Israel’s Obstinacy

48 (A)Hear this, house of Jacob, who are named Israel
And who came from the (B)waters of Judah,
Who (C)swear by the name of the Lord
And invoke the God of Israel,
But not in truth nor in (D)righteousness.
For they name themselves after the (E)holy city,
And (F)lean on the God of Israel;
The Lord of armies is His name.
I (G)declared the former things long ago,
And they went out of My mouth, and I proclaimed them.
(H)Suddenly I acted, and they (I)came to pass.
Because I know that you are [a](J)obstinate,
And your (K)neck is an iron tendon
And your (L)forehead bronze,
Therefore I declared them to you long ago,
Before [b]they took place I proclaimed them to you,
So that you would not say, ‘My (M)idol has done them,
And my carved image and my cast metal image have commanded them.’
You have heard; look at all this.
And you, will you not declare it?
I proclaim to you (N)new things from this time,
Hidden things which you have not known.
They 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.’
You have not (O)heard, 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 [c](P)rebel from [d]birth.
(Q)For the sake of My name I (R)delay My wrath,
And for My praise I restrain it for you,
In order not to cut you off.
10 Behold, I have refined you, but (S)not as silver;
I have tested you in the (T)furnace of affliction.
11 (U)For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act;
For how can My name be profaned?
And I will not give My (V)glory to another.

Rescue Promised

12 “Listen to Me, Jacob, Israel [e]whom I called;
(W)I am He, (X)I am the first, I am also the last.
13 Assuredly My hand (Y)founded the earth,
And My right hand spread out the heavens;
When I (Z)call to them, they stand together.
14 (AA)Assemble, all of you, and listen!
(AB)Who among them has declared these things?
The Lord loves him; he will (AC)carry out His good pleasure against (AD)Babylon,
And His arm will be against the Chaldeans.
15 I, yes I, have spoken; indeed I have (AE)called him,
I have brought him, and He will make his ways successful.
16 (AF)Come near to Me, listen to this:
From the beginning I have (AG)not spoken in secret,
(AH)From the time it took place, I was there.
And now (AI)the Lord [f]God has sent Me, and His Spirit.”

17 This is what the Lord says, He who is your (AJ)Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:

“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to benefit,
Who (AK)leads you in the way you should go.
18 If only you had (AL)paid attention to My commandments!
Then your [g](AM)well-being would have been like a river,
And your (AN)righteousness like the waves of the sea.
19 Your [h](AO)descendants would have been like the sand,
And [i]your offspring like its grains;
(AP)Their name would never be eliminated or destroyed from My presence.”

20 (AQ)Go out from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans!
Declare with the sound of (AR)joyful shouting, proclaim this,
(AS)Send it out to the end of the earth;
Say, “(AT)The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob.”
21 They did not (AU)thirst when He led them through the deserts.
He (AV)made the water flow out of the rock for them;
He split the rock and (AW)the water gushed out.
22 (AX)There is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 48:4 Or harsh
  2. Isaiah 48:5 Lit it
  3. Isaiah 48:8 Or transgressor
  4. Isaiah 48:8 Lit the belly
  5. Isaiah 48:12 Lit My called one
  6. Isaiah 48:16 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  7. Isaiah 48:18 Or peace
  8. Isaiah 48:19 Lit seed
  9. Isaiah 48:19 Lit the offspring of your inward parts

Israel Refined for God's Glory

48 Hear this, O house of Jacob,
    (A)who are called by the name of Israel,
    and (B)who came from the waters of Judah,
(C)who swear by the name of the Lord
    and confess the God of Israel,
    but not in truth or right.
For they call themselves after the holy city,
    (D)and stay themselves on the God of Israel;
    the Lord of hosts is his name.

“The former things (E)I declared of old;
    they went out from my mouth, and I announced them;
    then suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.
Because I know that (F)you are obstinate,
    and your neck is an iron sinew
    and your forehead brass,
(G)I declared them to you from of old,
    before they came to pass I announced them to you,
lest you should say, (H)‘My idol did them,
    my carved image and my metal image commanded them.’

“You have heard; now see all this;
    and will you not declare it?
From this time forth (I)I announce to you new things,
    hidden things that you have not known.
They are created now, not long ago;
    before today you have never heard of them,
    lest you should say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’
You 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 (J)from before birth you were called a rebel.

(K)“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.
10 Behold, I have refined you, (L)but not as silver;
    (M)I have tried[a] you in the furnace of affliction.
11 (N)For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it,
    for how should my name[b] be profaned?
    (O)My glory I will not give to another.

