Isaiah 48
1 “Listen to this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, who have descended from the line of Judah, who swear by the name of the LORD, who invoke the God of Israel— but not in truth or righteousness—
“Hear this, O house of Jacob, Who are called by the name of Israel, And from the waters of Judah came out, Who are swearing by the Name of YHWH, And make mention of the God of Israel, Not in truth nor in righteousness.
2 who indeed call yourselves after the holy city and lean on the God of Israel; the LORD of Hosts is His name.
For they have been called from the Holy City, And been supported on the God of Israel, YHWH of Hosts [is] His Name.
3 I foretold the former things long ago; they came out of My mouth and I proclaimed them. Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.
I declared the former things from that time, And they have gone forth from My mouth, And I proclaim them, Suddenly I have done, and it comes.
4 For I knew that you are stubborn; your neck is iron and your forehead is bronze.
From My knowing that you are obstinate, And your neck—a sinew of iron, And your forehead—bronze,
5 Therefore I declared it to you long ago; I announced it before it came to pass, so that you could not claim, ‘My idol has done this; my carved image and molten god has ordained it.’
And from that time I declare [it] to you, Before it comes I have caused you to hear, Lest you say, My idol has done them, And my carved image, And my molten image commanded them.
6 You have heard these things; look at them all. Will you not acknowledge them? From now on I will tell you of new things, hidden things unknown to you.
You have heard, see the whole of it, And you, do you not declare? I have caused you to hear new things from this time, And things reserved that you did not know.
7 They are created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today. So you cannot claim, ‘I already knew them!’
Now they have been produced and not from that time, Indeed, before the day, and you have not heard them, Lest you say, Behold, I have known them.
8 You have never heard; you have never understood; for a long time your ears have not been open. For I knew how deceitful you are; you have been called a rebel from birth.
Indeed, you have not heard, Indeed, you have not known, Indeed, your ear has not opened from that time, For I have known you deal treacherously, And [are] a transgressor from the belly, One is crying to you.
9 For the sake of My name I will delay My wrath; for the sake of My praise I will restrain it, so that you will not be cut off.
I defer My anger for My Name’s sake, And [for] My praise I restrain for you, So as not to cut you off.
10 See, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
Behold, I have refined you, and not with silver, I have chosen you in a furnace of affliction.
11 For My own sake, My very own sake, I will act; for how can I let Myself be defamed? I will not yield My glory to another.
For My sake, for My own sake, I do [it], For how is it defiled? And I do not give My glory to another.
12 Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I have called: I am He; I am the first, and I am the last.
Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, My called one, I [am] He, I [am] first, and I [am] last;
13 Surely My own hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they stand up together.
Also, My hand has founded earth, And My right hand stretched out the heavens, I am calling to them, they stand together.
14 Come together, all of you, and listen: Which of the idols has foretold these things? The LORD’s chosen ally will carry out His desire against Babylon, and His arm will be against the Chaldeans.
Be gathered, all of you, and hear, Who among them declared these things? YHWH has loved him, He does His pleasure on Babylon, And His arm [is on] the Chaldeans.
15 I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him. I have brought him, and he will succeed in his mission.
I have spoken, indeed, I have called him, I have brought him in, And he has made his way prosperous.
16 Come near to Me and listen to this: From the beginning I have not spoken in secret; from the time it happened, I was there.” And now the Lord GOD has sent me, accompanied by His Spirit.
Come near to Me, hear this, I have not spoken in secret from the beginning, From the time of its being, I [am] there, And now Lord YHWH has sent Me, and His Spirit.”
17 Thus says the LORD your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you for your benefit, who directs you in the way you should go.
Thus said YHWH, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “I [am] your God YHWH, teaching you to profit, Causing you to tread in the way you go.
18 If only you had paid attention to My commandments, your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like waves of the sea.
O that you had attended to My commands, Then your peace is as a river, And your righteousness as billows of the sea,
19 Your descendants would have been as countless as the sand, and your offspring as numerous as its grains; their name would never be cut off or eliminated from My presence.”
And your seed is as sand, And the offspring of your bowels as gravel, His name would not be cut off nor destroyed before Me.”
20 Leave Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! Declare it with a shout of joy, proclaim it, let it go out to the ends of the earth, saying, “The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob!”
Go out from Babylon, flee from the Chaldeans, Declare with a voice of singing, Cause this to be heard, Bring it forth to the end of the earth, Say, “YHWH has redeemed His servant Jacob.”
21 They did not thirst when He led them through the deserts; He made water flow for them from the rock; He split the rock, and water gushed out.
And they have not thirsted in wastelands, He has caused them to go on, He has caused waters from a rock to flow to them, Indeed, he cleaves a rock, and waters flow.
22 “There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.”
“There is no peace,” said YHWH, “for the wicked!”
