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.

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God the Creator and Redeemer

48 “Listen to this, house of Jacob,
    you who are called by the name of Israel,
        and who have come forth from Judah’s loins;[a]
you who swear oaths in the name of the Lord
    and invoke the God of Israel—
        but not in truth, nor in good faith.
For they name themselves after the holy city,
    and rely on the God of Israel—
        the Lord of the Heavenly Armies is his name.
I foretold the former things long ago;
    it[b] went forth from my mouth,
        and I disclosed them;
Suddenly, I acted,
    and they came to pass.
Because I knew[c] that you are obstinate,
    and because your neck is an iron sinew,
        and your forehead is bronze,
I told you these things long ago;
    I announced them to you before they happened
so that you couldn’t say, ‘My idol did them;
    my[d] carved image or metal idol ordained them.’

“You have heard—now look at them all!
    How[e] can you not admit them?
From now on, I’ll make you hear new things,
    hidden things that you have not known.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 48:1 Lit. waters; this word is misspelled in both 1QIsaa and MT
  2. Isaiah 48:3 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read they
  3. Isaiah 48:4 Lit. Because of my knowledge
  4. Isaiah 48:5 So 1QIsaa; MT reads and my
  5. Isaiah 48:6 Lit. And how