Isaiah 48

1 Hear yee this, O house of Iaakob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come out of the waters of Iudah: which sweare by the Name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousnesse.

Give ear to this, O family of Jacob, you who are named by the name of Israel, and have come out of the body of Judah; who take oaths by the name of the Lord, and make use of the name of the God of Israel, but not truly and not in good faith.

2 For they are called of the holy citie, and staie themselues vpon the God of Israel, whose Name is the Lord of hostes.

For they say that they are of the holy town, and put their faith in the God of Israel: the Lord of armies is his name.

3 I haue declared ye former things of old, and they went out of my mouth, and I shewed them: I did them suddenly, and they came to passe.

I gave word in the past of the things which came about; they came from my mouth, and I made them clear: suddenly I did them, and they came about.

4 Because I knewe, that thou art obstinate, and thy necke is an yron sinew, and thy brow brasse,

Because I saw that your heart was hard, and that your neck was an iron cord, and your brow brass;

5 Therefore I haue declared it to thee of old: before it came to passe, I shewed it thee, lest thou shouldest say, Mine idole hath done them, and my carued image, and my molten image hath commanded them.

For this reason I made it clear to you in the past, before it came I gave you word of it: for fear that you might say, My god did these things, and my pictured and metal images made them come about.

6 Thou hast heard, behold all this, and wil not yee declare it? I haue shewed thee newe things, euen now, and hid things, which thou knewest not.

All this has come to your ears and you have seen it; will you not give witness to it? I am now making clear new things, even secret things, of which you had no knowledge.

7 They are created now, and not of olde, and euen before this thou heardest them not, lest thou shouldest say, Beholde, I knewe them.

They have only now been effected, and not in the past: and before this day they had not come to your ears; for fear that you might say, I had knowledge of them.

8 Yet thou heardest them not, neither diddest know them, neither yet was thine eare opened of olde: for I knewe that thou wouldest grieuously transgresse: therefore haue I called thee a transgressour from the wombe.

Truly you had no word of them, no knowledge of them; no news of them in the past had come to your ears; because I saw how false was your behaviour, and that your heart was turned against me from your earliest days.

9 For my Names sake will I defer my wrath, and for my praise will I refraine it from thee, that I cut thee not off.

Because of my name I will put away my wrath, and for my praise I will keep myself from cutting you off.

10 Behold, I haue fined thee, but not as siluer: I haue chosen thee in the fornace of affliction.

See, I have been testing you for myself like silver; I have put you through the fire of trouble.

11 For mine owne sake, for mine owne sake wil I doe it: for how should my Name be polluted? surely I wil not giue my glory vnto another.

For myself, even because of my name, I will do it; for I will not let my name be shamed; and my glory I will not give to another.

12 Heare me, O Iaakob and Israel, my called, I am, I am the first, and I am the last.

Give ear to me, Jacob, and Israel, my loved one; I am he, I am the first and I am the last.

13 Surely mine hand hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heaues: when I cal them, they stand vp together.

Yes, by my hand was the earth placed on its base, and by my right hand the heavens were stretched out; at my word they take up their places.

14 All you, assemble your selues, and heare: which among them hath declared these thinges? The Lord hath loued him: he wil doe his will in Babel, and his arme shalbe against the Chaldeans.

Come together, all of you, and give ear; who among you has given news of these things? the Lord's loved one will do his pleasure with Babylon, and with the seed of the Chaldaeans.

15 I, euen I haue spoken it, and I haue called him: I haue brought him, and his way shall prosper.

I, even I, have given the word; I have sent for him: I have made him come, and have given effect to his undertakings.

16 Come neere vnto me: heare ye this: I haue not spoken it in secret from the beginning: from the time that the thing was, I was there, and now the Lord God and his Spirit hath sent me.

Come near to me, and give ear to this; from the start I did not keep it secret; from the time of its coming into existence I was there: and now the Lord God has sent me, and given me his spirit.

17 Thus saith the Lord thy redeemer, the Holy one of Israel, I am the Lord thy God, which teach thee to profite, and lead thee by the way, that thou shouldest goe.

The Lord who takes up your cause, the Holy One of Israel, says, I am the Lord your God, who is teaching you for your profit, guiding you by the way in which you are to go.

18 Oh that thou haddest hearkened to my commandements! then had thy prosperitie bene as the floude, and thy righteousnesse as the waues of the sea.

If only you had given ear to my orders, then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness as the waves of the sea:

19 Thy seede also had beene as the sande, and the fruite of thy body like the grauell thereof: his name should not haue bene cut off nor destroied before me.

Your seed would have been like the sand, and your offspring like the dust: your name would not be cut off or come to an end before me.

20 Goe yee out of Babel: flee yee from the Chaldeans, with a voice of ioy: tel and declare this: shewe it foorth to the ende of the earth: say yee, The Lord hath redeemed his seruant Iaakob.

Go out of Babylon, go in flight from the Chaldaeans; with the sound of song make it clear, give the news, let the word go out even to the end of the earth: say, The Lord has taken up the cause of his servant Jacob.

21 And they were not thirstie: hee led them through the wildernesse: hee caused the waters to flowe out of the rocke for them: for he claue the rocke, and the water gushed out.

They had no need of water when he was guiding them through the waste lands: he made water come out of the rock for them: the rock was parted and the waters came flowing out.

22 There is no peace, sayeth the Lord, vnto the wicked.

There is no peace, says the Lord, for the evil-doers.