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Now hear this, voluptuous one,
    enthroned securely,
Saying in your heart,
    “I, and no one else![a]
I shall never be a widow,
    bereft of my children”—(A)
Both these things shall come to you
    suddenly, in a single day:
Complete bereavement and widowhood
    shall come upon you
Despite your many sorceries
    and the full power of your spells;[b]
10 Secure in your wickedness,
    you said, “No one sees me.”
Your wisdom and your knowledge
    led you astray,
And you said in your heart,
    “I, and no one else!”

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Footnotes

  1. 47:8, 10 I, and no one else: Babylon is mockingly presented as making the same claim as the Lord (cf. 45:6, 14, 22; 46:9), a claim that events will soon prove to be false and foolish (v. 11).
  2. 47:9–13, 15 Babylon was known for its sorcery and astrology.

“Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure,
    lounging in your security(A)
and saying to yourself,
    ‘I am, and there is none besides me.(B)
I will never be a widow(C)
    or suffer the loss of children.’
Both of these will overtake you
    in a moment,(D) on a single day:
    loss of children(E) and widowhood.(F)
They will come upon you in full measure,
    in spite of your many sorceries(G)
    and all your potent spells.(H)
10 You have trusted(I) in your wickedness
    and have said, ‘No one sees me.’(J)
Your wisdom(K) and knowledge mislead(L) you
    when you say to yourself,
    ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’

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