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, 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—

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 call themselves citizens of the holy city, and rely on the God of Israel; the LORD of Armies 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 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.

4 Because I knew that thou art obstinate, that like an iron sinew is thy neck, and thy brow of copper;

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

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.’

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 it. Now see all this. And you, won’t you declare it? “I have shown you new things from this time, even hidden things, which you have not known.

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.

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

Yes, you didn’t hear. Yes, you didn’t 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.

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.

For my name’s sake, I will defer my anger, and for my praise, I hold it back for you so that I don’t 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, but not as silver. I have chosen you in the 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 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.

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: I am he. I am the first. I am also the 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.

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.

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.

“Assemble yourselves, all of you, and hear! Who amongst 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.

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, even I, have spoken. Yes, I have called him. I have brought him and he shall make 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 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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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!”

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.

They didn’t 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.

22 There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.

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