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Monday, September 15th, 2025
the Week of Proper 19 / Ordinary 24
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Read the Bible

Young's Literal Translation

Isaiah 47:12

Stand, I pray thee, in thy charms, And in the multitude of thy sorceries, In which thou hast laboured from thy youth, It may be thou art able to profit, It may be thou dost terrify!

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Idolatry;   Sorcery;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Babylon;   Divination;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Babylon;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Enchantments;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Divination;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Incantations;   Isaiah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Election;   Magic, Divination, and Sorcery;   Micah, Book of;   Righteousness;   Servant of the Lord;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Sorcery;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Divination;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Zion;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Enchantments;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Enchantment;   Magic;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Magic;   Superstition;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So take your stand with your spellsand your many sorceries,which you have wearied yourself with from your youth.Perhaps you will be able to succeed;perhaps you will inspire terror!
Hebrew Names Version
Stand now with your enchantments, and with the multitude of your sorceries, in which you have labored from your youth; if so be you shall be able to profit, if so be you may prevail.
King James Version
Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.
English Standard Version
Stand fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries, with which you have labored from your youth; perhaps you may be able to succeed; perhaps you may inspire terror.
New American Standard Bible
"Persist now in your spells And in your many sorceries With which you have labored from your youth; Perhaps you will be able to benefit, Perhaps you may cause trembling.
New Century Version
"Keep on using your tricks and doing all your magic that you have used since you were young. Maybe they will help you; maybe you will be able to scare someone.
Amplified Bible
"Persist, then, [Babylon] in your enchantments And your many sorceries With which you have labored from your youth; Perhaps you will be able to profit [from them], Perhaps you may prevail and cause trembling.
World English Bible
Stand now with your enchantments, and with the multitude of your sorceries, in which you have labored from your youth; if so be you shall be able to profit, if so be you may prevail.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Stand now among thine inchanters, and in the multitude of thy southsaiers (with whome thou hast wearied thy selfe from thy youth) if so be thou maist haue profit, or if so be thou maist haue strength.
Legacy Standard Bible
"Stand fast now in your spellsAnd in your many sorceriesWith which you have labored from your youth;Perhaps you will be able to profit;Perhaps you may cause trembling.
Berean Standard Bible
So take your stand with your spells and with your many sorceries, with which you have wearied yourself from your youth. Perhaps you will succeed; perhaps you will inspire terror!
Contemporary English Version
Keep using your magic powers and your charms as you have always done. Maybe—just maybe— you will frighten somebody!
Complete Jewish Bible
So for now, keep on with your powerful spells and your many occult practices; from childhood you have been working at them; maybe they will do you some good, maybe you will inspire terror!
Darby Translation
Stand now with thine enchantments and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to turn them to profit, if so be thou mayest cause terror.
Easy-to-Read Version
You worked hard all your life learning magic and spells. So start using that magic. Maybe those spells will help you. Maybe you will be able to frighten someone.
George Lamsa Translation
Stand now with your magicians and with the multitude of your sorceries in which you have labored from your youth; perhaps you may be able to profit, perhaps you may strengthen yourself.
Good News Translation
Keep all your magic spells and charms; you have used them since you were young. Perhaps they will be of some help to you; perhaps you can frighten your enemies.
Lexham English Bible
Stand, now, in your enchantments, and in your many sorceries with which you have labored from your youth. Perhaps you may be able to benefit; perhaps you may scare away.
Literal Translation
Stand now among your spells, and with your many sorceries, in which you have wearied yourself since your youth. Perhaps you will be able to profit; perhaps you may cause quaking.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Now go to thy coniurers, and to the multitude of thy witches, (whom thou hast bene acquanted withal from thi youth) yf they maye helpe the, or strengthe the.
American Standard Version
Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast labored from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.
Bible in Basic English
Go on now with your secret arts, and all your wonder-working, to which you have given yourself up from your earliest days; it may be that they will be of profit to you, or by them you may put fear into your attackers.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.
King James Version (1611)
Stand now with thine inchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profite, if so be thou mayest preuaile.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Nowe go to thy coniurers, and to the multitude of thy witches with whom thou hast weeryed thy selfe from thy youth, if thei may helpe thee or strength thee.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the abundance of thy sorcery, which thou hast learned from thy youth; if thou canst be profited.
English Revised Version
Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Stonde thou with thin enchauntours, and with the multitude of thi witchis, in whiche thou trauelidist fro thi yongthe; if in hap thei profiten ony thing to thee, ether if thou maist be maad the strongere.
Update Bible Version
Stand now with your magic words, and with the multitude of your witchcraft, wherein you have labored from your youth; perhaps you shall be able to profit, perhaps you may prevail.
Webster's Bible Translation
Stand now with thy enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, in which thou hast labored from thy youth; if thou shalt be able to profit, if thou mayest prevail.
New English Translation
Persist in trusting your amulets and your many incantations, which you have faithfully recited since your youth! Maybe you will be successful— maybe you will scare away disaster.
New King James Version
"Stand now with your enchantments And the multitude of your sorceries, In which you have labored from your youth-- Perhaps you will be able to profit, Perhaps you will prevail.
New Living Translation
"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.
New Life Bible
"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.
New Revised Standard
Stand fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries, with which you have labored from your youth; perhaps you may be able to succeed, perhaps you may inspire terror.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Take thy stand, I pray thee, With thy spells. And with the throng of thine incantations wherein thou hast wearied thyself from thy youth, - Peradventure thou mayest be able to profit Peradventure thou mayest strike me with terror.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Stand now with thy enchanters, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, in which thou hast laboured from thy youth, if so be it may profit thee any thing, or if thou mayst become stronger.
Revised Standard Version
Stand fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries, with which you have labored from your youth; perhaps you may be able to succeed, perhaps you may inspire terror.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"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.

