Isaiah 47:9-48:10

English Standard Version

⁹^(A)These two things shall come to you
    in a moment, ^(B)in one day;
the loss of children and widowhood
    shall come upon you in full measure,
^(C)in spite of your many sorceries
    and the great power of your enchantments.

¹⁰You felt secure in your wickedness;
    you said, “No one sees me”;
your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray,
and you said in your heart,
    ^(D)“I am, and there is no one besides me.”
¹¹But evil shall come upon you,
    which you will not know how to charm away;
disaster shall fall upon you,
    for which you will not be able to atone;
^(E)and ruin shall come upon you suddenly,
    of which you know nothing.

¹²^(F)Stand fast in your enchantments
    and your many sorceries,
    with which you have labored from your youth;
perhaps you may be able to succeed;
    perhaps you may inspire terror.
¹³You are wearied with your many counsels;
    let them stand forth and save you,
^(G)those who divide the heavens,
    who gaze at the stars,
who at the new moons make known
    what shall come upon you.

¹⁴Behold, ^(H)they are like stubble;
    ^(I)the fire consumes them;
they cannot deliver themselves
    from the power of the flame.
No coal for warming oneself is this,
    no fire to sit before!
¹⁵Such to you are those with whom you have labored,
    who have done business with you from your youth;
they wander about, each in his own direction;
    there is no one to save you.

Israel Refined for God's Glory

48 Hear this, O house of Jacob,
    ^(J)who are called by the name of Israel,
    and ^(K)who came from the waters of Judah,
^(L)who swear by the name of the Lord
    and confess the God of Israel,
    but not in truth or right.
²For they call themselves after the holy city,
    ^(M)and stay themselves on the God of Israel;
    the Lord of hosts is his name.

³“The former things ^(N)I declared of old;
    they went out from my mouth, and I announced them;
    then suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.
⁴Because I know that ^(O)you are obstinate,
    and your neck is an iron sinew
    and your forehead brass,
⁵^(P)I declared them to you from of old,
    before they came to pass I announced them to you,
lest you should say, ^(Q)‘My idol did them,
    my carved image and my metal image commanded them.’

⁶“You have heard; now see all this;
    and will you not declare it?
From this time forth ^(R)I announce to you new things,
    hidden things that you have not known.
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 ^(S)from before birth you were called a rebel.

⁹^(T)“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.
¹⁰Behold, I have refined you, ^(U)but not as silver;
    ^(V)I have tried^[a] you in the furnace of affliction.