Isaiah 48

Stubborn Israel

1 “Listen to this, O house of Jacob,
you who are called by the name of Israel
and come from the line of Judah,
you who take oaths in the name of the Lord
and invoke the God of Israel—
but not in truth or righteousness—

2 you who call yourselves citizens of the holy city
and rely on the God of Israel—
the Lord Almighty is his name:

3 I foretold the former things long ago,
my mouth announced them and I made them known;
then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.

4 For I knew how stubborn you were;
the sinews of your neck were iron,
your forehead was bronze.

5 Therefore I told you these things long ago;
before they happened I announced them to you
so that you could not say,
‘My idols did them;
my wooden image and metal god ordained them.’

6 You have heard these things; look at them all.
Will you not admit them?

“From now on I will tell you of new things,
of hidden things unknown to you.

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

8 You have neither heard nor understood;
from of old your ear has not been open.
Well do I know how treacherous you are;
you were called a rebel from birth.

9 For my own name's sake I delay my wrath;
for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you,
so as not to cut you off.

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

11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this.
How can I let myself be defamed?
I will not yield my glory to another.

Israel Freed

12 “Listen to me, O Jacob,
Israel, whom I have called:
I am he;
I am the first and I am the last.

13 My own hand laid the foundations of the earth,
and my right hand spread out the heavens;
when I summon them,
they all stand up together.

14 “Come together, all of you, and listen:
Which of the idols has foretold these things?
The Lord's chosen ally
will carry out his purpose against Babylon;
his arm will be against the Babylonians.

15 I, even I, have spoken;
yes, I have called him.
I will bring him,
and he will succeed in his mission.

16 “Come near me and listen to this:
“From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret;
at the time it happens, I am there.”

And now the Sovereign Lord has sent me,
with his Spirit.

17 This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you what is best for you,
who directs you in the way you should go.

18 If only you had paid attention to my commands,
your peace would have been like a river,
your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

19 Your descendants would have been like the sand,
your children like its numberless grains;
their name would never be cut off
nor destroyed from before me.”

20 Leave Babylon,
flee from the Babylonians!
Announce this with shouts of joy
and proclaim it.
Send it out to the ends of the earth;
say, “The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob.”

21 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,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”

ISAIAH 48

The [Lord] Corrects His People

1 People of Israel,
you come from Jacob's family
and the tribet of Judah.
You claim to worship me,
the [Lord] God of Israel,
but you are lying.

2 You call Jerusalem your home
and say you depend on me,
the [Lord] All-Powerful,
the God of Israel.

3 Long ago I announced
what was going to be,
then without warning,
I made it happen.

4 I knew you were stubborn
and hardheaded.

5 And I told you these things,
so that when they happened
you would not say,
“The idols we worship did this.”

6 You heard what I said,
and you have seen it happen.
Now admit it's true!
I will show you secrets
you have never known.

7 Today I am doing something new,
something you cannot say
you have heard before.

8 You have never been willing
to listen to what I say;
from the moment of your birth,
I knew you would rebel.

The [Lord] Warns Israel

9 I, the [Lord], am true to myself;
I will be praised for not punishing
and destroying you.

10 I tested you in hard times
just as silver is refined
in a heated furnace.t

11 I did this because of who I am.
I refuse to be dishonoredt
or share my praise
with any other god.

12  t Israel, my chosen people,
listen to me.
I alone am the [Lord],
the first and the last.

13 With my own hand
I created the earth
and stretched out the sky.
They obey my every command.

The [Lord] Speaks //to the Nations

14 Gather around me, all of you!
Listen to what I say.
Did any of your idols
predict this would happen?
Did they say that my friendt
would do what I want done
to Babylonia?t

15 I was the one who chose him.
I have brought him this far,
and he will be successful.

16 Come closer and listen!
I have never kept secret
the things I have said,
and I was here
before time began.

It Is Best //To Obey the [Lord]

17 with this message:
People of Israel,
I am the holy [Lord] God,
the one who rescues you.
For your own good,
I teach you, and I lead you
along the right path.

18 How I wish that you
had obeyed my commands!
Your success and good fortune
would then have overflowed
like a flooding river.

19 Your nation would be blessed
with more people
than there are grains of sand
along the seashore.
And I would never have let
your country be destroyed.

20  t Now leave Babylon!
Celebrate as you go.
Be happy and shout
for everyone to hear,
“The [Lord] has rescued
his servant Israel!

21 He led us through the desert
and made water flow from a rock
to satisfy our thirst.

22  t But the [Lord] has promised
that none who are evil
will live in peace.”