Now therefore hear this: The Hebrew conjunction rendered Now therefore links this verse with the previous one. Because of Babylonia’s failure to consider the outcome of their actions, Yahweh is now warning of coming punishment. This connector may be translated “But now” (compare 43.1; 44.1). God calls on the Babylonians to take notice of what he will say by using the command hear this (Good News Translation “Listen to this”; compare 46.3, 12).

God calls Babylonia you lover of pleasures (Bible en français courant “you, the friend of pleasures”). This phrase renders a Hebrew adjective that describes someone who enjoys luxury and sex. As queen over an empire, Babylonia lived well on its riches, so this descriptive term for her is appropriate. Some of the renderings for it are “you lover of luxury” (Revised English Bible), “you wanton creature” (New International Version), “O pampered one” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “voluptuous woman” (New Jerusalem Bible), and “voluptuous one” (New American Bible).

Who sit securely also describes the Babylonians. They enjoy a luxurious life that is safe and secure. The verb sit occurred earlier in verse 1 (twice) and verse 5. Here it means “dwell.” For the Hebrew word rendered securely, see the comments on 14.30, where it is translated “in safety.” For this whole line Revised English Bible has “carefree on your throne,” and Bible en français courant says “seated in good tranquility.” Good News Translation has “you think you are safe and secure” to indicate that Babylonia’s confidence was false. This rendering prepares for the contrast in the next verse. Other possible translations are “who live without any worries” and “who think that you are completely out of any trouble.”

Who say in your heart introduces what the Babylonians think or say to themselves (so New International Version, Revised English Bible, Bible en français courant; see the comments on 14.13).

I am, and there is no one besides me: This could mean “I am the only world power, there is no other,” but more likely it is an arrogant claim to be divine. This expression is very similar to Yahweh’s claim of being the only God (see 45.5-6, 18, 22; 46.9). Babylonia sees itself as being in Yahweh’s place (compare Zeph 2.15, where Nineveh, the Assyrian capital, makes the same claim). Even though the wording in Hebrew is not quite the same as in the passages where Yahweh makes this claim, the expression used here should be similar. I am is simply the pronoun “I” in Hebrew. If I am is difficult to render literally, an equivalent is “I am he” (as in 41.4), “I am God,” or “I am the one.” For this whole line one translation in West Africa has “I am the only one who is there [that is, who exists], there is no other besides me.” Bible en français courant has “I am incomparable, me!” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch says “I am the greatest! Besides me there is none.” Another possibility is “I am there, and there is none besides me.” Good News Translation makes the meaning of what Babylonia is claiming quite explicit: “You claim you are as great as God—that there is no one else like you.” For some such an explicit rendering may seem to go a little too far to be taken as a model, but at least it could be placed in a footnote.

I shall not sit as a widow: Babylonia uses this imagery to claim it will always live in luxury. Widows in Israel and the ancient world had few rights and were dependent upon their children and other members of the family for protection and supply of basic needs. So to sit as a widow means to “be destitute/poor.” For sit see the second line; for widow see 1.17. Again, feminine imagery is applied to Babylonia by comparing her to a widow. Her dead husband and children (next line) could refer to the downfall of her empire, the destruction of her army, or the loss of protection from her gods. But all this should remain implied or placed in a footnote. Good News Translation repeats the idea of “think” and omits sit by rendering this whole line as “You thought that you would never be a widow.”

Or know the loss of children further highlights Babylonia’s arrogant claim to a continuation of its present pleasure-filled life. For a widow her children would be the first source of support she could turn to after the death of her husband. But Babylonia claims she will not lose her children, so she will always enjoy her present privileged position. Loss of children probably refers to the loss of her population, either as casualties of war or as exiles.

The picture of a poor widow without children will probably evoke the right connotations in most languages. It can normally be kept without further expansion. New International Version renders the last two lines of this verse as “I will never be a widow or suffer the loss of children.”

Translation examples for this verse are:

• “But now, listen to this, you who live in luxury,
feeling safe and secure,
saying to yourself, ‘I am there [or, I am at the place where I am],
and there is none besides me.
I will never be widowed or lose my children.’

• “Now then, you who enjoy life, feeling so secure,
listen to me.
You tell yourself, ‘I am God [or, a god],
and there is none other apart from me!’
You think that you will never know what it is to be widowed
or to lose your children.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .