Gods of Babylon

46 Bel(A) bows down, Nebo stoops low;
    their idols(B) are borne by beasts of burden.[a]
The images that are carried(C) about are burdensome,
    a burden for the weary.
They stoop and bow down together;
    unable to rescue the burden,
    they themselves go off into captivity.(D)

“Listen(E) to me, you descendants of Jacob,
    all the remnant(F) of the people of Israel,
you whom I have upheld since your birth,(G)
    and have carried(H) since you were born.(I)
Even to your old age and gray hairs(J)
    I am he,(K) I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
    I will sustain(L) you and I will rescue you.

“With whom will you compare me or count me equal?
    To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?(M)
Some pour out gold from their bags
    and weigh out silver on the scales;
they hire a goldsmith(N) to make it into a god,
    and they bow down and worship it.(O)
They lift it to their shoulders and carry(P) it;
    they set it up in its place, and there it stands.
    From that spot it cannot move.(Q)
Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer;(R)
    it cannot save(S) them from their troubles.

“Remember(T) this, keep it in mind,
    take it to heart, you rebels.(U)
Remember the former things,(V) those of long ago;(W)
    I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me.(X)
10 I make known the end from the beginning,(Y)
    from ancient times,(Z) what is still to come.(AA)
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,(AB)
    and I will do all that I please.’
11 From the east I summon(AC) a bird of prey;(AD)
    from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about;
    what I have planned,(AE) that I will do.(AF)
12 Listen(AG) to me, you stubborn-hearted,(AH)
    you who are now far from my righteousness.(AI)
13 I am bringing my righteousness(AJ) near,
    it is not far away;
    and my salvation(AK) will not be delayed.
I will grant salvation to Zion,(AL)
    my splendor(AM) to Israel.

The Fall of Babylon

47 “Go down, sit in the dust,(AN)
    Virgin Daughter(AO) Babylon;
sit on the ground without a throne,
    queen city of the Babylonians.[b](AP)
No more will you be called
    tender or delicate.(AQ)
Take millstones(AR) and grind(AS) flour;
    take off your veil.(AT)
Lift up your skirts,(AU) bare your legs,
    and wade through the streams.
Your nakedness(AV) will be exposed
    and your shame(AW) uncovered.
I will take vengeance;(AX)
    I will spare no one.(AY)

Our Redeemer(AZ)—the Lord Almighty(BA) is his name(BB)
    is the Holy One(BC) of Israel.

“Sit in silence,(BD) go into darkness,(BE)
    queen city of the Babylonians;(BF)
no more will you be called
    queen(BG) of kingdoms.(BH)
I was angry(BI) with my people
    and desecrated my inheritance;(BJ)
I gave them into your hand,(BK)
    and you showed them no mercy.(BL)
Even on the aged
    you laid a very heavy yoke.
You said, ‘I am forever(BM)
    the eternal queen!’(BN)
But you did not consider these things
    or reflect(BO) on what might happen.(BP)

“Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure,
    lounging in your security(BQ)
and saying to yourself,
    ‘I am, and there is none besides me.(BR)
I will never be a widow(BS)
    or suffer the loss of children.’
Both of these will overtake you
    in a moment,(BT) on a single day:
    loss of children(BU) and widowhood.(BV)
They will come upon you in full measure,
    in spite of your many sorceries(BW)
    and all your potent spells.(BX)
10 You have trusted(BY) in your wickedness
    and have said, ‘No one sees me.’(BZ)
Your wisdom(CA) and knowledge mislead(CB) you
    when you say to yourself,
    ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’
11 Disaster(CC) will come upon you,
    and you will not know how to conjure it away.
A calamity will fall upon you
    that you cannot ward off with a ransom;
a catastrophe you cannot foresee
    will suddenly(CD) come upon you.

12 “Keep on, then, with your magic spells
    and with your many sorceries,(CE)
    which you have labored at since childhood.
Perhaps you will succeed,
    perhaps you will cause terror.
13 All the counsel you have received has only worn you out!(CF)
    Let your astrologers(CG) come forward,
those stargazers who make predictions month by month,
    let them save(CH) you from what is coming upon you.
14 Surely they are like stubble;(CI)
    the fire(CJ) will burn them up.
They cannot even save themselves
    from the power of the flame.(CK)
These are not coals for warmth;
    this is not a fire to sit by.
15 That is all they are to you—
    these you have dealt with
    and labored(CL) with since childhood.
All of them go on in their error;
    there is not one that can save(CM) you.