The Lord's Call to Israel

12 “Listen to me, O Jacob,
    and Israel, whom I called!
I am he; (P)I am the first,
    and I am the last.
13 My hand (Q)laid the foundation of the earth,
    and my right hand (R)spread out the heavens;
(S)when I call to them,
    they stand forth together.

14 “Assemble, all of you, and listen!
    (T)Who among them has declared these things?
The Lord loves him;
    (U)he shall perform his purpose on Babylon,
    and his arm shall be against (V)the Chaldeans.
15 (W)I, even I, have spoken and called him;
    I have brought him, and he will prosper in his way.
16 (X)Draw 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 (Y)the Lord God has sent me, and his Spirit.

17 Thus 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.
18 (Z)Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments!
    (AA)Then your peace would have been like a river,
    and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;
19 (AB)your 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.”

20 (AC)Go out from Babylon, flee from (AD)Chaldea,
    declare this (AE)with a shout of joy, proclaim it,
send it out to the end of the earth;
    say, (AF)“The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob!”
21 (AG)They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts;
    (AH)he made water flow for them from the rock;
    he split the rock and the water gushed out.

22 (AI)“There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 48:10 Or I have chosen
  2. Isaiah 48:11 Hebrew lacks my name

 神掌管未来

48 1-2 雅各家,称为以色列名下,
犹大的源头而出的啊,
你们指着耶和华的名起誓,
提说以色列的 神,
却不凭诚信,也不凭公义;
你们自称为圣城之民,
倚靠名为万军之耶和华—以色列的 神;
现在,当听我言:
“先前的事,我自古已说明,
已从我口而出,
是我所指示的;
我瞬间行事,事便成就。
因为我知道你是顽梗的;
你的颈项是铁的,
你的额头是铜的。
所以,我自古就给你说明,
在事未成以先指示你,
免得你说:‘这些事是我的偶像所行的,
是我雕刻的偶像和铸造的神像所命定的。’

“你既已听见,现在要察看这一切;
你们不是要说明吗?
从今以后,我要指示你新事,
就是你所不知道的隐密事。
这事是现今造的,并非自古就有,
在今日以先,你未曾听见;
免得你说:‘看哪,这事我早已知道了。’
诚然你未曾听见,也未曾知道;
你的耳朵从来未曾开通。
我原知道你行事极其诡诈,
你自从出母胎以来,
就称为悖逆的。

“我为我的名暂且忍怒,
为了我的荣耀向你容忍,
不将你剪除。
10 看哪,我熬炼你,却不像熬炼银子;
你在苦难的火炉中,我试炼[a]你。
11 我为自己的缘故必做这事,
我岂能被亵渎?[b]
我必不将我的荣耀归给别神[c]
12 雅各—我所选召的以色列啊,
当听从我:
我是耶和华,
我是首先的,也是末后的。
13 我亲手立了地的根基,
以右手铺张诸天;
我一召唤,天地就都立定。”

耶和华拣选居鲁士

14 “你们都当聚集而听,
偶像[d]之中谁曾说明这些事?
耶和华爱他,他必向巴比伦成就耶和华的旨意,
耶和华的膀臂也要加在迦勒底人身上[e]
15 我,惟有我曾说过,
我选召他,领他来,
他的道路必亨通。
16 你们要接近我来听这话,
我从起初就未曾在隐密之处说话,
万事之始,我就在那里。”
现在,主耶和华差遣了我,
带着他的灵而来[f]

耶和华对他子民的计划

17 耶和华—你的救赎主,
以色列的圣者如此说:
“我是耶和华—你的 神,
我教导你,使你得益处,
指引你当走的路。
18 甚愿你听从我的命令,
你的平安就会如河水,
你的公义如海浪,
19 你的后裔必多如海沙,
你腹中所生的必多如沙粒。
他的名绝不从我面前剪除,
也不灭绝。”

20 你们要从巴比伦出来,
迦勒底人中逃脱,
以欢呼的声音宣告,
将这事传扬到地极,说:
耶和华救赎了他的仆人雅各
21 他引导他们经过沙漠,
他们却未尝干渴;
他为他们使水从磐石流出,
磐石裂开,水就涌出。
22 耶和华说:
“恶人必不得平安!”

Footnotes

  1. 48.10 “试炼”是根据死海古卷;原文是“拣选”。
  2. 48.11 “我岂能被亵渎?”七十士译本和其他古译本是“因为我的名被亵渎。”
  3. 48.11 “别神”:原文是“别的”。
  4. 48.14 “偶像”:原文是“它们”。
  5. 48.14 “耶和华爱他…身上”:七十士译本是“我因爱你,向巴比伦成就了你的旨意,除掉了迦勒底的后裔”。
  6. 48.16 “差遣了我,带着他的灵而来”:原文是“差遣了我和他的灵来”。

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