Contextual Overview

7 And thou sayest, `To the age I am mistress,' While thou hast not laid these things to thy heart, Thou hast not remembered the latter end of it. 8 And now, hear this, O luxurious one, Who is sitting confidently -- Who is saying in her heart, `I [am], and none else, I sit not a widow, nor know bereavement.' 9 And come in to thee do these two things, In a moment, in one day, childlessness and widowhood, According to their perfection they have come upon thee, In the multitude of thy sorceries, In the exceeding might of thy charms. 10 And thou art confident in thy wickedness, Thou hast said, `There is none seeing me,' Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, It is turning thee back, And thou sayest in thy heart, `I [am], and none else.' 11 And come in on thee hath evil, Thou knowest not its rising, And fall on thee doth mischief, Thou art not able to pacify it, And come on thee suddenly doth desolation, Thou knowest not. 12 Stand, I pray thee, in thy charms, And in the multitude of thy sorceries, In which thou hast laboured from thy youth, It may be thou art able to profit, It may be thou dost terrify! 13 Thou hast been wearied in the multitude of thy counsels, Stand up, I pray thee, and save thee, Let the charmers of the heavens, Those looking on the stars, Those teaching concerning the months, From those things that come on thee! 14 Lo, they have been as stubble! Fire hath burned them, They deliver not themselves from the power of the flame, There is not a coal to warm them, a light to sit before it. 15 So have they been to thee with whom thou hast laboured, Thy merchants from thy youth, Each to his passage they have wandered, Thy saviour is not!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Isaiah 47:9, Isaiah 47:10, Isaiah 8:19, Isaiah 19:3, Isaiah 44:25, Exodus 7:11, Exodus 8:7, Exodus 8:18, Exodus 8:19, Exodus 9:11, Jeremiah 2:28, Daniel 5:7-9, Nahum 3:4, Acts 13:8-12, 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, Revelation 17:4-6

Reciprocal: Genesis 3:22 - as one Genesis 8:21 - the imagination Genesis 41:8 - the magicians of Egypt Numbers 22:6 - I wot Numbers 22:25 - crushed Balaam's Numbers 22:38 - have I Numbers 23:8 - General 1 Samuel 6:2 - called 2 Kings 17:17 - used Ecclesiastes 10:15 - labour Isaiah 2:6 - and are Jeremiah 10:2 - be Jeremiah 27:9 - dreamers Daniel 1:20 - the magicians Daniel 2:2 - General Daniel 2:27 - cannot Daniel 4:6 - to bring Daniel 4:18 - forasmuch Daniel 5:8 - but Daniel 5:15 - General Micah 3:7 - the seers Acts 19:19 - used Revelation 9:21 - their sorceries Revelation 22:15 - sorcerers

Cross-References

Genesis 45:11
and I have nourished thee there -- for yet [are] five years of famine -- lest thou become poor, thou and thy household, and all that thou hast.
Genesis 47:1
And Joseph cometh, and declareth to Pharaoh, and saith, `My father, and my brethren, and their flock, and their herd, and all they have, have come from the land of Canaan, and lo, they [are] in the land of Goshen.'
Genesis 47:4
and they say unto Pharaoh, `To sojourn in the land we have come, for there is no pasture for the flock which thy servants have, for grievous [is] the famine in the land of Canaan; and now, let thy servants, we pray thee, dwell in the land of Goshen.'
Genesis 47:6
the land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land cause thy father and thy brethren to dwell -- they dwell in the land of Goshen, and if thou hast known, and there are among them men of ability, then thou hast set them heads over the cattle I have.'
Genesis 47:10
And Jacob blesseth Pharaoh, and goeth out from before Pharaoh.
Genesis 47:13
And there is no bread in all the land, for the famine [is] very grievous, and the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan are feeble because of the famine;
Genesis 47:21
as to the people he hath removed them to cities from the [one] end of the border of Egypt even unto its [other] end.
Genesis 47:24
and it hath come to pass in the increases, that ye have given a fifth to Pharaoh, and four of the parts are for yourselves, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for those who [are] in your houses, and for food for your infants.'
Exodus 20:12
`Honour thy father and thy mother, so that thy days are prolonged on the ground which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee.
Ruth 4:15
and he hath been to thee for a restorer of life, and for a nourisher of thine old age, for thy daughter-in-law who hath loved thee -- who is better to thee than seven sons -- hath borne him.'

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries,.... An ironic expression, deriding those evil arts, bidding defiance to them, calling upon the masters of them to do their utmost by them:

wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; from the infancy of their state; as soon as their monarchy was founded, or they became a people, they were given to these practices, and were famous for them; and in which, no doubt, many among them were brought up from their youth; and to gain the knowledge of which they were at great labour and expense; and yet it was all in vain, and to no purpose:

if so be thou shall be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail; if skill in these things can be of any advantage to keep off the impending calamity, and fortify against the powerful enemy that will quickly surprise thee; try if by thine art thou canst foresee the danger, and prevent it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Stand now with thy enchantments - (See the notes at Isaiah 47:9). This is evidently sarcastic and ironical. It is a call on those who practiced the arts of magic to stand forth, and to show whether they were able to defend the city, and to save the nation.

Wherein thou hast labored - Or in practicing which thou hast been diligently employed.

From thy youth - From the very commencement of thy national existence. Babylon was always distinguished for these arts. Now was a time when their value was to be put to the test, and when it was to be seen whether they were able to save the nation.

If so be - Or perhaps or possibly, they may be able to profit thee - the language of irony. Perhaps by the aid of these arts you may be able to repel your foes.


 
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