Isaiah 48

Israel’s Obstinacy

1“1Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are named Israel And who came forth from the 23loins of Judah, Who 4swear by the name of the Lord And invoke the God of Israel, But not in truth nor in 5righteousness.2For they call themselves after the 6holy city And 7lean on the God of Israel; The Lord of hosts is His name.3I 8declared the former things long ago And they went forth from My mouth, and I proclaimed them. 9Suddenly I acted, and they 10came to pass.4Because I know that you are 1112obstinate, And your 13neck is an iron sinew And your 14forehead bronze,5Therefore I declared them to you long ago, Before 15they took place I proclaimed them to you, So that you would not say, ‘My 16idol has done them, And my graven image and my molten image have commanded them.’6You have heard; look at all this. And you, will you not declare it? I proclaim to you 17new things from this time, Even hidden things which you have not known.7They are created now and not long ago; And before today you have not heard them, So that you will not say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’8You have not 18heard, you have not known. Even from long ago your ear has not been open, Because I knew that you would deal very treacherously; And you have been called a 1920rebel from 21birth.922For the sake of My name I 23delay My wrath, And for My praise I restrain it for you, In order not to cut you off.10Behold, I have refined you, but 24not as silver; I have tested you in the 25furnace of affliction.1126For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My 27glory I will not give to another.

Deliverance Promised

12“Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel 28whom I called; 29I am He, 30I am the first, I am also the last.13Surely My hand 31founded the earth, And My right hand spread out the heavens; When I 32call to them, they stand together.1433Assemble, all of you, and listen! 34Who among them has declared these things? The Lord loves him; he will 35carry out His good pleasure on 36Babylon, And His arm will be against the Chaldeans.15I, even I, have spoken; indeed I have 37called him, I have brought him, and He will make his ways successful.1638Come near to Me, listen to this: From the first I have 39not spoken in secret, 40From the time it took place, I was there. And now 41the Lord 42God has sent Me, and His Spirit.”

17Thus says the Lord, your 43Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, Who 44leads you in the way you should go.18If only you had 45paid attention to My commandments! Then your 4647well-being would have been like a river, And your 48righteousness like the waves of the sea.19Your 4950descendants would have been like the sand, And 51your offspring like its grains; 52Their name would never be cut off or destroyed from My presence.”

2053Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! Declare with the sound of 54joyful shouting, proclaim this, 55Send it out to the end of the earth; Say, “56The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob.”21They did not 57thirst when He led them through the deserts. He 58made the water flow out of the rock for them; He split the rock and 59the water gushed forth.22“60There is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord.