Isaiah 47
47
An Ode to the Fall of Babylon
1“Get down from your throne and sit in the dust, O Miss Babylon!
Sit on the ground where you belong,
not on a throne, O Miss Chaldea!
For you will never be described again as ‘delicate and dainty.’ # 47:1 Or “pampered and spoiled.”
2Take off your pretty veil; # 47:2 Or “your flowing tresses.”
take two millstones and grind grain. # 47:2 Grinding with millstones was considered the lowest of menial work, usually done by slaves. See Ex. 11:5.
Lift your skirt, bare your legs, and wade through the rivers.
3Your humiliating nakedness will be uncovered,
your shame exposed and seen by all. # 47:3 It is true that Babylon has fallen historically, but we can understand that the “Babylonian system” in the church is also falling. Old concepts are crumbling and being swept away (see 2 Cor. 10:3–6) as God exposes our impurity. Yet the Redeemer stands ready to restore and revive those with hungry, passionate hearts for God.
I will take vengeance and let no one intercede for you.” # 47:3 The Hebrew meaning of this clause is uncertain.
4We have a Redeemer. Yahweh is his name,
the Commander of Angel Armies, the Holy One of Israel!
5“Sit silently and go away into the darkness, O Miss Chaldea!
For you will no longer be called the Mistress of Kingdoms.
6I became angry with my people,
so I wounded # 47:6 Or “defiled,” which comes from a root word meaning “to pierce” or “to wound.” my special ones.
I handed them over to you, and you took them captive.
You showed them no mercy;
you even made the elderly suffer under your heavy yoke.
7You thought,
‘I will be the Mistress of Kingdoms forever.’
But you never considered what you were doing
or reflected on how all this would end.
8“So now, listen to this, you pampered lover of pleasure,
who sits smug and secure and says in her heart,
‘I am, and there is no one like me!
I will never have to live as a widow
or suffer the loss of my children.’
9Suddenly both of these losses will overtake you in one day,
for you will lose your husband and your children.
Despite your many magic spells and your powerful sorceries,
you will be overwhelmed by these tragedies in full measure!
10You felt so smug and secure in your wickedness.
You thought, ‘No one sees me.’
Your idea of ‘wisdom’ and self-professed ‘knowledge’
has led you astray, saying in your heart,
‘I am! There is none like me!’
11An avalanche of evil will come upon you
that no magic spell will be able to avert.
Great disaster is about to fall upon you
that you will not be able to ward off!
Total devastation will strike you suddenly.
It will happen so swiftly you won’t even see it coming!
12“So go ahead—keep trusting in your sorceries
and the witchcraft you’ve practiced since your youth.
Perhaps you might succeed!
Perhaps you’ll scare away your impending doom!
13You must be fatigued with so much counsel!
Let the stargazers and astrologers take their stand.
See if they can help you now!
Let them make their monthly predictions.
Maybe they can reveal what
is about to come upon you.
14Look at them!
They’re nothing but straw for the consuming fire.
They can’t even rescue themselves from the power of the flame.
And this is not some cozy fire
that you sit beside to keep yourself warm!
15These traders, with whom you have dealt since your youth,
will do nothing but disappoint you.
Each has wandered off to his own way—
there is no one left to rescue you!”
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Isaiah 47: TPT
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Learn More About The Passion TranslationIsaiah 47
47
Prediction of Babylon’s Fall
1“Come down, virgin daughter of Babylon, and sit in the dust.
For your days of sitting on a throne have ended.
O daughter of Babylonia,#47:1 Or Chaldea; also in 47:5. never again will you be
the lovely princess, tender and delicate.
2Take heavy millstones and grind flour.
Remove your veil, and strip off your robe.
Expose yourself to public view.#47:2 Hebrew Bare your legs; pass through the rivers.
3You will be naked and burdened with shame.
I will take vengeance against you without pity.”
4Our Redeemer, whose name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
is the Holy One of Israel.
5“O beautiful Babylon, sit now in darkness and silence.
Never again will you be known as the queen of kingdoms.
6For I was angry with my chosen people
and punished them by letting them fall into your hands.
But you, Babylon, showed them no mercy.
You oppressed even the elderly.
7You said, ‘I will reign forever as queen of the world!’
You did not reflect on your actions
or think about their consequences.
8“Listen to this, you pleasure-loving kingdom,
living at ease and feeling secure.
You say, ‘I am the only one, and there is no other.
I will never be a widow or lose my children.’
9Well, both these things will come upon you in a moment:
widowhood and the loss of your children.
Yes, these calamities will come upon you,
despite all your witchcraft and magic.
10“You felt secure in your wickedness.
‘No one sees me,’ you said.
But your ‘wisdom’ and ‘knowledge’ have led you astray,
and you said, ‘I am the only one, and there is no other.’
11So disaster will overtake you,
and you won’t be able to charm it away.
Calamity will fall upon you,
and you won’t be able to buy your way out.
A catastrophe will strike you suddenly,
one for which you are not prepared.
12“Now use your magical charms!
Use the spells you have worked at all these years!
Maybe they will do you some good.
Maybe they can make someone afraid of you.
13All the advice you receive has made you tired.
Where are all your astrologers,
those stargazers who make predictions each month?
Let them stand up and save you from what the future holds.
14But they are like straw burning in a fire;
they cannot save themselves from the flame.
You will get no help from them at all;
their hearth is no place to sit for warmth.
15And all your friends,
those with whom you’ve done business since childhood,
will go their own ways,
turning a deaf ear to your cries.
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