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God Will Destroy Babylon

47 The Lord says, “·City of [L Virgin daughter] Babylon, go down and sit in the ·dirt [dust].

·People of Babylon [L Daughter of the Chaldeans], sit on the ground.
    ·You are no longer the ruler [L …without a throne].
You will no longer be called
    tender or ·beautiful [delicate; pampered].
Take millstones and grind grain into flour.
Remove your veil and ·take [strip] off your nice skirts.
    Uncover your legs and cross the rivers [C actions of a servant, not a queen].
People will see your nakedness;
    they will see your shame [C probably a euphemism for sexual organs].
I will ·punish you [take vengeance];
    I will ·punish every one of you [spare no one].”

Our ·Savior [Redeemer] is named the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts];
he is the Holy One of Israel [1:4].

“·Babylon [L Daughter of the Chaldeans], sit in ·darkness and say nothing [L silence and go into darkness].
    You will no longer be called the queen of kingdoms.
I was angry with my people,
    so I ·rejected [defiled; desecrated; profaned] ·those who belonged to me [my inheritance/possession].
I gave them ·to you [L into your hand],
    but you showed them no mercy.
You even ·made the old people
    work very hard [L laid a very heavy yoke on the aged].
You said, ‘I will ·live [reign; be] forever as the queen.’
But you did not think about these things
or consider ·what would happen [the outcome/end].

“Now, listen, you lover of pleasure.
    You ·think you are safe [who dwell in security].
You tell yourself,
    ‘·I am the only one [L I am], and there is no other [Zeph. 2:15].
I will never be a widow
    or ·lose [L know the loss of] my children.’
Two things will happen to you suddenly, in a single day.
    You will lose your children and ·your husband [L become a widow].
These things will ·truly happen to [or overwhelm; L come in abundance upon] you,
    in spite of all your ·magic [sorceries],
    in spite of your powerful ·tricks [spells; enchantments].
10 You ·do evil things, but you feel safe [L trusted/felt secure in your evil/wickedness]
    and say, ‘No one sees ·what I do [L me].’
Your wisdom and knowledge
    have ·fooled [mislead] you.
You say to yourself,
    ‘·I am the only one [L I am], and there is no other [v. 8].’
11 But ·troubles [disaster; evil] will come ·to [upon] you,
    and you will not know how to ·stop them [conjure/charm it away].
·Disaster [Calamity; Destruction] will fall on you,
    and you will not be able to ·keep it away [appease it; make atonement/pay ransom for it].
A catastrophe will strike ·quickly [suddenly];
    you will not even ·see it coming [L know].

12 “Keep on using your ·tricks [magic spells; enchantments]
    and doing all your ·magic [sorceries]
    that you have ·used [practiced; labored at] since you were young.
Maybe ·they will help you [you will succeed/profit];
    maybe you will be able to ·scare someone [provoke terror].
13 You are tired of the ·advice [counsel] you have received.
    So let ·those who study the sky [the astrologers; L those who divide the heavens]
those who ·tell the future by looking at the stars and the new moons [L gaze at the stars to know the months]
    let them save you from what is about to happen to you.
14 But they are like straw;
    fire will quickly burn them up.
They cannot save themselves
    from the power of the fire.
They are not like coals that give warmth
    nor like a fire that you may sit beside.
15 You have ·worked [labored] with these people,
    and they have ·been [or done business] with you since you were young,
    but they will not be able to help you.
Everyone will ·go [or wander off] his own way,
    and there will be no one left to save you.”

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