47:11 Disaster will overtake you;
you will not know how to charm it away. 1
Destruction will fall on you;
you will not be able to appease it.
Calamity will strike you suddenly,
before you recognize it. 2
47:12 Persist 3 in trusting 4 your amulets
and your many incantations,
which you have faithfully recited 5 since your youth!
Maybe you will be successful 6 –
maybe you will scare away disaster. 7
1 tc 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 BDB 1005 s.v. שָׁחַד). This forms a nice parallel with the following couplet. The above translation is based on a different etymology of the verb in question. HALOT 1466 s.v. III שׁחר references a verbal root with these letters (שׁחד) that refers to magical activity.
2 tn Heb “you will not know”; NIV “you cannot foresee.”
3 tn Heb “stand” (so KJV, ASV); NASB, NRSV “Stand fast.”
4 tn The word “trusting” is supplied in the translation for clarification. See v. 9.
5 tn Heb “in that which you have toiled.”
6 tn Heb “maybe you will be able to profit.”
7 tn Heb “maybe you will cause to tremble.” The object “disaster” is supplied in the translation for clarification. See the note at v. 9.