Isaiah 48

1 “Hear this, house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, and have come out of the waters of Judah. You swear by the LORD’s name, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness—

Hear these [words], you house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and have come forth out of Juda, who swear by the name of the Lord God of Israel, making mention [of it, but] not with truth, nor with righteousness;

2 for they call themselves citizens of the holy city, and rely on the God of Israel; the LORD of Armies is his name.

maintaining also the name of the holy city, and staying themselves on the God of Israel: the Lord of hosts is his name. The former things I have already declared;

3 I have declared the former things from of old. Yes, they went out of my mouth, and I revealed them. I did them suddenly, and they happened.

and they that have proceeded out of my mouth, and it became well known; I wrought suddenly, and [the events] came to pass.

4 Because I knew that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew, and your brow bronze;

I know that you are stubborn, and your neck is an iron sinew, and your forehead brazen.

5 therefore I have declared it to you from of old; before it came to pass I showed it to you; lest you should say, ‘My idol has done them. My engraved image and my molten image has commanded them.’

And I told you of old what [should be] before it came upon you; I made it known to you, lest you should say, [My] idols have done [it] for me; and should say, [My] graven and molten images have commanded me.

6 You have heard it. Now see all this. And you, will not you declare it? “I have shown you new things from this time, even hidden things, which you have not known.

You have heard all this, but you have not known: yet I have made known to you the new things from henceforth, which are coming to pass, and you said not,

7 They are created now, and not from of old. Before today, you did not hear them, lest you should say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’

Now they come to pass, and not formerly: and you heard not of them in former days: say not you, Yes, I know them.

8 Yes, you did not hear. Yes, you did not know. Yes, from of old your ear was not opened, for I knew that you dealt very treacherously, and were called a transgressor from the womb.

You have neither known, nor understood, neither from the beginning have I opened your ears: for I knew that you would surely deal treacherously, and would be called a transgressor even from the womb.

9 For my name’s sake, I will defer my anger, and for my praise, I hold it back for you so that I do not cut you off.

For mine own sake will I show you my wrath, and will bring before you my glorious acts, that I may not utterly destroy you.

10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver. I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction.

Behold, I have sold you, [but] not for silver; but I have rescued you from the furnace of affliction.

11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I will do it; for how would my name be profaned? I will not give my glory to another.

For mine own sake I will do [this] for you, because my name is profaned; and I will not give my glory to another.

12 “Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel my called: I am he. I am the first. I am also the last.

Hear me, O Jacob, and Israel whom I call; I am the first, and I endure for ever.

13 Yes, my hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand has spread out the heavens. when I call to them, they stand up together.

My hand also has founded the earth, and my right hand has fixed the sky: I will call them, and they shall stand together.

14 “Assemble yourselves, all of you, and hear! Who among them has declared these things? He whom the LORD loves will do what he likes to Babylon, and his arm will be against the Chaldeans.

And all shall be gathered, and shall hear: who has told them these things? Out of love to you I have fulfilled your desire on Babylon, to abolish the seed of the Chaldeans.

15 I, even I, have spoken. Yes, I have called him. I have brought him and he shall make his way prosperous.

I have spoken, I have called, I have brought him, and made his way prosperous.

16 “Come near to me and hear this: “From the beginning I have not spoken in secret; from the time that it happened, I was there.” Now the Lord GOD has sent me with his Spirit.

Draw near to me, and hear you these words; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning: when it took place, there was I, and now the Lord, [even] the Lord, and his Spirit, has sent me.

17 The LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, says: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way that you should go.

Thus says the Lord that delivered you, the Holy One of Israel; I am your God, I have shown you how you should find the way wherein you should walk.

18 Oh that you had listened to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

And if you had listened to my commandments, [then] would your peace have been like a river, and your righteousness as a wave of the sea.

19 Your offspring also would have been as the sand and the descendants of your body like its grains. His name would not be cut off nor destroyed from before me.”

Your seed also would have been as the sand, and the offspring of your belly as the dust of the ground: neither now shall you by any means be utterly destroyed, neither shall your name perish before me.

20 Leave Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! With the sound of joyful shouting announce this, tell it even to the end of the earth; say, “The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob!”

Go forth of Babylon, you that flee from the Chaldeans: utter aloud a voice of joy, and let this be made known, proclaim it to the end of the earth; say you, The Lord has delivered his servant Jacob.

21 They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts. He caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them. He also split the rock and the waters gushed out.

And if they shall thirst, he shall lead them through the desert; he shall bring forth water to them out of the rock: the rock shall be cloven, and the water shall flow forth, and my people shall drink.

22 “There is no peace”, says the LORD, “for the wicked.”

There is no joy, says the Lord, to the ungodly.