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48 “Hear this, house of Jacob,
    you who are called by the name of Israel,
    and have come out of the waters of Judah.
You swear by Yahweh’s name,
    and make mention of the God of Israel,
    but not in truth, nor in righteousness—
for they call themselves citizens of the holy city,
    and rely on the God of Israel;
    Yahweh of Armies is his name.
I have declared the former things from of old.
    Yes, they went out of my mouth, and I revealed them.
    I did them suddenly, and they happened.
Because I knew that you are obstinate,
    and your neck is an iron sinew,
    and your brow bronze;
therefore I have declared it to you from of old;
    before it came to pass I showed it to you;
    lest you should say, ‘My idol has done them.
    My engraved image and my molten image has commanded them.’
You have heard it.
    Now see all this.
    And you, won’t you declare it?

“I have shown you new things from this time,
    even hidden things, which you have not known.
They are created now, and not from of old.
    Before today, you didn’t hear them,
    lest you should say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’
Yes, you didn’t hear.
    Yes, you didn’t know.
    Yes, from of old your ear was not opened,
for I knew that you dealt very treacherously,
    and were called a transgressor from the womb.
For my name’s sake, I will defer my anger,
    and for my praise, I hold it back for you
    so that I don’t cut you off.
10 Behold, I have refined you,
    but not as silver.
    I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction.
11 For my own sake,
    for my own sake, I will do it;
for how would my name be profaned?
    I will not give my glory to another.

12 “Listen to me, O Jacob,
    and Israel my called:
I am he.
    I am the first.
    I am also the last.
13 Yes, my hand has laid the foundation of the earth,
    and my right hand has spread out the heavens.
    when I call to them, they stand up together.

14 “Assemble yourselves, all of you, and hear!
    Who among them has declared these things?
He whom Yahweh loves will do what he likes to Babylon,
    and his arm will be against the Chaldeans.
15 I, even I, have spoken.
    Yes, I have called him.
I have brought him
    and he shall make his way prosperous.

16 “Come near to me and hear this:

“From the beginning I have not spoken in secret;
    from the time that it happened, I was there.”

Now the Lord Yahweh has sent me
    with his Spirit.

17 Yahweh,
    your Redeemer,
    the Holy One of Israel says:
“I am Yahweh your God,
    who teaches you to profit,
    who leads you by the way that you should go.
18 Oh that you had listened to my commandments!
    Then your peace would have been like a river
    and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
19 Your offspring also would have been as the sand
    and the descendants of your body like its grains.
    His name would not be cut off nor destroyed from before me.”

20 Leave Babylon!
    Flee from the Chaldeans!
With a voice of singing announce this,
    tell it even to the end of the earth:
    say, “Yahweh has redeemed his servant Jacob!”
21 They didn’t 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 Yahweh, “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