THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
ISAIAH
Isaiah 48 ©
The Lord complains of the Jews’ hypocrisy, v. 1. Obstinacy, 3. And contempt of His prophecies, 5, etc. Yet He spares them for his Name’s sake, 9. That they may learn to know Him aright, 12. He promises His blessing unto Cyrus, 14. And exhorts the Jews to the keeping of His commandments, with a promise of His blessing, 18. And with a promise of a happy deliverance out of Babel, 20. The condition of the wicked, 22.
HEAR ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth 1out of the waters of Judah, which 2swear by the name of the LORD, and 3make mention of the God of Israel, 4but not in truth, nor in righteousness.
5For they call themselves of 6the holy city, and 7stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts is his name.
I have declared 8the former things 9from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass.
Because I knew 10that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is 11an iron sinew, and thy brow 12brass;
I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, 13Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and 14my molten image, hath commanded them.
Thou 15hast heard, 16see all this; and will not 17ye 18declare it? I have shewed thee 19new things from this time, even 20hidden things, and thou didst not know them.
They are created 21now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them.
Yea, thou heardest 22not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened: for I knew 23that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast 24called a transgressor 25from the womb.
¶For my name's sake will I 26defer mine anger, and fora my praise will I 27refrain 28for thee, that I 29cut thee not off.
Behold, I have 30refined thee, but 31not with silver; I have 32chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should 33my name be polluted? and Ib will not give my glory unto another.
¶Hearken unto me, 34O Jacob and 35Israel, my called; I am he; Icam the first, I also am the last.
Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath 36spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, 37they 38stand up together.
All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which 39among them hathd declared these things? The LORD hath 40loved 41him: 42he will do 43his pleasure on Babylon, and 44his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.
I, even I, have spoken; yea, I 45have called 46him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.
¶ 47Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; 48I have not spoken in secret 49from the beginning; from the time 50that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, 51hath sent me.
Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
Oe that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had 52thy peace been 53as a river, and 54thy righteousness 55as the waves of the sea:
56Thy seed also had been 57as the sand, and 58the offspring of 59thy bowels like the 60gravel 61thereof; his name should not have been 62cut off nor destroyed from before me.
¶Gof ye forth of Babylon, 63flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The LORD hath 64redeemed his servant Jacob.
65And 66they 67thirsted not when 68he led them through the deserts: 69he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.
There is 70no peace, saith the LORD, unto 71the wicked.g