Isaiah 48:1-11

English Standard Version

Israel Refined for God's Glory

48 Hear this, O house of Jacob,
    ^(A)who are called by the name of Israel,
    and ^(B)who came from the waters of Judah,
^(C)who swear by the name of the Lord
    and confess the God of Israel,
    but not in truth or right.
²For they call themselves after the holy city,
    ^(D)and stay themselves on the God of Israel;
    the Lord of hosts is his name.

³“The former things ^(E)I declared of old;
    they went out from my mouth, and I announced them;
    then suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.
⁴Because I know that ^(F)you are obstinate,
    and your neck is an iron sinew
    and your forehead brass,
⁵^(G)I declared them to you from of old,
    before they came to pass I announced them to you,
lest you should say, ^(H)‘My idol did them,
    my carved image and my metal image commanded them.’

⁶“You have heard; now see all this;
    and will you not declare it?
From this time forth ^(I)I announce to you new things,
    hidden things that you have not known.
⁷They are created now, not long ago;
    before today you have never heard of them,
    lest you should say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’
⁸You have never heard, you have never known,
    from of old your ear has not been opened.
For I knew that you would surely deal treacherously,
    and that ^(J)from before birth you were called a rebel.

⁹^(K)“For my name's sake I defer my anger;
    for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you,
    that I may not cut you off.
¹⁰Behold, I have refined you, ^(L)but not as silver;
    ^(M)I have tried^[a] you in the furnace of affliction.
¹¹^(N)For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it,
    for how should my name^[b] be profaned?
    ^(O)My glory I will not give to another.