Isaiah 48

New American Standard Bible

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.
² For they name themselves after the ^(E)holy city,
And ^(F)lean on the God of Israel;
The Lord of armies is His name.
³ 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.
⁴ Because I know that you are ^[a](J)obstinate,
And your ^(K)neck is an iron tendon
And your ^(L)forehead bronze,
⁵ 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.’
⁶ 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.
⁷ 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.’
⁸ 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.
^9 (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.

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.”

“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.”