Isaiah 48
Lexham English Bible
Yahweh Refines Stubborn Israel
48 Hear this, house of Jacob,
who are called by the name of Israel
and came out from the waters of Judah,
who swear by the name of Yahweh,
and invoke[a] the God of Israel,
but not in truth
and not in righteousness.
2 For they call themselves after the holy city,[b]
and they lean on the God of Israel—
Yahweh of hosts is his name.
3 “I declared the former things from of old,[c]
and they went out from my mouth.
And I announced[d] them suddenly;
I acted,[e] and they came to pass,
4 because I know[f] that you are obstinate,
and your neck an iron sinew,
and your forehead bronze.
5 And I declared them to you from of old;
I announced[g] them to you before they came to pass
so that you would not say, ‘My idol did them,
and my image and my cast image commanded them.’
6 You have heard; see it all.
And will you not declare it?
I announce[h] new things to you from this time
and hidden things that[i] you have not known.
7 Now they are created, and not from of old,[j]
and before today, and you have not heard them
so that you could not say, “Look! I knew them.”
8 Neither have you heard, nor have you known,
nor from of old[k] has your ear been opened.
For I knew you would deal treacherously, very treacherously,
and you are called a rebel from the womb.
9 For the sake of my name I refrain from[l] my anger,
and for my praise I restrain it for you
so as not to cut you off.
10 Look! I have refined you, but[m] not like[n] silver;
I have chosen you in the furnace of misery.
11 For my own sake, for my own sake I do it;
for why should it[o] be defiled?
And I will not give my glory to another.”
Yahweh Frees Israel
12 “Listen to me, Jacob,
and Israel, whom I called:[p]
I am he. I am the first;
also I am the last.
13 Indeed, my hand founded the earth,
and my right hand spread out the heavens;
when I summon[q] them, they stand in position together.
14 Assemble, all of you, and hear!
Who among them declared these things?
Yahweh loves him;
he shall perform[r] his wish against Babylon
and his arm against the Chaldeans.[s]
15 I, I myself, I have spoken!
Indeed, I have called him.
I have brought him,
and he will be successful in his way.
16 Draw near to me; hear this! I have not spoken in secrecy from the beginning;[t]
from the time it came to be,[u] there I have been;
And now the Lord Yahweh has sent me and his Spirit.”
17 Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer, the holy one of Israel:
“I am Yahweh your God, who teaches[v] you to profit,
leads you in the way you should go.
18 O that you had listened attentively to my commandments!
Then[w] your prosperity would have been like a river,
and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
19 And your offspring would have been like the sand,
and the descendants of your body[x] like its grains.[y]
It would not be cut off,
and its name would not be destroyed from my presence.”
20 Go out from Babylon!
Flee from Chaldea!
Proclaim[z] it with a shout[aa] of rejoicing; proclaim[ab] this!
Send it forth[ac] to the end of the earth;
say, “Yahweh has redeemed his servant Jacob!”
21 And when he led them through the deserts, they were not thirsty;
he made water flow from the rock for them,
and he split the rock,
and the water gushed out.
22 “There is no peace,” says Yahweh, “for the wicked.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 48:1 Literally “cause to remember”
- Isaiah 48:2 Literally “from the city of the holiness”
- Isaiah 48:3 Literally “then”
- Isaiah 48:3 Literally “caused to hear”
- Isaiah 48:3 Or “did”
- Isaiah 48:4 Literally “knowing me”
- Isaiah 48:5 Literally “caused to hear”
- Isaiah 48:6 Literally “cause to hear”
- Isaiah 48:6 Or “and”
- Isaiah 48:7 Literally “then”
- Isaiah 48:8 Literally “then”
- Isaiah 48:9 Literally “make long”
- Isaiah 48:10 Or “and”
- Isaiah 48:10 Or “with”
- Isaiah 48:11 That is, my name
- Isaiah 48:12 Literally “who was called by me”
- Isaiah 48:13 Or “calling”
- Isaiah 48:14 Or “do”
- Isaiah 48:14 Literally “Chaldea”
- Isaiah 48:16 Literally “head”
- Isaiah 48:16 Literally “of becoming it”
- Isaiah 48:17 Literally “teaching”
- Isaiah 48:18 Or “and”
- Isaiah 48:19 Literally “intestines”
- Isaiah 48:19 Hebrew “grain”
- Isaiah 48:20 Or “announce”
- Isaiah 48:20 Or “sound”
- Isaiah 48:20 Or “cause to hear”
- Isaiah 48:20 Literally “Cause it to go out”
Isaiah 48
Christian Standard Bible
Israel Must Leave Babylon
48 “Listen to this, house of Jacob—
those who are called by the name Israel
and have descended from[a] Judah,(A)
who swear by the name of the Lord(B)
and declare the God of Israel,
but not in truth or righteousness.
2 For they are named after the holy city,
and lean on the God of Israel;(C)
his name is the Lord of Armies.
3 I declared the past events long ago;
they came out of my mouth; I proclaimed them.
Suddenly I acted, and they occurred.
4 Because I know that you are stubborn,
and your neck is iron[b]
and your forehead bronze,(D)
5 therefore I declared to you long ago.
I announced it to you before it occurred,
so you could not claim, ‘My idol caused them;
my carved image and cast idol control them.’(E)
6 You have heard it. Observe it all.
Will you not acknowledge it?
From now on I will announce new things to you,
hidden things that you have not known.(F)
7 They have been created now, and not long ago;
you have not heard of them before today,
so you could not claim, ‘I already knew them!’
8 You have never heard; you have never known;
for a long time your ears have not been open.
For I knew that you were very treacherous,
and were known as a rebel from birth.(G)
9 I will delay my anger for the sake of my name,
and I will restrain myself for your benefit and for my praise,
so that you will not be destroyed.
10 Look, I have refined you,(H) but not as silver;
I have tested[c] you in the furnace of affliction.
11 I will act for my own sake, indeed, my own,(I)
for how can I[d] be defiled?
I will not give my glory to another.(J)
12 “Listen to me, Jacob,
and Israel, the one called by me:
I am he; I am the first,
I am also the last.(K)
13 My own hand founded the earth,
and my right hand spread out the heavens;(L)
when I summoned them,
they stood up together.
14 All of you, assemble and listen!
Who among the idols[e] has declared these things?
The Lord loves him;[f]
he will accomplish his will against Babylon,(M)
and his arm will be against the Chaldeans.
15 I—I have spoken;
yes, I have called him;(N)
I have brought him,
and he will succeed in his mission.(O)
16 Approach me and listen to this.
From the beginning I have not spoken in secret;(P)
from the time anything existed, I was there.”
And now the Lord God
has sent me and his Spirit.(Q)
17 This is what the Lord, your Redeemer,(R) the Holy One of Israel(S) says:
I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you for your benefit,
who leads you in the way you should go.
18 If only you had paid attention to my commands.
Then your peace would have been like a river,(T)
and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.(U)
19 Your descendants would have been as countless as the sand,(V)
and the offspring of your body like its grains;
their name would not be cut off
or eliminated from my presence.
20 Leave Babylon,
flee from the Chaldeans!
Declare with a shout of joy,
proclaim this,
let it go out to the end of the earth;
announce,
“The Lord has redeemed his servant(W) Jacob!”
21 They did not thirst
when he led them through the deserts;
he made water flow from the rock for them;(X)
he split the rock, and water gushed out.
22 “There is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord.(Y)
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