Isaiah 48
48
Israel Must Leave Babylon
1“Listen to this, house of Jacob —
those who are called by the name Israel
and have descended from # Lit have come from the waters of Judah, # Nm 24:7; Dt 33:28; Ps 68:26
who swear by the name of Yahweh # Dt 6:13; Is 45:23; 65:16
and declare the God of Israel,
but not in truth or righteousness.
2For they are named after the Holy City,
and lean on the God of Israel; # Is 10:20; Jr 7:4; 21:2; Mc 3:11; Rm 2:17
His name is Yahweh of Hosts.
3I declared the past events long ago;
they came out of My mouth; I proclaimed them.
Suddenly I acted, and they occurred.
4Because I know that you are stubborn,
and your neck is iron # Lit is an iron sinew
and your forehead bronze, # Ex 32:9; Dt 31:27; Ezk 2:4; 3:7-9
5therefore I declared to you long ago.
I announced it to you before it occurred,
so you could not claim, ‘My idol caused them;
my carved image and cast idol control them.’ # Jr 44:15-18
6You have heard it. Observe it all.
Will you not acknowledge it?
From now on I will announce new things to you,
hidden things that you have not known. # Is 42:9; 43:19
7They have been created now, and not long ago;
you have not heard of them before today,
so you could not claim, ‘I already knew them! ’
8You have never heard; you have never known;
For a long time your ears have not been open.
For I knew that you were very treacherous,
and were known as a rebel from birth. # Dt 9:7,24; Ps 58:3; Is 46:8
9I will delay My anger for the honor of My name,
and I will restrain Myself for your benefit and for My praise,
so that you will not be destroyed.
10Look, I have refined you, # Dt 4:20; 1Kg 8:51; Jr 11:4; Ezk 22:18-22; 1Pt 1:7 but not as silver;
I have tested # Or chosen you in the furnace of affliction.
11I will act for My own sake, indeed, My own, # Is 43:25; Ezk 20:9
for how can I # DSS, Syr; MT reads it be defiled?
I will not give My glory to another. # Is 42:8
12“Listen to Me, Jacob,
and Israel, the one called by Me:
I am He; I am the first,
I am also the last. # Is 41:4; 43:10-13; 46:4; Rv 1:17
13My own hand founded the earth,
and My right hand spread out the heavens; # Ps 102:25; Is 42:5; 45:12,18; Heb 1:10-12
when I summoned them,
they stood up together.
14All of you, assemble and listen!
Who among the idols # Lit among them has declared these things?
The Lord loves him; # = Cyrus
he will accomplish His will against Babylon, # Is 13:4-5,17-19; 46:10-11
and His arm will be against the Chaldeans.
15I — I have spoken;
yes, I have called him; # Is 41:2; 45:1-2
I have brought him,
and he will succeed in his mission. # Is 53:10
16Approach Me and listen to this.
From the beginning I have not spoken in secret; # Is 45:19
from the time anything existed, I was there.”
And now the Lord God
has sent me and His Spirit. # Nm 27:18; Ps 51:11; Is 61:1; 63:7,10; Zch 2:9,11
17This is what the Lord, your Redeemer, # Is 41:14; 43:14 the Holy One of Israel # Is 1:4 says:
I am Yahweh your God,
who teaches you for your benefit,
who leads you in the way you should go.
18If only you had paid attention to My commands.
Then your peace would have been like a river, # Is 32:16-18; 66:12
and your righteousness like the waves of the sea. # Dt 5:29; 32:29; Ps 81:13-16; Am 5:24
19Your descendants would have been as countless as the sand, # Gn 22:17; Is 10:22; 44:3-4; 54:3; Hs 1:10
and the offspring of your body like its grains;
their name would not be cut off
or eliminated from My presence.
20Leave Babylon,
flee from the Chaldeans!
Declare with a shout of joy,
proclaim this,
let it go out to the end of the earth;
announce,
“The Lord has redeemed His servant # Is 41:8-9; 42:19; 43:10; 44:1-2,21; 45:4; 49:3; 54:17; Lk 1:54 Jacob! ”
21They did not thirst
when He led them through the deserts;
He made water flow for them from the rock; # Ex 17:6; Ps 78:15-16
He split the rock, and water gushed out.
22“There is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord. # Is 57:21
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Isaiah 48: HCSB
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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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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.