Isaiah 48

1 Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and have come forth out of the waters of Judah, who swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, [but] not in truth, nor in righteousness.

“Listen to this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, who have descended from the line of Judah, who swear by the name of the LORD, who invoke the God of Israel— but not in truth or righteousness—

2 For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts [is] his name.

who indeed call yourselves after the holy city and lean on the God of Israel; the LORD of Hosts is His name.

3 I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth from my mouth, and I showed them; I did [them] suddenly, and they came to pass.

I foretold the former things long ago; they came out of My mouth and I proclaimed them. Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.

4 Because I knew that thou [art] obstinate, and thy neck [is] an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;

For I knew that you are stubborn; your neck is iron and your forehead is bronze.

5 I have even from the beginning declared [it] to thee; before it came to pass I showed [it] thee: lest thou shouldst say, My idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them.

Therefore I declared it to you long ago; I announced it before it came to pass, so that you could not claim, ‘My idol has done this; my carved image and molten god has ordained it.’

6 Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare [it]? I have showed ye new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.

You have heard these things; look at them all. Will you not acknowledge them? From now on I will tell you of new things, hidden things unknown to you.

7 They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardst them not; lest thou shouldst say, Behold, I knew them.

They are created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today. So you cannot claim, ‘I already knew them!’

8 Yes, thou heardst not; yes, thou knewest not; yes, from that time [that] thy ear was not opened: for I knew that thou wouldst deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.

You have never heard; you have never understood; for a long time your ears have not been open. For I knew how deceitful you are; you have been called a rebel from birth.

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

For the sake of My name I will delay My wrath; for the sake of My praise I will restrain it, so that you will not be cut off.

10 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

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

11 For my own sake, [even] for my own sake, will I do [it]: for how should [my name] be profaned? and I will not give my glory to another.

For My own sake, My very own sake, I will act; for how can I let Myself be defamed? I will not yield My glory to another.

12 Hearken to me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I [am] he; I [am] the first, I also [am] the last.

Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I have called: I am He; I am the first, and I am the last.

13 My hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: [when] I call to them, they stand up together.

Surely My own hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they stand up together.

14 All ye, assemble yourselves and hear; who among them hath declared these [things]? The LORD hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm [shall be on] the Chaldeans.

Come together, all of you, and listen: Which of the idols has foretold these things? The LORD’s chosen ally will carry out His desire against Babylon, and His arm will be 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, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him. I have brought him, and he will succeed in his mission.

16 Come ye near to me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there [am] I: and now the LORD God, and his Spirit, hath sent me.

Come near to Me and listen to this: From the beginning I have not spoken in secret; from the time it happened, I was there.” And now the Lord GOD has sent me, accompanied by His Spirit.

17 Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I [am] the LORD thy God, who teacheth thee to profit, who leadeth thee by the way [that] thou shouldst go.

Thus says the LORD your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you for your benefit, who directs you in the way you should go.

18 O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:

If only you had paid attention to My commandments, your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like waves of the sea.

19 Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like its gravel; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.

Your descendants would have been as countless as the sand, and your offspring as numerous as its grains; their name would never be cut off or eliminated from My presence.”

20 Go ye forth from Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it [even] to the end of the earth; say ye, The LORD hath redeemed his servant Jacob.

Leave Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! Declare it with a shout of joy, proclaim it, let it go out to the ends of the earth, saying, “The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob!”

21 And they thirsted not, [when] he led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he cleaved the rock also, and the waters gushed out.

They did not thirst when He led them through the deserts; He made water flow for them from the rock; He split the rock, and water gushed out.

22 [There is] no peace, saith the LORD, to the wicked.

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