Study Desk

"^(a)Come down and sit in the dust, O ^(b)virgin ^(c)daughter of Babylon; Sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no longer be called ^(d)tender and delicate.

"Take the ^(e)millstones and ^(f)grind meal. Remove your ^(g)veil, ^(h)strip off the skirt, Uncover the leg, cross the rivers.

"Your ⁽ⁱ⁾nakedness will be uncovered, Your shame also will be exposed; I will ^(j)take vengeance and will not ^[a]spare a man."

Our ^(k)Redeemer, the Lord of hosts is His name, The Holy One of Israel.

"^(l)Sit silently, and go into ^(m)darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans, For you will no longer be called The ⁽ⁿ⁾queen of ^(o)kingdoms.

"I was angry with My people, I profaned My heritage And gave them into your hand. You did not show mercy to them, On the ^(p)aged you made your yoke very heavy.

"Yet you said, ‘I will be a ^(q)queen forever.' These things you did not ^(r)consider Nor remember the ^(s)outcome of ^[b]them.

"Now, then, hear this, you ^(t)sensual one, Who ^(u)dwells securely, Who says in ^[c]your heart, ‘^(v)I am, and there is no one besides me. I will ^(w)not sit as a widow, Nor know loss of children.'

"But these ^(x)two things will come on you ^(y)suddenly in one day: Loss of children and widowhood. They will come on you in full measure In spite of your many ^(z)sorceries, In spite of the great power of your spells.

"You felt ^(aa)secure in your wickedness and said, ‘^(ab)No one sees me,' Your ^(ac)wisdom and your knowledge, ^[d]they have deluded you; For you have said in your heart, ‘^(ad)I am, and there is no one besides me.'

"But ^(ae)evil will come on you Which you will not know how to charm away; And disaster will fall on you For which you cannot atone; And ^(af)destruction about which you do not know Will come on you ^(ag)suddenly.

"Stand fast now in your ^(ah)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.

"You are ^(ai)wearied with your many counsels; Let now the ^(aj)astrologers, Those who prophesy by the stars, Those who predict by the new moons, Stand up and ^(ak)save you from what will come upon you.

"Behold, they have become ^(al)like stubble, ^(am)Fire burns them; They cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame; There will be ^(an)no coal to warm by Nor a fire to sit before!

"So have those become to you with whom you have labored, Who have ^(ao)trafficked with you from your youth; Each has wandered in his own ^[e]way; There is ^(ap)none to save you.