Isaiah 48
48
God Rules His World
1“Family of Jacob, listen to me!
You people call yourself ‘Israel,’
but you are from Judah’s family.
When you take an oath, I, the Lord, the God of Israel,
am the one whose name you use,
but you are not honest and sincere.
2“Yes, you call yourselves citizens of the holy city,#48:2 holy city That is, Jerusalem.
those who depend on the God of Israel.
The Lord All-Powerful is his name.
3“Long ago I told you what would happen.
I told you about these things.
And suddenly I made them happen.
4I did that because I knew you were stubborn.
You were like iron that will not bend,
with heads as hard as bronze.
5So long ago I told you what would happen.
I told you about those things long before they happened.
I did this so that you could not say,
‘The gods we made did this.
Our idols, our statues, made this happen.’”
God Punishes Israel to Make Them Pure
6“You heard what I said would happen.
And you can see it has all been done.
Shouldn’t you tell this to others?
Now I will tell you about new things,
secrets you have not known before.
7This is something that is happening now, not long ago.
You have not heard about it before today.
So you cannot say, ‘We already knew that.’
8But even in the past you didn’t listen.
You didn’t learn anything.
You never listen to what I say.
I have always known that you would turn against me.
You have rebelled against me from the time you were born.
9“But I will be patient.
I will do this for myself.
People will praise me for not becoming angry and destroying you.
You will praise me for waiting.
10“Look, I will make you pure,
but not in the way you make silver pure.
I will make you pure by giving you troubles.
11I will do this for myself—for me!
I will not let you treat me as if I am not important.
I will not let some false god take my glory and praise.
12“Jacob, listen to me!
Israel, I called you to be my people.
So listen to me!
I am the Beginning,
and I am the End.
13I made the earth with my own hands.
My right hand made the sky.
And if I call them,
they will come to stand before me.
14“All of you, come here and listen to me.
Did any of the false gods say these things would happen? No!
The Lord’s friend#48:14 friend Or “partner.” This probably means Cyrus, king of Persia. He ruled about 550–530 B.C. will do what he wants
to Babylon and the Chaldeans.
15“I told you that I would call him.
I will lead him,
and I will make him succeed.
16Come here and listen to me!
I was there when Babylon began as a nation.
And from the beginning, I spoke clearly
so that people could know what I said.”
Now, the Lord GOD sends me and his Spirit to tell you these things. 17The Lord, the Savior, the Holy One of Israel, says,
“I am the Lord your God.
I teach you for your own good.
I lead you in the way you should go.
18If you had obeyed me,
then peace would have come to you
like a full flowing river.
Good things would have come to you again and again,
like the waves of the sea.
19If you had obeyed me,
you would have had as many children as there are grains of sand.
And they would always have been mine
and would never have been destroyed.”
20My people, leave Babylon!
My people, run from the Chaldeans!
Tell the news with joy.
Spread the news around the world.
Tell them,
“The Lord rescued his servant Jacob.”
21They never got thirsty as he led them through the desert,
because he made water flow from a rock.
He split the rock,
and water flowed out.
22But the Lord also said,
“There is no peace for evil people.”
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Isaiah 48: ERV
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Isaiah 48
48
Israel’s Stubbornness
1“Listen to this, O house of Jacob,
you who are called by the name of Israel,
who have descended from the line of Judah,
who swear by the name of the Lord,
who invoke the God of Israel—
but not in truth or righteousness—
2who indeed call yourselves after the holy city
and lean on the God of Israel;
the Lord of Hosts is His name.
3I foretold the former things long ago;
they came out of My mouth and I proclaimed them.
Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.
4For I knew that you are stubborn;
your neck is iron and your forehead is bronze.
5Therefore I declared it to you long ago;
I announced it before it came to pass,
so that you could not claim, ‘My idol has done this;
my carved image and molten god has ordained it.’
6You have heard these things; look at them all.
Will you not acknowledge them?
From now on I will tell you of new things,
hidden things unknown to you.
7They are created now, and not long ago;
you have not heard of them before today.
So you cannot claim,
‘I already knew them!’
8You have never heard; you have never understood;
for a long time your ears have not been open.
For I knew how deceitful you are;
you have been called a rebel from birth.
9For the sake of My name I will delay My wrath;
for the sake of My praise I will restrain it,
so that you will not be cut off.
10See, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
11For My own sake, My very own sake, I will act;
for how can I let Myself be defamed?
I will not yield My glory to another.
Deliverance Promised to Israel
12Listen to Me, O Jacob,
and Israel, whom I have called:
I am He; I am the first,
and I am the last.
13Surely My own hand founded the earth,
and My right hand spread out the heavens;
when I summon them,
they stand up together.
14Come together, all of you, and listen:
Which of the idols has foretold these things?
The Lord’s chosen ally will carry out His desire against Babylon,
and His arm will be against the Chaldeans.#48:14 That is, the Babylonians; also in verse 20
15I, even I, have spoken;
yes, I have called him.
I have brought him,
and he will succeed in his mission.
16Come near to Me and listen to this:
From the beginning I have not spoken in secret;
from the time it happened, I was there.”
And now the Lord GOD has sent me,
accompanied by His Spirit.
17Thus says the Lord your Redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you for your benefit,
who directs you in the way you should go.
18If only you had paid attention to My commandments,
your peace would have been like a river,
and your righteousness like waves of the sea.
19Your descendants would have been as countless as the sand,
and your offspring as numerous as its grains;#48:19 Literally like the sand, and your offspring like its grains
their name would never be cut off
or eliminated from My presence.”
20Leave Babylon!
Flee from the Chaldeans!
Declare it with a shout of joy,
proclaim it,
let it go out to the ends of the earth, saying,
“The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob!”
21They did not thirst when He led them through the deserts;
He made water flow for them from the rock;
He split the rock, and water gushed out.
22“There is no peace,” says the Lord,
“for the wicked.”
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The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. This text of God's Word has been dedicated to the public domain.