Isaiah 48
1 [Yahweh says], “You descendants [MTY] of Jacob, who are [also] descendants of Judah and are now called [the people of] Israel, Listen to me! You make solemn promises using my name, Yahweh, and you request that I, the God to whom you Israeli people belong, [will hear you], but you do not do it sincerely.
| שמעו זאת בית יעקב הנקראים בשם ישראל וממי יהודה יצאו הנשבעים בשם יהוה ובאלהי ישראל יזכירו לא באמת ולא בצדקה׃ |
2 You say that you live in the holy city [of Jerusalem], and [you insincerely say] that you are relying on me, the God to whom you [people of] Israel belong, the one who is the Commander of the armies of angels.
| כי מעיר הקדש נקראו ועל אלהי ישראל נסמכו יהוה צבאות שמו׃ |
3 Long ago I [MTY] predicted what would happen [DOU]. And then suddenly, I caused those things to happen.
| הראשנות מאז הגדתי ומפי יצאו ואשמיעם פתאם עשיתי ותבאנה׃ |
4 I knew that you people are very stubborn; I knew that your heads are [MET] [as hard as] iron or brass [DOU].
| מדעתי כי קשה אתה וגיד ברזל ערפך ומצחך נחושה׃ |
5 That is why I told you those things long ago. Long before they occurred, I announced that they would occur, in order that [when they happened] you could not say ‘Our idols did it; our statue made of wood and our idol made of metal caused them to happen.’
| ואגיד לך מאז בטרם תבוא השמעתיך פן תאמר עצבי עשם ופסלי ונסכי צום׃ |
6 You have heard those things [that I predicted] and now you have seen that they have all occurred, so why do you not admit it [RHQ]? Now I will tell you new things, things that you have not known previously.
| שמעת חזה כלה ואתם הלוא תגידו השמעתיך חדשות מעתה ונצרות ולא ידעתם׃ |
7 I am causing them to happen now; they are not things I did long ago. So you cannot say, ‘We already knew about those things.’
| עתה נבראו ולא מאז ולפני יום ולא שמעתם פן תאמר הנה ידעתין׃ |
8 [I will tell you about] things that you have never heard about or understood before. Even long ago you did not pay attention to me [IDM]. I know that you act very deceitfully/treacherously; you have rebelled against me since you first became a nation [MTY].
| גם לא שמעת גם לא ידעת גם מאז לא פתחה אזנך כי ידעתי בגוד תבגוד ופשע מבטן קרא לך׃ |
9 But, for my own sake, in order that I will be honored, I will not punish [MTY] you immediately and I will not completely get rid of you.
| למען שמי אאריך אפי ותהלתי אחטם לך לבלתי הכריתך׃ |
10 I have purified you, but not the way [people refine] silver. Instead, I have caused you to suffer very much [to get rid of your impure behavior], like [MET] [people put metal in a very hot] furnace [to get rid of the impurities].
| הנה צרפתיך ולא בכסף בחרתיך בכור עני׃ |
11 But for my [MTY] own sake I will delay punishing you more; I will do it for my own sake in order that my reputation will not be damaged [RHQ]. I will not allow any [person or any idol] to be honored as I [deserve to be] honored.”
| למעני למעני אעשה כי איך יחל וכבודי לאחר לא אתן׃ |
12 “You descendants [MTY] of Jacob, you people of Israel whom I have chosen, listen to me! [Only] I am God; I am the one who begins everything and who causes everything to end.
| שמע אלי יעקב וישראל מקראי אני הוא אני ראשון אף אני אחרון׃ |
13 I [SYN] am the one who laid the foundation of the earth. I stretched out the sky with my hand. And when I tell [the stars] to appear, they all do what I tell them.
| אף ידי יסדה ארץ וימיני טפחה שמים קרא אני אליהם יעמדו יחדו׃ |
14 All of you, gather together and listen to me. None of your idols has [RHQ] told this to you: I, Yahweh, have chosen [Cyrus] to assist me, and he will do to Babylon what I want him to do, and his army will get rid of [the army of] Babylonia.
| הקבצו כלכם ושמעו מי בהם הגיד את אלה יהוה אהבו יעשה חפצו בבבל וזרעו כשדים׃ |
15 I have said it; I have summoned [Cyrus]. I have appointed him, and he will accomplish everything that he attempts to do.
| אני אני דברתי אף קראתיו הביאתיו והצליח דרכו׃ |
16 Come close to me and listen to what I say. Long ago [MTY] I told you plainly/clearly [LIT] [what would happen], and when those things occurred, I was [causing them to happen].” And now Yahweh the Lord and his Spirit have sent me [to give you a message].
| קרבו אלי שמעו זאת לא מראש בסתר דברתי מעת היותה שם אני ועתה אדני יהוה שלחני ורוחו׃ |
17 This is what Yahweh, the one who saves you, the Holy God of [us] Israelis, says: “I am Yahweh, your God; I teach you what is important for you [to know]; I direct you and lead you to the roads that you should walk on [MET].
| כה אמר יהוה גאלך קדוש ישראל אני יהוה אלהיך מלמדך להועיל מדריכך בדרך תלך׃ |
18 I wish that you had paid attention to my commands! If you had done that, things would have gone well for you like [SIM] a river that flows gently; you would have been successful again and again, like [SIM] waves that come without ceasing.
| לוא הקשבת למצותי ויהי כנהר שלומך וצדקתך כגלי הים׃ |
19 Your descendants would have been [as many as] [MET] the grains of sand [on the seashore] [which no one can count]. I would not have needed to get rid of you; the country of [MTY] [Israel] would not have been destroyed.”
| ויהי כחול זרעך וצאצאי מעיך כמעתיו לא יכרת ולא ישמד שמו מלפני׃ |
20 [However, now I tell you], leave Babylon! Flee from [being slaves of the people of] Babylonia! Proclaim this message joyfully; send it to the most remote/distant places on the earth: Yahweh freed the people of Israel [from being slaves in Egypt].
| צאו מבבל ברחו מכשדים בקול רנה הגידו השמיעו זאת הוציאוה עד קצה הארץ אמרו גאל יהוה עבדו יעקב׃ |
21 They were not thirsty when he led them through the desert, because he split open the rock and caused water to gush/flow out for them [to drink].
| ולא צמאו בחרבות הוליכם מים מצור הזיל למו ויבקע צור ויזבו מים׃ |
22 “But things will not go well [like that] for wicked people,” says Yahweh.
| אין שלום אמר יהוה לרשעים׃ |
