Isaiah 48

Stubborn Israel

“Listen to this, house of Jacob,

you who are called by the name of Israel^a

and come from the line of Judah,^b

you who take oaths^c in the name of the Lord^d

and invoke^e the God of Israel—

but not in truth^f or righteousness—

you who call yourselves citizens of the holy city^g

and claim to rely^h on the God of Israel—

the Lord Almighty is his name:ⁱ

I foretold the former things^j long ago,

my mouth announced^k them and I made them known;

then suddenly^l I acted, and they came to pass.

For I knew how stubborn^m you were;

the sinews of your neckⁿ were iron,

your forehead^o was bronze.

Therefore I told you these things long ago;

before they happened I announced^p them to you

so that you could not say,

‘My images brought them about;^q

my wooden image and metal god ordained them.’

You have heard these things; look at them all.

Will you not admit them?

“From now on I will tell you of new things,^r

of hidden things unknown to you.

They are created^s now, and not long ago;^t

you have not heard of them before today.

So you cannot say,

‘Yes, I knew^u of them.’

You have neither heard nor understood;^v

from of old your ears^w have not been open.

Well do I know how treacherous^x you are;

you were called a rebel^y from birth.

For my own name’s sake^z I delay my wrath;^a

for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you,

so as not to destroy you completely.^b

See, I have refined^c you, though not as silver;

I have tested^d you in the furnace^e of affliction.

For my own sake,^f for my own sake, I do this.

How can I let myself be defamed?^g

I will not yield my glory to another.^h

Israel Freed

“Listen^a to me, Jacob,

Israel, whom I have called:^b

I am he;^c

I am the first and I am the last.^d

My own hand laid the foundations of the earth,^e

and my right hand spread out the heavens;^f

when I summon them,

they all stand up together.^g

“Come together,^h all of you, and listen:

Which of the idols has foretoldⁱ these things?

The Lord’s chosen ally^j

will carry out his purpose^k against Babylon;^l

his arm will be against the Babylonians.

I, even I, have spoken;

yes, I have called^m him.

I will bring him,

and he will succeedⁿ in his mission.

“Come near^o me and listen^p to this:

“From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret;^q

at the time it happens, I am there.”

And now the Sovereign Lord^r has sent^s me,

endowed with his Spirit.^t

This is what the Lord says—

your Redeemer,^u the Holy One^v of Israel:

“I am the Lord your God,

who teaches^w you what is best for you,

who directs^x you in the way^y you should go.

If only you had paid attention^z to my commands,

your peace^a would have been like a river,^b

your well-being^c like the waves of the sea.

Your descendants^d would have been like the sand,^e

your children like its numberless grains;^f

their name would never be blotted out^g

nor destroyed from before me.”

Leave Babylon,

flee^h from the Babylonians!

Announce this with shouts of joyⁱ

and proclaim it.

Send it out to the ends of the earth;^j

say, “The Lord has redeemed^k his servant Jacob.”

They did not thirst^l when he led them through the deserts;

he made water flow^m for them from the rock;

he split the rock

and water gushed out.ⁿ

“There is no peace,”^o says the Lord, “for the wicked.”^p