Isaiah, 48

1. Listen to this, House of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel and issued from the waters of Judah, who swear by the name of Yahweh and invoke the God of Israel, though not in good faith or uprightness;

1. Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and who came forth from the loins of Judah; who swear by the name of the LORD, and confess the God of Israel, but not in truth or right.

2. for they call themselves after the holy city and rely on the God of Israel, Yahweh Sabaoth is his name.

2. For they call themselves after the holy city, and stay themselves on the God of Israel; the LORD of hosts is his name.

3. Things now past I revealed long ago, they issued from my mouth, I proclaimed them; suddenly I acted and they happened.

3. "The former things I declared of old, they went forth from my mouth and I made them known; then suddenly I did them and they came to pass.

4. For I knew you to be obstinate, your neck an iron sinew and your forehead bronze.

4. Because I know that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew and your forehead brass,

5. As I told you about it long before, before it happened I revealed it to you, so that you could not say, 'My statue did it, my idol, my metal image, ordained this.'

5. I declared them to you from of old, before they came to pass I announced them to you, lest you should say, `My idol did them, my graven image and my molten image commanded them.'

6. You have heard and seen all this, why won't you admit it? Now I am going to reveal new things to you, secrets that you do not know;

6. "You have heard; now see all this; and will you not declare it? From this time forth I make you hear new things, hidden things which you have not known.

7. they have just been created, not long ago, and until today you have heard nothing about them, so that you cannot say, 'Yes, I knew about this.'

7. They are created now, not long ago; before today you have never heard of them, lest you should say, `Behold, I knew them.'

8. No, you have not heard, you have not known, for a long time your ear has not been attentive, for I knew how treacherous you were; you have been called a rebel since the womb.

8. You have never heard, you have never known, from of old your ear has not been opened. For I knew that you would deal very treacherously, and that from birth you were called a rebel.

9. For the sake of my name I shall defer my anger, for the sake of my honour I shall be patient with you, rather than destroy you.

9. "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.

10. Look, I have purchased you, but not for silver, I have chosen you out of the cauldron of affliction.

10. Behold, I have refined you, but not like silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.

11. For my sake and my sake only shall I act, for why should my name be profaned? I will not yield my glory to another.

11. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.

12. Listen to me, Jacob, Israel whom I have called: I, and none else, am the first, I am also the last.

12. "Hearken to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am He, I am the first, and I am the last.

13. My hand laid the foundations of earth and my right hand spread out the heavens. I summon them and they all present themselves together.

13. My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together.

14. Assemble, all of you, and listen; which of them has revealed this? Yahweh loves him; he will do his pleasure on Babylon and the race of the Chaldaeans;

14. "Assemble, all of you, and hear! Who among them has declared these things? The LORD loves him; he shall perform his purpose on Babylon, and his arm shall be against the Chalde'ans.

15. I, I have spoken, yes, I have summoned him, I have brought him, and he will succeed.

15. I, even I, have spoken and called him, I have brought him, and he will prosper in his way.

16. Come near and listen to this: from the first, I never spoke obscurely; when it happened, I was there, and now Lord Yahweh has sent me with his spirit.

16. Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there." And now the Lord GOD has sent me and his Spirit.

17. Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am Yahweh your God and teach you for your own good, I lead you in the way you ought to go.

17. Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.

18. If only you had listened to my commandments! Your prosperity would have been like a river and your saving justice like the waves of the sea.

18. O that you had hearkened to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;

19. Your descendants would have been numbered like the sand, your offspring as many as its grains. Their name would never be cancelled or blotted out from my presence.

19. your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me."

20. Come out from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldaeans! Declare this with cries of joy, proclaim it, carry it to the remotest parts of earth, say, 'Yahweh has redeemed his servant Jacob.'

20. Go forth from Babylon, flee from Chalde'a, declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it, send it forth to the end of the earth; say, "The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob!"

21. Those he led through the arid country never went thirsty; he made water flow for them from the rock, he split the rock and out streamed the water.

21. They thirsted not when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow for them from the rock; he cleft the rock and the water gushed out.

22. There is no peace, says Yahweh, for the wicked.

22. "There is no peace," says the LORD, "for the wicked."