Isaiah 48
48
New things from now on
1Listen to this, house of Jacob,
who are known by the name of Israel,
descendants of Judah,#48.1 Or came out from the waters of Judah
who swear by the LORD’s name
and invoke Israel’s God dishonestly and unrighteously.
2They are known as residents of the holy city,
those who depend upon the God of Israel—
the LORD of heavenly forces is his name.
3Past things I announced long ago;
from my mouth I proclaimed them.
I acted suddenly, and they came about.
4Because I know that you are stubborn,
your neck is made of iron,
and your forehead is bronze.
5I informed you long ago;
before they came about I proclaimed them to you
so you wouldn’t say, “My idol did them;
my wood statue and metal god commanded them.”
6You’ve heard and seen all this—
won’t you admit it?
From now on I’ll tell you new things,
guarded secrets that you don’t know.
7They are created now, not long ago;
before today you hadn’t heard of them,
so you won’t say, “I already knew them.”
8You haven’t heard, nor have you known;
as in ages past your ears are closed,
because I knew what a traitor you were;
you were known as a rebel from birth.
9For the sake of my reputation I control my anger;
for your sake I restrain my powerful radiance
so as to not destroy you.
10See, I have refined you, but not like silver;
I have tested you#48.10 Or I have chosen in the furnace of misery.
11For the sake of my reputation, for my own sake, I will act,
for why will my name be made impure?
I won’t give my glory to another.
12Listen to me, Jacob;
Israel, whom I called:
I am the one;
I am the first and I am the last.
13My hand founded the earth;
my strong hand spread out the heavens.
When I call to them, they all stand up.
14Gather yourselves, all of you, and listen.
Who among you announced these things?
“The LORD loves him.
He will do what God wants with Babylon
and with the descendants#48.14 LXX; MT his arm of Chaldea.”
15I, I have spoken and told him
the things that will happen to him;
I will make him succeed.
16Come close to me; listen to this:
Since the very beginning I haven’t spoken in secret.
Whenever anything happens, I am there.
(And now the LORD God has sent me with his spirit.)
17The LORD your redeemer,
the holy one of Israel, proclaims:
I am the LORD your God
who teaches you for your own good,
who leads you in the way you should go.
18If you would pay attention to my commands,
your well-being would be like a river,
and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
19Your offspring would be like the sand,
and your descendants like its grains.
Their name would never be eliminated,
never wiped out from before me.
20Go out from Babylon;
flee from the Chaldeans!
Report this with a loud shout, proclaim it;
broadcast it out to the end of the earth.
Say, “The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob!”
21They weren’t thirsty when he led them through the deserts.
God made water flow from the rock for them;
split the rock, and water flowed out.
22There is no well-being, says the LORD, for the wicked.
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Isaiah 48: CEB
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Isaiah 48
48
God is LORD of the Future
1Listen to this, people of Israel,
you that are descended from Judah:
You swear by the name of the LORD
and claim to worship the God of Israel —
but you don't mean a word you say.
2And yet you are proud to say
that you are citizens of the holy city
and that you depend on Israel's God,
whose name is the LORD Almighty.
3The LORD says to Israel,
“Long ago I predicted what would take place;
then suddenly I made it happen.
4I knew that you would prove to be stubborn,
as rigid as iron and unyielding as bronze.
5And so I predicted your future long ago,
announcing events before they took place,
to prevent you from claiming
that your idols and images made them happen.
6“All I foretold has now taken place;
you have to admit my predictions were right.
Now I will tell you of new things to come,
events that I did not reveal before.
7Only now am I making them happen;
nothing like this took place in the past.
If it had, you would claim that you knew all about it.
8I knew that you couldn't be trusted,
that you have always been known as a rebel.
That is why you never heard of this at all,
why no word of it ever came to your ears.
9“In order that people will praise my name,
I am holding my anger in check;
I am keeping it back and will not destroy you.
10I have tested you in the fire of suffering,
as silver is refined in a furnace.
But I have found that you are worthless.
11What I do is done for my own sake —
I will not let my name be dishonoured
or let anyone else share the glory
that should be mine and mine alone.”
Cyrus, the LORD's Chosen Leader
12 #
Is 44.6; Rev 1.17; 22.13 The LORD says,
“Listen to me, Israel, the people I have called!
I am God, the first, the last, the only God!
13My hands made the earth's foundations
and spread the heavens out.
When I summon earth and sky,
they come at once and present themselves.
14“Assemble and listen, all of you!
None of the gods could predict
that the man I have chosen would attack Babylon;
he will do what I want him to do.
15I am the one who spoke and called him;
I led him out and gave him success.
16“Now come close to me and hear what I say.
From the beginning I have spoken openly,
and have always made my words come true.”
(Now the Sovereign LORD has given me his power and sent me.)
The LORD's Plan for his People
17The holy God of Israel,
the LORD who saves you, says:
“I am the LORD your God,
the one who wants to teach you for your own good
and direct you in the way you should go.
18“If only you had listened to my commands!
Then blessings would have flowed for you
like a stream that never goes dry!
Victory would have come to you
like the waves that roll on the shore.
19Your descendants would be as numerous as grains of sand,
and I would have made sure they were never destroyed.”
20 #
Rev 18.4
Go out from Babylon, go free!
Shout the news gladly; make it known everywhere:
“The LORD has saved his servant Israel!”
21When the LORD led his people through a hot, dry desert,
they did not suffer from thirst.
He made water come from a rock for them;
he split the rock open, and water flowed out.
22 #
Is 57.21
“There is no safety for sinners,” says the LORD.
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.