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God’s Stubborn People

48 “Listen to me, O family of Jacob,
    you who are called by the name of Israel
    and born into the family of Judah.
Listen, you who take oaths in the name of the Lord
    and call on the God of Israel.
You don’t keep your promises,
    even though you call yourself the holy city
and talk about depending on the God of Israel,
    whose name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Long ago I told you what was going to happen.
    Then suddenly I took action,
    and all my predictions came true.
For I know how stubborn and obstinate you are.
    Your necks are as unbending as iron.
    Your heads are as hard as bronze.
That is why I told you what would happen;
    I told you beforehand what I was going to do.
Then you could never say, ‘My idols did it.
    My wooden image and metal god commanded it to happen!’
You have heard my predictions and seen them fulfilled,
    but you refuse to admit it.
Now I will tell you new things,
    secrets you have not yet heard.

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48 1-2 Hear me, my people: you swear allegiance to the Lord without meaning a word of it when you boast of living in the Holy City and brag about depending on the God of Israel. Time and again I told you what was going to happen in the future. My words were scarcely spoken when suddenly I did just what I said. I knew how hard and obstinate you are. Your necks are as unbending as iron; you are as hardheaded as brass. That is why I told you ahead of time what I was going to do, so that you could never say, “My idol did it; my carved image commanded it to happen!” You have heard my predictions and seen them fulfilled, but you refuse to agree it is so. Now I will tell you new things I haven’t mentioned before, secrets you haven’t heard.

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