Stubborn Israel

48 “Listen to this, you descendants of Jacob,
    you who are called by the name of Israel(CN)
    and come from the line of Judah,(CO)
you who take oaths(CP) in the name of the Lord(CQ)
    and invoke(CR) the God of Israel—
    but not in truth(CS) or righteousness—
you who call yourselves citizens of the holy city(CT)
    and claim to rely(CU) on the God of Israel—
    the Lord Almighty is his name:(CV)
I foretold the former things(CW) long ago,
    my mouth announced(CX) them and I made them known;
    then suddenly(CY) I acted, and they came to pass.
For I knew how stubborn(CZ) you were;
    your neck muscles(DA) were iron,
    your forehead(DB) was bronze.
Therefore I told you these things long ago;
    before they happened I announced(DC) them to you
so that you could not say,
    ‘My images brought them about;(DD)
    my wooden image and metal god ordained them.’
You have heard these things; look at them all.
    Will you not admit them?

“From now on I will tell you of new things,(DE)
    of hidden things unknown to you.
They are created(DF) now, and not long ago;(DG)
    you have not heard of them before today.
So you cannot say,
    ‘Yes, I knew(DH) of them.’
You have neither heard nor understood;(DI)
    from of old your ears(DJ) have not been open.
Well do I know how treacherous(DK) you are;
    you were called a rebel(DL) from birth.
For my own name’s sake(DM) I delay my wrath;(DN)
    for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you,
    so as not to destroy you completely.(DO)
10 See, I have refined(DP) you, though not as silver;
    I have tested(DQ) you in the furnace(DR) of affliction.
11 For my own sake,(DS) for my own sake, I do this.
    How can I let myself be defamed?(DT)
    I will not yield my glory to another.(DU)

Israel Freed

12 “Listen(DV) to me, Jacob,
    Israel, whom I have called:(DW)
I am he;(DX)
    I am the first and I am the last.(DY)
13 My own hand laid the foundations of the earth,(DZ)
    and my right hand spread out the heavens;(EA)
when I summon them,
    they all stand up together.(EB)

14 “Come together,(EC) all of you, and listen:
    Which of the idols has foretold(ED) these things?
The Lord’s chosen ally(EE)
    will carry out his purpose(EF) against Babylon;(EG)
    his arm will be against the Babylonians.[c]
15 I, even I, have spoken;
    yes, I have called(EH) him.
I will bring him,
    and he will succeed(EI) in his mission.

16 “Come near(EJ) me and listen(EK) to this:

“From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret;(EL)
    at the time it happens, I am there.”

And now the Sovereign Lord(EM) has sent(EN) me,
    endowed with his Spirit.(EO)

17 This is what the Lord says—
    your Redeemer,(EP) the Holy One(EQ) of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
    who teaches(ER) you what is best for you,
    who directs(ES) you in the way(ET) you should go.
18 If only you had paid attention(EU) to my commands,
    your peace(EV) would have been like a river,(EW)
    your well-being(EX) like the waves of the sea.
19 Your descendants(EY) would have been like the sand,(EZ)
    your children like its numberless grains;(FA)
their name would never be blotted out(FB)
    nor destroyed from before me.”

20 Leave Babylon,
    flee(FC) from the Babylonians!
Announce this with shouts of joy(FD)
    and proclaim it.
Send it out to the ends of the earth;(FE)
    say, “The Lord has redeemed(FF) his servant Jacob.”
21 They did not thirst(FG) when he led them through the deserts;
    he made water flow(FH) for them from the rock;
he split the rock
    and water gushed out.(FI)

22 “There is no peace,”(FJ) says the Lord, “for the wicked.”(FK)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 46:1 Or are but beasts and cattle
  2. Isaiah 47:1 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 5
  3. Isaiah 48:14 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 20

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