Add parallel Print Page Options

Chapter 48

A Plea to the Captives

Hear this, O house of Jacob,
    you who are called by the name of Israel,
    and who came forth from the stock of Judah,
who swear by the name of the Lord
    and invoke the God of Israel
    but not with righteousness or good faith,
even though you call yourselves citizens of the holy city
    and rely on the God of Israel
    whose name is the Lord of hosts.
Things that happened in the past
    I foretold long before they occurred.
These predictions issued forth from my mouth,
    and I made them known to you;
    then suddenly I acted and they came to pass.
Because I know full well that you are obstinate,
    with your neck an iron sinew
    and your forehead firm as bronze,
I foretold these events to you long ago
    and declared them to you before they happened
so that you could not assert, “My idols did them;
    my carved statue and my molten image ordained them.”
You have heard what I said; now consider it
    and admit the truth of what I have stated.
From now on I will reveal new things,
    hidden things of which you have not been aware.
They have just been brought into existence, and not long ago;
    before today you have never heard of them,
    so that you cannot claim to have already known them.
You neither heard nor knew;
    knowledge of them never reached your ears before now.
For I knew how treacherous you are
    and that from your birth you were rebellious.
For the sake of my name I will restrain my anger;
    for the sake of my honor I will be patient with you
    lest I should be tempted to destroy you.
10 See, I have tested you,
    but not in the manner that silver is tested;
    I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
11 For my sake, for my own sake, I do this,
    for why should my name be profaned?
    I will not yield my glory to another.
12 Listen to me, O Jacob,
    and Israel, whom I have called.
I am he; I am the first
    and I am the last.
13 My hand laid the foundations of the earth,
    and my right hand spread out the heavens;
when I summon them,
    they all present themselves immediately.
14 Assemble, all of you, and listen!
    Who among the idols has revealed what will happen—
that he whom I love[a] will do my will
    against Babylon and the Chaldeans?
15 I myself have spoken and summoned him;
    I have brought him,
    and his mission will succeed.
16 Draw near to me and hear this:
    From the very beginning
    I have not spoken in secret.
From the time it came to be, I have been there.
    Now the Lord God has sent me and his Spirit.
17 Thus says the Lord God,
    your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
I am the Lord, your God
    who teaches you what is for your own good
    and who leads you in the way you should go.
18 If only you had listened to my commandments,
    your prosperity would have been like a river
    and your success like the waves of the sea.
19 Your descendants would have been as numerous as the sand
    and your offspring like its countless grains.
Their name would never be erased
    or blotted out from my sight.
20 Go forth from Babylon! Flee from Chaldea!
    Proclaim this with shouts of joy
    and make it known.
Send the message to the ends of the earth and say,
    “The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob.”
21 Those whom he led through desert lands
    never endured thirst.
He caused water to flow from the rock for them;
    he split open the rock and waters streamed forth.
22 Thus says the Lord:
    There is no peace for the wicked.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 48:14 He whom I love: Cyrus. The false gods have not been able to prevail.

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