1 Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate. 2 Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers. 3 Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man. 4 As for our redeemer, the LORD of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel. 5 Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms.
6 ¶ I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke.
7 ¶ And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it. 8 Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am , and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children: 9 But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.
10 ¶ For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am , and none else beside me.
11 ¶ Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know. 12 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. 13 Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee. 14 Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it. 15 Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.
Bābeles pazemošana
1 “Zemē, pīšļos sēdi,
jaunava, Bābeles meita,
sēdi zemē, ne tronī,
kaldiešu meita!
Tevi vairs nesauks
par mīļo un maigo!
2 Ņem dzirnas un mal miltus,
novelc savu apsegu,
noģērb savas drānas,
lai tev plikas ciskas,
kad bridīsi pāri upei!
3 Lai tavs plikums top redzams,
lai redz tavu kaunu, –
es nu atriebšos un cilvēka netaupīšu!”
4 Mūsu Izpircējs,
Pulku Kungs ir viņa vārds,
Israēla Svētais! –
5 “Mīti klusumā un dzīvo tumsā,
kaldiešu meita,
tevi vairs nesauks
par valstību kundzi!
6 Es noskaitos uz savu tautu,
es sagānīju savu mantojumu –
es to atdevu tavās rokās,
bet tu tiem žēlsirdību neizrādīji:
pat vecam tu uzkrāvi
savu smago jūgu!
7 Tu sacīji:
uz mūžiem es būšu kundze,
uz visiem laikiem! –
Tas tev vis prātā nebija –
savu galu tu neapdomāji!
8 Nu klausies, baudkārā,
kas drošībā mīti,
kas savā prātā domā:
es tik un nevienas citas,
es atraitnēs nesēdēšu,
es bezbērne nebūšu!
9 Nu abas lietas
tev tiks vienā dienā –
tu būsi bezbērne un atraitne!
Tās nāks pār tevi,
kaut tev daudz burvestību,
kaut tava vārdošana ir stipra!
10 Paļaudamās uz savu ļaunumu,
tu saki: neviens mani neredz! –
Bet tava gudrība un zināšana tevi pievīlušas,
kaut savā sirdī teici:
es tik, un nevienas citas! –
11 Pār tevi nāks ļaunums,
pret to tu vārdus nezini,
tev uzkritīs nelaime,
to novērst tu nevarēsi –
piepeši pār tevi nāks posts,
ko tu pat nenojaut!
12 Ņemies ar savu vārdošanu
un daudzajām burvestībām,
ar kurām jau kopš jaunības esi ņēmusies,
varbūt tev paveiksies,
varbūt vēl kādu iebaidīsi!
13 Tevi nogurdinājuši daudzie padomnieki,
lai tad nāk un glābj tevi debesu vērotāji,
tie, kas lūkojas zvaigznēs,
tie, kas ik mēnesi izzina,
kam jānāk pār tevi!
14 Re, tie ir kā salmi, ko uguns aizdegusi,
tie nevar glābt paši sevi no liesmu mutes –
nav ogļu, kur sildīties,
nav uguns, pie kā pasēdēt!
15 Tādi pret tevi būs tie,
ar ko tu noņēmies,
kas ar tevi jau kopš jaunības pinušies –
katrs uz savu pusi tie klīst,
nav, kas tevi glābj!”
