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 ye 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 Jehovah, And of the God of Israel make mention, Not in truth nor in righteousness.

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

For from the Holy City they have been called, And on the God of Israel been supported, Jehovah 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.

The former things from that time I declared, And from my mouth they have gone forth, And I proclaim them, Suddenly I have done, and it cometh.

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

From my knowing that thou art obstinate, And a sinew of iron thy neck, And thy forehead brass,

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.'

And I declare to thee from that time, Before it cometh I have caused thee to hear, Lest thou say, 'Mine idol hath done them, And my graven image, And my molten image did command them.

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.

Thou hast heard, see the whole of it, And ye, do ye not declare? I have caused thee to hear new things from this time, And things reserved that ye knew not.

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 they have been produced and not from that time, Yea, before the day, and thou hast not heard them, Lest thou say, 'Lo, I have known 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.

Yea, thou hast not heard, Yea, thou hast not known, Yea, from that time not opened hath thine ear, For I have known thou dealest treacherously, And 'Transgressor from the belly,' One is crying to thee.

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 My name's sake I defer Mine anger, And My praise I restrain for thee, So as not to cut thee off.

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

Lo, I have refined thee, and not with silver, I have chosen thee in a 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 sake, for Mine own sake, I do [it], For how is it polluted? And Mine honour to another I give not.

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

Hearken to me, O Jacob, and Israel, My called one, I [am] He, I [am] first, and I [am] 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.

Also, My hand hath founded earth, And My right hand stretched out the heavens, I am calling unto them, they stand 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.

Be gathered all of you, and hear, Who among them did declare these things? Jehovah hath loved him, He doth 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 shall make his way prosperous.

I — I have spoken, yea, I have called him, I have brought him in, And he hath made prosperous his way.

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 ye near unto me, hear this, Not from the beginning in secret spake I, From the time of its being, there [am] I, And now the Lord Jehovah hath 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.

Thus said Jehovah, thy redeemer, The Holy One of Israel, 'I [am] Jehovah thy God, teaching thee to profit, Causing thee to tread in the way thou goest.

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.

O that thou hadst attended to My commands, Then as a river is thy peace, And thy righteousness as billows 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.

And as sand is thy seed, And the offspring of thy bowels as its gravel, Not cut off nor destroyed his name 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.

Go out from Babylon, flee from the Chaldeans, With a voice of singing declare, Cause ye this to be heard, Bring it forth unto the end of the earth, Say, Redeemed hath Jehovah 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.

And they have not thirsted in waste places, He hath caused them to go on, Waters from a rock he hath caused to flow to them, Yea, he cleaveth a rock, and flow do waters.

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

There is no peace, said Jehovah, to the wicked!