Isaiah 48

Israel Refined for Gods Glory

1 Hear this, O house of Jacob, Hear this, O house of Jacob, Who are called by the name of Israel, And have come forth from the wellsprings of Judah; Who swear by the name of the Lord, And make mention of the God of Israel, But not in truth or in righteousness;2 For they call themselves 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; They went forth from My mouth, and I caused them to hear it. Suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.4 Because I knew that you were obstinate, And your neck was an iron sinew, And your brow bronze,5 Even from the beginning I have declared it to you; Before it came to pass I proclaimed it to you, Lest you should say, My idol has done them, And my carved image and my molded image Have commanded them.6 You have heard; See all this. And will you not declare it? I have made you hear new things from this time, Even hidden things, and you did not know them.7 They are created now and not from the beginning; And before this day you have not heard them, Lest you should say, Of course I knew them.8 Surely you did not hear, Surely you did not know; Surely from long ago your ear was not opened. For I knew that you would deal very treacherously, And were called a transgressor from the womb.9 For My names sake I will defer My anger, And for My praise I will restrain it from you, So that I do not cut you off.10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.11 For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it; For how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another.

Gods Ancient Plan to Redeem Israel

12 Listen to Me, O Jacob, And Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last.13 Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, And My right hand has stretched out the heavens; When I call to them, They stand up together.14 All of you, assemble yourselves, and hear! Who among them has declared these things? The Lord loves him; He shall do His pleasure on Babylon, And His arm shall be against the Chaldeans.15 I, even I, have spoken; Yes, I have called him, I have brought him, and his way will prosper.16 Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord God and His Spirit Have sent Me.17 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go.18 Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.19 Your descendants also would have been like the sand, And the offspring of your body like the grains of sand; His name would not have been cut off Nor destroyed from before Me.20 Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! With a voice of singing, Declare, proclaim this, Utter it to the end of the earth; Say, The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob!21 And they did not thirst When He led them through the deserts; He caused the waters to flow from the rock for them; He also split the rock, and the waters 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.”