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Israel Refined for God’s Glory

48 Hear this, O house of Jacob,
    who are called by the name of Israel,
    and have come forth from the waters of Judah;
who swear by the name of the Lord,
    and invoke the God of Israel,
    but not in truth or in righteousness;
for they call themselves after the holy city,
    and lean on the God of Israel;
    the Lord of Hosts is His name:
I have declared the former things from the beginning;
    and they went forth from My mouth, and I announced them.
    Suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.
Because I knew that you are obstinate,
    and your neck is an iron sinew,
    and your brow bronze;
I have even from the beginning declared it to you;
    before it came to pass I announced it to you,
lest you should say,
    “My idol has done them,
    and my carved image and my molded image has commanded them.”
You have heard; see all this.
    And will you not declare it?

I have shown you new things from this time,
    even hidden things, and you did not know them.
They are created now and not from the beginning;
    even before the day when you did not hear them,
lest you should say,
    “Yes, I knew them.”
You have not heard, you have not known,
    indeed, from long ago your ear has not been open.
For I knew that you would deal very treacherously,
    and that from birth you have been called a rebel.
For My name’s sake I will defer My anger,
    and for My praise I will restrain it for you
    so that you are not cut off.
10 See, I have refined you, but not with silver;
    I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction.
11 For My own sake, even for My own sake, I will do it;
    for how can My name be polluted?
    And I will not give My glory to another.

The Lord’s Call to Israel

12 Listen to Me, O Jacob
    and Israel, whom I called:
I am He;
    I am the First, and I am the Last.
13 My hand also has laid the foundation of the earth,
    and My right hand has spanned the heavens;
when I call to them,
    they stand up together.

14 Assemble, all of you, and listen.
    Who among them has declared these things?
The Lord has loved him;
    he will do His pleasure on Babylon,
    and His arm shall be against the Chaldeans.
15 I, even I, have spoken,
    and 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, there I am.

And now the Lord God has sent me
    and His Spirit.

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 in the way you should go.
18 Oh, that you had listened to My commandments!
    Then your peace would have been as a river
    and your righteousness as the waves of the sea.
19 Your descendants also would have been as the sand
    and your offspring like grains of sand;
their 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 even 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 caused the waters to flow out of 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.”

Stubborn Israel

48 “Listen to this, you descendants 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;
    your neck muscles(N) 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;(AA)
    for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you,
    so as not to destroy you completely.(AB)
10 See, I have refined(AC) you, though not as silver;
    I have tested(AD) you in the furnace(AE) of affliction.
11 For my own sake,(AF) for my own sake, I do this.
    How can I let myself be defamed?(AG)
    I will not yield my glory to another.(AH)

Israel Freed

12 “Listen(AI) to me, Jacob,
    Israel, whom I have called:(AJ)
I am he;(AK)
    I am the first and I am the last.(AL)
13 My own hand laid the foundations of the earth,(AM)
    and my right hand spread out the heavens;(AN)
when I summon them,
    they all stand up together.(AO)

14 “Come together,(AP) all of you, and listen:
    Which of the idols has foretold(AQ) these things?
The Lord’s chosen ally(AR)
    will carry out his purpose(AS) against Babylon;(AT)
    his arm will be against the Babylonians.[a]
15 I, even I, have spoken;
    yes, I have called(AU) him.
I will bring him,
    and he will succeed(AV) in his mission.

16 “Come near(AW) me and listen(AX) to this:

“From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret;(AY)
    at the time it happens, I am there.”

And now the Sovereign Lord(AZ) has sent(BA) me,
    endowed with his Spirit.(BB)

17 This is what the Lord says—
    your Redeemer,(BC) the Holy One(BD) of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
    who teaches(BE) you what is best for you,
    who directs(BF) you in the way(BG) you should go.
18 If only you had paid attention(BH) to my commands,
    your peace(BI) would have been like a river,(BJ)
    your well-being(BK) like the waves of the sea.
19 Your descendants(BL) would have been like the sand,(BM)
    your children like its numberless grains;(BN)
their name would never be blotted out(BO)
    nor destroyed from before me.”

20 Leave Babylon,
    flee(BP) from the Babylonians!
Announce this with shouts of joy(BQ)
    and proclaim it.
Send it out to the ends of the earth;(BR)
    say, “The Lord has redeemed(BS) his servant Jacob.”
21 They did not thirst(BT) when he led them through the deserts;
    he made water flow(BU) for them from the rock;
he split the rock
    and water gushed out.(BV)

22 “There is no peace,”(BW) says the Lord, “for the wicked.”(BX)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 48:14 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 20