New Living Translation (NLT)
Isaiah 47
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, never again will you be the lovely princess, tender and delicate.
2 Take heavy millstones and grind flour. Remove your veil, and strip off your robe. Expose yourself to public view.
3 You will be naked and burdened with shame. I will take vengeance against you without pity.”
4 Our 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.
6 For 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.
7 You 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.’
9 Well, 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.’
11 So 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.
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