Isaiah 48
The Lord rebukes the house of Jacob for swearing by His name but not in truth or justice, and reminds them that He foretold events before they happened to prevent them from attributing them to their idols. The Lord declares that He has refined and chosen Israel, not for their own sake, but for His own, and that He will not give His glory to another. He calls Israel to listen and obey, promising that if they had paid attention to His commandments, their peace and justice would have been abundant. The Lord commands Israel to depart from Babylon and announces that He has redeemed His servant Jacob.
Listen to these things, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, and who went forth from the waters of Judah. You swear by the name of the Lord and you call to mind the God of Israel, but not in truth, and not in justiceFor they have been called from the holy city, and they have been founded upon the God of Israel. The Lord of hosts is his nameFrom that time, I announced the former things. They went forth from my mouth, and I have caused them to be heard. I wrought these things suddenly, and they were fulfilledFor I knew that you are stubborn, and that your neck is like an iron sinew, and that your forehead is like brassFrom that time, I foretold to you. Before these things happened, I revealed them to you, lest you say: "My idols have accomplished these things, and my graven and molten images have commanded them.See all the things that you have heard. But were you the ones who announced them? From that time, I caused you to hear about new things, and you do not know how these were preservedThey are created now, and not in that time. And even before today, you did not hear of them; otherwise, you might say, "Behold, I knew them.You have neither heard, nor known, nor were your ears open in that time. For I knew that you would transgress greatly, and so I called you a transgressor from the wombFor the sake of my name, I will take the face of my fury far away. And for the sake of my praise, I will bridle you, lest you perishBehold, I have refined you, but not like silver. I have chosen you for the furnace of povertyFor my sake, for my own sake, I will do it, so that I may not be blasphemed. For I will not give my glory to anotherListen to me, O Jacob, and Israel whom I call. I am the same, I am the first, and I am the lastAlso, my hand has founded the earth, and my right hand has measured the heavens. I will call them, and they will stand togetherGather together, all of you, and listen. Who among them has announced these things? The Lord has loved him; he will do his will with Babylon, and his arm is upon the ChaldeansI am, I have spoken, and I have called him. I have led him forward, and his way has been straightDraw near to me, and listen to this. From the beginning, I have not spoken in secret. From the time before it happened, I was there. And now, the Lord God has sent me, and his SpiritThus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord, your God, who teaches you beneficial things, who guides you in the way that you walkIf only you had paid attention to my commandments! Your peace would have been like a river, and your justice would have been like the waves of the seaand your offspring would have been like the sand, and the stock from your loins would have been like its stones. His name would not have passed away, nor would it have been worn away before my faceDepart from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! Announce it with a voice of exultation. Cause it to be heard, and carry it even to the ends of the earth. Say: "The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob.They did not thirst in the desert, when he led them out. He produced water from the rock for them. For he split the rock, and the waters flowed out"There is no peace for the impious," says the Lord
Share this chapter