip off the skirt, Uncover the leg, cross the rivers.

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

“Your nakedness will be uncovered, Your shame also will be exposed; I will take vengeance and will not spare a man.”

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

Our Redeemer, the Lord of hosts is His name, The Holy One of Israel.

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

“ Sit silently, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans, For you will no longer be called The queen of kingdoms.

6 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.

“I was angry with My people, I profaned My heritage And gave them into your hand. You did not show mercy to them, On the aged you made your yoke very heavy.

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

“Yet you said, ‘I will be a queen forever.’ These things you did not consider Nor remember the outcome of them.

8 “ 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.’

“Now, then, hear this, you sensual one, Who dwells securely, Who says in your heart, ‘ I am, and there is no one besides me. I will not sit as a widow, Nor know loss of children.’

9 B ut 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.

“But these two things will come on you suddenly in one day: Loss of children and widowhood. They will come on you in full measure In spite of your many sorceries, In spite of the great power of your spells.

10 Y ou 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.’

“You felt secure in your wickedness and said, ‘ No one sees me,’ Your wisdom and your knowledge, they have deluded you; For you have said in your heart, ‘ I am, and there is no one besides me.’

11 M uch 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.

“But evil will come on you Which you will not know how to charm away; And disaster will fall on you For which you cannot atone; And destruction about which you do not know Will come on you suddenly.

12 “ 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.

“Stand fast now in your spells And in your many sorceries With which you have labored from your youth; Perhaps you will be able to profit, Perhaps you may cause trembling.

13 Y ou 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.

“You are wearied with your many counsels; Let now the astrologers, Those who prophesy by the stars, Those who predict by the new moons, Stand up and save you from what will come upon you.

14 S ee, 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!

“Behold, they have become like stubble, Fire burns them; They cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame; There will be no coal to warm by Nor a fire to sit before!

15 T his 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.

“So have those become to you with whom you have labored, Who have trafficked with you from your youth; Each has wandered in his own way; There is none to save you.