Logos Bible Study

Isaiah 47:9–12

The NET BibleOther versions

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47:9Both of these will come upon you

suddenly, in one day!

You will lose your children and be widowed.17

You will be overwhelmed by these tragedies,18

despite19 your many incantations

and your numerous amulets.20

47:10You were complacent in your evil deeds;21

you thought,22 ‘No one sees me.’

Your self-professed23 wisdom and knowledge lead you astray,

when you say, ‘I am unique! No one can compare to me!’24

47:11Disaster will overtake you;

you will not know how to charm it away.25

Destruction will fall on you;

you will not be able to appease it.

Calamity will strike you suddenly,

before you recognize it.26

47:12Persist27 in trusting28 your amulets

and your many incantations,

which you have faithfully recited29 since your youth!

Maybe you will be successful30—

maybe you will scare away disaster.31

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Footnotes

  1. 17 Heb “loss of children and widowhood.” In the Hebrew text the phrase is in apposition to “both of these” in line 1.
  2. 18 Heb “according to their fullness, they will come upon you.”
  3. 19 For other examples of the preposition bet (בְּ) having the sense of “although, despite,” see 90 III.7.
  4. 20 Reference is made to incantations and amulets, both of which were important in Mesopotamian religion. They were used to ward off danger and demons.
  5. 21 Heb “you trusted in your evil”; , , , , “wickedness.”
  6. 22 Or “said”; “said to yourself” ’ “said in your heart.”
  7. 23 The words “self-professed” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  8. 24 See the note at v. .
  9. 25 The Hebrew text has שַׁחְרָהּ (shakhrah), which is either a suffixed noun (“its dawning,” i.e., origin) or infinitive (“to look early for it”). Some have suggested an emendation to שַׁחֲדָהּ (shakhadah), a suffixed infinitive from שָׁחַד (shakhad, “[how] to buy it off”; see 1005 שָׁחַד). This forms a nice parallel with the following couplet. The above translation is based on a different etymology of the verb in question. III שׁחר references a verbal root with these letters (שׁחד) that refers to magical activity.
  10. 26 Heb “you will not know”; “you cannot foresee.”
  11. 27 Heb “stand” (so , ); , “Stand fast.”
  12. 28 The word “trusting” is supplied in the translation for clarification. See v. 9.
  13. 29 Heb “in that which you have toiled.”
  14. 30 Heb “maybe you will be able to profit.”
  15. 31 Heb “maybe you will cause to tremble.” The object “disaster” is supplied in the translation for clarification. See the note at v. .

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

These two things shall come to you

in a moment, in one day;

the loss of children and widowhood

shall come upon you in full measure,

in spite of your many sorceries

and the great power of your enchantments.

You felt 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 am, and there is no one besides me.”

But evil shall come upon you,

which you will not know how to charm away;

disaster shall fall upon you,

for which you will not be able to atone;

and ruin shall come upon you suddenly,

of which you know nothing.

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.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Both of these will overtake you

in a moment, on a single day:

loss of children and widowhood.

They will come upon you in full measure,

in spite of your many sorceries

and all your potent spells.

You have trusted in your wickedness

and have said, ‘No one sees me.’

Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you

when you say to yourself,

‘I am, and there is none besides me.’

Disaster will come upon you,

and you will not know how to conjure it away.

A calamity will fall upon you

that you cannot ward off with a ransom;

a catastrophe you cannot foresee

will suddenly come upon you.

“Keep on, then, with your magic spells

and with your many sorceries,

which you have labored at since childhood.

Perhaps you will succeed,

perhaps you will cause terror.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

These two things will happen to you

suddenly, in one day:

loss of children and widowhood.

They will happen to you in their entirety,

in spite of your many sorceries

and the potency of your spells.

You were secure in your wickedness;

you said, ‘No one sees me.’

Your wisdom and knowledge

led you astray.

You said to yourself,

‘I am, and there is no one else.’

But disaster will happen to you;

you will not know how to avert it.

And it will fall on you,

but you will be unable to ward it off.

Devastation will happen to you suddenly

and unexpectedly.

So take your stand with your spells

and your many sorceries,

which you have wearied yourself with from your youth.

Perhaps you will be able to succeed;

perhaps you will inspire terror!

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

Well, both these things will come upon you in a moment:

widowhood and the loss of your children.

Yes, these calamities will come upon you,

despite all your witchcraft and magic.

“You felt secure in your wickedness.

‘No one sees me,’ you said.

But your ‘wisdom’ and ‘knowledge’ have led you astray,

and you said, ‘I am the only one, and there is no other.’

So disaster will overtake you,

and you won’t be able to charm it away.

Calamity will fall upon you,

and you won’t be able to buy your way out.

A catastrophe will strike you suddenly,

one for which you are not prepared.

“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.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And these two shall come to you in a moment, in one day:

the loss of children and widowhood shall come on you completely,

in spite of your many sorceries,

in spite of the power of your great enchantments.

And you felt 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 am, and besides me there is no one.”

And evil shall come upon you, you will not know;

it will be on the lookout for her.

And disaster shall fall upon you; you will not be able to avert it.

And ruin shall come on you suddenly; you do not know.

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.

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

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.

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.

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.

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.

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