Isaiah 48

1 Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the spring of Judah, who swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, —not in truth, nor in 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 For of the holy city they call themselves, and upon the God of Israel they stay themselves, —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 The former things have I declared from the beginning; and out of my mouth went they forth, and I announced them: suddenly did I accomplish them, 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 Because I knew that thou art obstinate, that like an iron sinew is thy neck, and thy brow of copper;

From My knowing that you are obstinate, And your neck—a sinew of iron, And your forehead—bronze,

5 And I declared it to thee from the beginning; before yet it came to pass did I let thee hear it: lest thou should say, My idol hath done these things, and my graven image, and my molten image, have ordained them.

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 Thou hast heard it; see it all now; and you—will you not declare it? I caused thee to hear new things, from this time, even hidden things which thou hadst not known.

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 Now are they created, and not from the beginning; and before the day [that I announced them] thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I 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 But neither hadst thou heard it; nor didst thou know; nor had in ancient times thy ear been opened; for I knew that thou wouldst deal very treacherously, and a transgressor wast thou called from thy 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 will I defer my anger, and because of my praise will I restrain it toward thee, so that I may not cut thee 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 Behold, I have refined thee, though not into silver: I have approved thee in the crucible 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 will I do it: for how would [my name] be dishonored? and my glory will I not give unto 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 Hearken unto me, O Jacob, and Israel, my called one; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.

Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, My called one, I [am] He, I [am] first, and I [am] last;

13 My hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned out the heavens: I call unto them, they stand forward together.

Also, My hand has founded earth, And My right hand stretched out the heavens, I am calling to them, they stand together.

14 Assemble yourselves, all of you, and hear: Who among them hath told these things? He whom the Lord loveth, will do his pleasure on Babylon, and [display] his arm [on] 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 it, I have also called him: I have brought him, and he shall be prosperous on his way.

I have spoken, indeed, I have called him, I have brought him in, And he has made his way prosperous.

16 Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; never from the beginning have I spoken in secret; from the time that it occurred, was I there. And now the Lord Eternal hath sent me, and 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 hath said the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, I am the Lord thy God who teach thee for thy profit, who lead thee by the way thou shouldst 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 Oh that thou hadst but listened to my commandments! then would have been as a river thy peace, and thy prosperity as the 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 And then would have been as the sand thy seed, and the offspring of thy body like the pebbles of the sea-shore; yet shall his name not be cut off nor destroyed from before me.

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 Go forth out of Babylon, flee away from the Chaldeans, with the voice of singing declare, announce this, carry it forth as far as the end of the earth; say, The Lord hath 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 And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts; waters out of the rock he let drop down for them: and he cleaved the rock, and the waters 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, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.

“There is no peace,” said YHWH, “for the wicked!”