Esias 48

1 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;

“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—

2 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;

who indeed call yourselves after the holy city and lean on the God of Israel; the LORD of Hosts is His name.

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

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.

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

For I knew that you are stubborn; your neck is iron and your forehead is bronze.

5 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.

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.’

6 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,

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.

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

They are created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today. So you cannot claim, ‘I already knew them!’

8 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.

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.

9 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.

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.

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

See, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.

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

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.

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

Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I have called: I am He; I am the first, and I am the last.

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

Surely My own hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they stand up together.

14 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.

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.

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

I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him. I have brought him, and he will succeed in his mission.

16 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.

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.

17 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.

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.

18 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.

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.

19 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.

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.”

20 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.

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!”

21 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.

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.

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

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