Old Testament · Prophets

Isaiah chapter 48

Listen to this, — you who carry the name Israel, who came from the bloodline of Judah, who swear by the name of Yahweh and call on the God of Israel— but not with honesty, not with .They claim citizenship in , they lean on the God of Israel, Yahweh, , is his name.The things that already happened— I announced them long ago. They came from my own mouth; I made them known. Then suddenly I acted, and they came true.Because I know how stubborn you are— your neck is an , your forehead is —I told you these things long before they happened. Before they unfolded, I announced them to you— so you could never say, “My did this,” or “My carved image, my metal god—they made this happen.”You’ve heard all of this—now look at it. Won’t you admit it? From this moment on, I’m telling you new things— hidden things you’ve never known.They are created now, not long ago. Before today, you never heard of them— so you can’t say, “Oh, I already knew that.”You never heard. You never knew. Your ears have not been open from the start. Because I know how treacherous you are— you’ve been called a from birth.For the sake of my own , I hold back my anger. For the sake of my reputation, I restrain myself toward you— so I don’t cut you off completely.Look—I’ve you, but not like silver. I’ve tested you in the .For my own sake—for my own sake—I do this. How can I let my name be dragged through the dirt? I will not hand my over to anyone else.Listen to me, Jacob— Israel, the one I called: I am he. I am . I am also .My own hand laid the foundation of the earth. My right hand spread out the sky. When I call them, they together.All of you, gather around and listen: Which of your idols predicted any of this? will carry out his purpose against Babylon, and his arm will be against the .I—I myself have spoken. I have called him. I’ve brought him, and he will succeed in what I’ve sent him to do.Come close to me and hear this: From the very beginning, I have not spoken in secret. From the moment it started happening, I was there. And now the Lord Yahweh has sent me, along with .This is what Yahweh says, your , : I am Yahweh your God, the one who teaches you what’s actually good for you, who leads you on the path you should take.If only you had paid attention to what I commanded— your would have been like a river, your like the waves of the sea.Your descendants would have been like the sand, your offspring like its countless grains. Their name would never have been cut off or wiped out from my presence.Leave Babylon! Run from the Chaldeans! Announce it with shouts of joy—let this be heard. Send it out to the ends of the earth. Say: “Yahweh has his servant Jacob!”They weren’t thirsty when he led them through the wastelands. He made water flow from the rock for them— he open and water poured out.“There is no ,” says Yahweh, “for the .”