47:9 Both of these will come upon you
suddenly, in one day!
You will lose your children and be widowed. 1
You will be overwhelmed by these tragedies, 2
despite 3 your many incantations
and your numerous amulets. 4
47:10 You were complacent in your evil deeds; 5
you thought, 6 ‘No one sees me.’
Your self-professed 7 wisdom and knowledge lead you astray,
when you say, ‘I am unique! No one can compare to me!’ 8
47:11 Disaster will overtake you;
you will not know how to charm it away. 9
Destruction will fall on you;
you will not be able to appease it.
Calamity will strike you suddenly,
before you recognize it. 10
47:12 Persist 11 in trusting 12 your amulets
and your many incantations,
which you have faithfully recited 13 since your youth!
Maybe you will be successful 14 –
maybe you will scare away disaster. 15
47:13 You are tired out from listening to so much advice. 16
Let them take their stand –
the ones who see omens in the sky,
who gaze at the stars,
who make monthly predictions –
let them rescue you from the disaster that is about to overtake you! 17
47:14 Look, they are like straw,
which the fire burns up;
they cannot rescue themselves
from the heat 18 of the flames.
There are no coals to warm them,
no firelight to enjoy. 19