Isaiah 48

1 "Hear this, house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, and have come forth out of the waters of Judah; who swear by the name of YHWH, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness

Hear this, house of Jacob, who are called by the name Israel, and have come from the sperm of Judah; you who swear by the name of Yahweh and invoke the God of Israel, but not sincerely nor in a righteous manner.

2 (for they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves on the God of Israel; YHWH of hosts is his name):

For they call themselves people of the holy city and trust in the God of Israel. Yahweh of hosts is his name.

3 I have declared the former things from of old; yes, they went forth out of my mouth, and I caused them to hear it. Suddenly I did them, and they happened.

“I have declared the things from long ago; they came out from my mouth, and I made them known; then suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.

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

Because I knew that you were obstinate, your neck muscles tight as iron, and your forehead like bronze,

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, and my engraved image, and my molten image, has commanded them.'

therefore I declared these things to you beforehand; before they happened I informed you, so you could not say, 'My idol has done them,' or 'My carved figure and my cast metal figure has ordained these things.'

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

You heard about these things; look at all this evidence; and you, will you not admit what I said is true? From now on, I am showing you new things, hidden things that you have not known.

7 They are created now, and not from of old; and before this day you did not hear them; lest you should say, 'Look, I knew them.'

Now, and not from previously, they come into being, and before today you have not heard about them, so you will not be able to say, 'Yes, I knew about 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 was called a transgressor from the womb.

You never heard; you did not know; these things were not unfolded to your ears beforehand. For I knew that you have been very deceitful, and that you have been a rebel from birth.

9 For my name's sake will I defer my anger, and for my praise will I refrain for you, that I not cut you off.

For the sake of my name I will defer my anger, and for my honor I will hold back from destroying you.

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

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

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

For my own sake, for my own sake I will act; for how can I allow my name to be profaned? I will not give my glory to anyone else.

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

Listen to me, Jacob, and Israel, whom I called: I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.

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.

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

14 "Let all of them assemble and hear; who among them has declared these things? He whom YHWH loves shall perform his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.

Assemble yourselves, all of you, and listen! Who among you has announced these things? Yahweh's ally will accomplish his purpose against Babylon. He will carry out Yahweh's will against 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, I have spoken, yes, I have summoned him, I have brought him, and he will succeed.

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

Come near to me, listen to this: From the beginning I have not spoken in secret; when it happens, I am there.” Now the Lord Yahweh has sent me, and his Spirit.

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

This is what Yahweh, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says, “I am Yahweh your God, who teaches you how to succeed, who leads you by the way that you should go.

18 But would 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.

If only you had obeyed my commandments! Then your peace and prosperity would have flowed like a river, and your salvation like the waves of the sea.

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

Your descendants would have been as numerous as the sand, and the children from your womb as numerous as the grains of sand; their name would not have been cut off nor blotted out from before me.

20 Go forth from Babylon, flee from the Chaldeans; with a voice of singing declare, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth: say, YHWH has redeemed his servant Jacob.

Come out from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! With the sound of a ringing cry announce it! Make this known, make it go out to the ends of the earth! Say, 'Yahweh has redeemed 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 split the rock also, and the waters gushed out.

They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made the water to flow out of the rock for them; he split open the rock, and the waters gushed out.

22 "There is no peace," says YHWH, "for the wicked."

There is no peace for the wicked—says Yahweh.”