Isaiah 48

1 “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 the LORD’s name, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness—

Hear ye these things, O house of Jacob, you that are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Juda, you who swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in justice.

2 for they call themselves citizens of the holy city, and rely on the God of Israel; the LORD of Armies is his name.

For they are called of the holy city, and are established upon the God of Israel: the Lord of hosts is his name.

3 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.

The former things of old I have declared, and they went forth out of my mouth, and I have made them to be heard: I did them suddenly and they came to pass.

4 Because I knew that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew, and your brow bronze;

For I knew that thou art stubborn, and thy neck is as an iron sinew, and thy forehead as brass.

5 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.’

I foretold thee of old, before they came to pass I told thee, lest thou shouldst say: My idols have done these things, and my graven and molten things have commanded them.

6 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.

See now all the things which thou hast heard: but have you declared them? I have shewn thee new things from that time, and things are kept which thou knowest not:

7 They are created now, and not from of old. Before today, you didn’t hear them, lest you should say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’

They are created now, and not of old: and before the day, when thou heardest them not, lest thou shouldst say: Behold I knew them.

8 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.

Thou hast neither heard, nor known, neither was thy ear opened of old. For I know that transgressing thou wilt transgress, and I have called thee a transgressor from the womb.

9 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.

For my name’s sake I will remove my wrath far off: and for my praise I will bridle thee, lest thou shouldst perish.

10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver. I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction.

Behold I have refined thee, but not as silver, I have chosen thee in the furnace of poverty.

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.

For my own sake, for my own sake will I do it, that I may not be blasphemed: and 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.

Hearken to me, O Jacob, and thou Israel whom I call: I am he, I am the first, and I am 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.

My hand also hath founded the earth, and my right hand hath measured the heavens: I shall call them, and they shall stand together.

14 “Assemble yourselves, all of you, and hear! Who amongst them has declared these things? He whom the LORD loves will do what he likes to Babylon, and his arm will be against the Chaldeans.

Assemble yourselves together, all you, and hear: who among them hath declared these things? the Lord hath loved him, he will do his pleasure in Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.

15 I, even I, have spoken. Yes, I have called him. I have brought him and he shall make his way prosperous.

I, even I have spoken and called him: I have brought him, and his way is made 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 GOD has sent me with his Spirit.

Come ye near unto me, and hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning: from the time before it was done, I was there, and now the Lord God hath sent me, and his spirit.

17 The LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, says: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way that you should go.

Thus saith the Lord thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord thy God that teach thee profitable things, that govern thee in the way that thou walkest.

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.

O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments: thy peace had been as a river, and thy justice as 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.”

And thy seed had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof: his name should not have perished, nor have been destroyed from before my face.

20 Leave Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! With the sound of joyful shouting announce this, tell it even to the end of the earth; say, “The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob!”

Come forth out of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, declare it with the voice of joy: make this to be heard, and speak it out even to the ends of the earth. Say: The Lord hath 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.

They thirsted not in the desert, when he led them out: he brought forth water out of the rock for them, and he clove the rock, and the waters gushed out.

22 “There is no peace”, says the LORD, “for the wicked.”

There is no peace to the wicked, saith the Lord.