Isaiah 48
48
Israel Is Stubborn
1People of Jacob, listen to me.
You are called by the name of Israel.
You come from the family line of Judah.
You make promises in the name of the Lord.
You pray to Israel’s God.
But you aren’t honest.
You don’t mean what you say.
2You call yourselves citizens of the holy city of Jerusalem.
You say you depend on Israel’s God.
His name is the Lord Who Rules Over All. He says,
3“Long ago I told you ahead of time what would happen.
I announced it and made it known.
Then all of a sudden I acted.
And those things took place.
4I knew how stubborn you were.
Your neck muscles were as unbending as iron.
Your forehead was as hard as bronze.
5So I told you those things long ago.
Before they happened I announced them to you.
I did it so you would not be able to say,
‘My statues of gods did them.
My wooden and metal gods made them happen.’
6You have heard me tell you these things.
Think about all of them.
Won’t you admit they have taken place?
“From now on I will tell you about new things that will happen.
I have not made them known to you before.
7These things are taking place right now.
They did not happen long ago.
You have not heard of them before today.
So you can’t say,
‘Oh, yes. I already knew about them.’
8You have not heard or understood what I said.
Your ears have been plugged up for a long time.
I knew very well that you would turn against me.
From the day you were born, you have refused to obey me.
9For the honor of my own name I wait to show my anger.
I hold it back from you so people will continue to praise me.
I do not want to destroy you completely.
10I have tested you in the furnace of suffering.
I have tried to make you pure.
But I did not use as much heat as it takes to make silver pure.
11I tried to purify you for my own honor.
I did it for the honor of my name.
How can I let myself be dishonored?
I will not give up my glory to any other god.
Israel Is Set Free
12“Family of Jacob, listen to me.
People of Israel, pay attention.
I have chosen you.
I am the first and the last.
I am the Lord.
13With my own hand I laid the foundations of the earth.
With my right hand I spread out the heavens.
When I send for them,
they come and stand ready to obey me.
14“People of Israel, come together and listen to me.
What other god has said ahead of time that certain things would happen?
I have chosen Cyrus.
He will carry out my plans against Babylon.
He will use his power against the Babylonians.
15I myself have spoken.
I have chosen him to carry out my purpose.
I will bring him to Babylon.
He will succeed in what I tell him to do.
16“Come close and listen to me.
“From the first time I said Cyrus was coming,
I did not do it in secret.
When he comes, I will be there.”
The Lord and King has filled me with his Spirit.
People of Israel, he has sent me to you.
17The Lord is the Holy One of Israel.
He sets his people free. He says to them,
“I am the Lord your God.
I teach you what is best for you.
I direct you in the way you should go.
18I wish you would pay attention to my commands.
If you did, peace would flow over you like a river.
Godliness would sweep over you like the waves of the ocean.
19Your family would be like the sand.
Your children after you would be as many as the grains of sand by the sea.
It would be impossible to count them.
I would always accept the members of your family line.
They would never disappear or be destroyed.”
20People of Israel, leave Babylon!
Hurry up and get away from the Babylonians!
Here is what I want you to announce.
Make it known with shouts of joy.
Send the news out from one end of the earth to the other.
Say, “The Lord has set free his servant Jacob.”
21They didn’t get thirsty when he led them through the deserts.
He made water flow out of the rock for them.
He broke the rock open,
and water came out of it.
22“There is no peace for those who are evil,” says the Lord.
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Isaiah 48: NIrV
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Isaiah 48
48
The Lord Corrects His People
1People of Israel,
you come from Jacob's family
and the tribe#48.1 tribe: Hebrew “waters.” of Judah.
You claim to worship me,
the Lord God of Israel,
but you are lying.
2You call Jerusalem your home
and say you depend on me,
the Lord All-Powerful,
the God of Israel.
3Long ago I announced
what was going to be,
then without warning,
I made it happen.
4I knew you were stubborn
and hardheaded.
5And I told you these things,
so that when they happened
you would not say,
“The idols we worship did this.”
6You heard what I said,
and you have seen it happen.
Now admit it's true!
I will show you secrets
you have never known.
7Today I am doing something new,
something you cannot say
you have heard before.
8You have never been willing
to listen to what I say;
from the moment of your birth,
I knew you would rebel.
The Lord Warns Israel
9I, the Lord, am true to myself;
I will be praised for not punishing
and destroying you.
10I tested you in hard times
just as silver is refined
in a heated furnace.#48.10 furnace: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 10.
11I did this because of who I am.
I refuse to be dishonored#48.11 I refuse to be dishonored: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
or share my praise
with any other god.
12 #
Is 44.6; Rev 1.17; 22.13. Israel, my chosen people,
listen to me.
I alone am the Lord,
the first and the last.
13With my own hand
I created the earth
and stretched out the sky.
They obey my every command.
The Lord Speaks to the Nations
14Gather around me, all of you!
Listen to what I say.
Did any of your idols
predict this would happen?
Did they say that my friend#48.14 my friend: Probably Cyrus (see 44.28; 45.1).
would do what I want done
to Babylonia?#48.14 Babylonia: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 14.
15I was the one who chose him.
I have brought him this far,
and he will be successful.
16Come closer and listen!
I have never kept secret
the things I have said,
and I was here
before time began.
It Is Best To Obey the Lord
By the power of his Spirit
the Lord God has sent me
17with this message:
People of Israel,
I am the holy Lord God,
the one who rescues you.
For your own good,
I teach you, and I lead you
along the right path.
18How I wish that you
had obeyed my commands!
Your success and good fortune
would then have overflowed
like a flooding river.
19Your nation would be blessed
with more people
than there are grains of sand
along the seashore.
And I would never have let
your country be destroyed.
20 #
Rev 18.4. Now leave Babylon!
Celebrate as you go.
Be happy and shout
for everyone to hear,
“The Lord has rescued
his servant Israel!
21He led us through the desert
and made water flow from a rock
to satisfy our thirst.
22 #
Is 57.21. But the Lord has promised
that none who are evil
will live in peace.”
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