Isaiah 48
48
1Listen to this, descendants of Jacob, called by the name of Israel, and who come from the lineage#48:1. “Lineage”: literally, “waters.” of Judah. Listen, you people who swear by the name of the Lord, or who invoke the God of Israel, but not truly or sincerely. 2You say you're from the “Holy City,” and claim you're trusting in the God of Israel, whose name is the Lord Almighty. 3I predicted long ago what was going to happen—I said it and let people know. Then suddenly I decided to act, and it all came true. 4I know how stubborn you are, with necks as unbending as iron and foreheads as hard as bronze. 5I predicted these things to you long ago, before they happened. I explained them to you so that you couldn't say “My idol did this,” or “My image and my metal god ordered this to happen.” 6You've heard all I predicted, and seen it happen. Won't you admit it? Now I'm going to tell you new things, secrets you don't know anything about. 7These are brand-new, not something from the past. Before today you won't have heard anything about them, so you can't say, “Oh yes, I know about that.”
8No, you've never heard that, and you've never known that! Nobody's told you about that before! I know how deviously you operate—you're called “rebels from birth”! 9But because of my nature#48:9. “Nature”: literally, “name.” I am delaying my punishment; and because of my reputation, I'm not going to destroy you. 10Look how I've refined you, but not like silver—I chose you in the furnace of trouble. 11The reason I'm doing this is because of who I am, yes, because of my very nature. I won't let my reputation be damaged—I won't let anyone else have it.
12Listen to me, Jacob, and Israel, the one I called. Only I am God. I am the first, and I am the last. 13I laid the foundations of the earth with my own hands; I personally spread out the heavens. When I call the stars, they all take their positions.
14Everyone gather round and listen. Which of your “gods”#48:14. “Of your ‘gods’”: literally, “among you,” but the reference in context is clearly to idol. told you anything like this? The one the Lord loves will carry out the Lord's wishes against Babylon—he will attack the Babylonians. 15I myself have spoken. I have called him to do this, and he will be successful in what he does. 16Come close to me, and listen to this. From the very beginning I haven't spoken in secret; I am always there right when it happens. Now the Lord God and his Spirit has sent me to tell you this:
17This is what the Lord says, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, I am the Lord your God. I am the one who teaches you what is good for you, who leads you along the way you should go. 18If you had only listened carefully to what I told you! Then your blessings would have flowed like a river, and goodness would have washed over you like the waves of the sea. 19Your children, your descendants, would have been like all those grains of sand. They wouldn't have had to be destroyed, wiped out before me. 20Leave Babylon! Run away from Babylonia with happy shouts! Let everyone know, telling the whole earth, “The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob!” 21They weren't thirsty when he led them through the desert—he made water come out of the rock for them. He split the rock open and water poured out.
22The wicked have no peace, says the Lord.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Isaiah 48
48
God Controls the Future
1The Lord says, “Family of Jacob, listen to me.
You are called Israel,
and you come from the family of Judah.
You swear by the Lord’s name
and praise the God of Israel,
but you are not honest or sincere.
2You call yourselves people of the holy city,
and you depend on the God of Israel,
who is named the Lord All-Powerful.
3Long ago I told you what would happen.
I said these things and made them known;
suddenly I acted, and these things happened.
4I knew you were stubborn;
your neck was like an iron muscle,
and your head was like bronze.
5So a long time ago I told you about these things;
I told you about them before they happened
so you couldn’t say, ‘My idols did this,
and my wooden and metal statues made these things happen.’
6“You heard and saw everything that happened,
so you should tell this news to others.
Now I will tell you about new things,
hidden things that you don’t know yet.
7These things are happening now, not long ago;
you have not heard about them before today.
So you cannot say, ‘We already knew about that.’
8But you have not heard me; you have not understood.
Even long ago you did not listen to me.
I knew you would surely turn against me;
you have fought against me since you were born.
9But for my own sake I will be patient.
People will praise me for not becoming angry
and destroying you.
10I have made you pure, but not by fire, as silver is made pure.
I have purified you by giving you troubles.
11I do this for myself, for my own sake.
I will not let people speak evil against me,
and I will not let some god take my glory.
Israel Will Be Free
12“People of Jacob, listen to me.
People of Israel, I have called you to be my people.
I am God;
I am the beginning and the end.
13I made the earth with my own hands.
With my right hand I spread out the skies.
When I call them,
they come together before me.”
14All of you, come together and listen.
None of the gods said these things would happen.
The Lord has chosen someone
to attack the Babylonians;
he will carry out his wishes against Babylon.
15“I have spoken; I have called him.
I have brought him, and I will make him successful.
16Come to me and listen to this.
From the beginning I have spoken openly.
From the time it began, I was there.”
Now, the Lord God
has sent me with his Spirit.
17This is what the Lord, who saves you,
the Holy One of Israel, says:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you to do what is good,
who leads you in the way you should go.
18If you had obeyed me,
you would have had peace like a full-flowing river.
Good things would have flowed to you like the waves of the sea.
19You would have had many children,
as many as the grains of sand.
They would never have died out
nor been destroyed.”
20My people, leave Babylon!
Run from the Babylonians!
Tell this news with shouts of joy to the people;
spread it everywhere on earth.
Say, “The Lord has saved his servants, the people of Jacob.”
21They did not become thirsty when he led them through the deserts.
He made water flow from a rock for them.
He split the rock,
and water flowed out.
22“There is no peace for evil people,” says the Lord.
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.