1Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness.2For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts is his name.3I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass.4Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;5I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them.6Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it ? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.7They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them.8Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.9For my name' sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off.10Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.11For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it : for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.12Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.13Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.14All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them hath declared these things ? The LORD hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.15I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.16Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me.17Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.18O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:19Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.20Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The LORD hath redeemed his servant Jacob.21And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.22There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.
Isaiah 48
English Standard Version
Israel Refined for God’s Glory
1Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and who came from the waters of Judah, who swear by the name of the Lord and confess the God of Israel, but not in truth or right. (Ps 68:26; Isa 43:1; Jer 7:9)2For they call themselves after the holy city, and stay themselves on the God of Israel; the Lord of hosts is his name. (Mic 3:11)3“The former things I declared of old; they went out from my mouth, and I announced them; then suddenly I did them, and they came to pass. (Isa 41:26)4Because I know that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew and your forehead brass, (Ex 32:9)5I declared them to you from of old, before they came to pass I announced them to you, lest you should say, ‘My idol did them, my carved image and my metal image commanded them.’ (Isa 48:3; Jer 44:15)6“You have heard; now see all this; and will you not declare it? From this time forth I announce to you new things, hidden things that you have not known. (Isa 43:19)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 from before birth you were called a rebel. (Isa 46:8)9“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. (Mal 3:6)10Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried[1] you in the furnace of affliction. (De 4:20; Eze 22:18; Eze 22:20; Eze 22:22; 1Pe 1:7)11For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name[2] be profaned? My glory I will not give to another. (Isa 42:8; Isa 43:25; Eze 20:9)
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. (Isa 41:4)13My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together. (Ps 102:25; Isa 40:26; Isa 51:13; Heb 1:10)14“Assemble, all of you, and listen! Who among them has declared these things? The Lord loves him; he shall perform his purpose on Babylon, and his arm shall be against the Chaldeans. (Isa 23:13; Isa 41:26; Isa 46:10; Isa 47:1)15I, even I, have spoken and called him; I have brought him, and he will prosper in his way. (Isa 45:1)16Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there.” And now the Lord God has sent me, and his Spirit. (Isa 45:19; Isa 61:1)17Thus 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.18Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea; (De 32:29; Ps 81:13; Isa 66:12; Lu 19:42)19your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me.” (Ge 22:17; Isa 10:22; Ho 1:10)20Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea, declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it, send it out to the end of the earth; say, “The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob!” (Ex 19:4; Isa 23:13; Isa 35:10; Isa 44:23; Isa 47:1; Isa 52:9; Isa 52:11; Jer 50:8; Jer 51:6; Jer 51:45; Zec 2:6)21They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow for them from the rock; he split the rock and the water gushed out. (Ex 17:6; Nu 20:11; De 8:15; Isa 35:6; Isa 43:19; Isa 44:3)22“There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.” (Isa 57:21)