1
“Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name Israel
And who came forth from the loins of Judah,
Who swear by the name of Yahweh
And bring to remembrance the God of Israel,
But not in truth or in righteousness.
2
“For they call themselves after the holy city
And are supported by the God of Israel;
Yahweh of hosts is His name.
3
“I declared the former things long ago,
And they went forth from My mouth, and I caused them to be heard.
Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.
4
“Because I know that you are stiff,
And your neck is an iron sinew
And your forehead bronze,
5
Therefore I declared them to you long ago,
Before they happened I caused them to be heard by you,
Lest you say, ‘My idol has done them,
And my graven image and my molten image have commanded them.’
6
“You have heard; look at all this.
And you, will you not declare it?
I caused you to hear new things from this time,
Even hidden things which you have not known.
7
“They are created now and not long ago;
And before today you have not heard them,
Lest you say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’
8
“Indeed, you have not heard; indeed, you have not known.
Indeed, even from long ago your ear has not been open
Because I knew that you would deal very treacherously;
And you have been called a transgressor from the womb.
9
“For the sake of My name I delay My anger,
And for My praise I restrain it for you,
In order not to cut you off.
10
“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
11
“For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act;
For how can My name be profaned?
And My glory I will not give to another.
Yahweh Redeems Jacob
12
“Hear Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called;
I am He, I am the first, I am also the last.
13
“Also, My hand founded the earth,
And My right hand spread out the heavens;
When I call to them, they stand together.
14
“Assemble, all of you, and hear!
Who among them has declared these things?
Yahweh loves him; he will carry out His good pleasure on Babylon,
And His arm will be against the Chaldeans.
15
“I, even I, have spoken; indeed I have called him,
I have brought him, and He will make his ways successful.
16
“Draw near to Me, hear this:
From the first I have not spoken in secret,
From the time it took place, I was there.
So now Lord Yahweh has sent Me, and His Spirit.”
17
Thus says Yahweh, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel,
“I am Yahweh your God, who teaches you to profit,
Who leads you in the way you should go.
18
“If only you had paid attention to My commandments!
Then your peace would have been like a river,
And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
19
“Your seed would have been like the sand,
And the offspring from your loins like its grains;
Their name would never be cut off or destroyed from My presence.”
20
Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans!
Declare with the sound of joyful shouting, cause this to be heard,
Bring it forth to the end of the earth;
Say, “Yahweh has redeemed His servant Jacob.”
21
And they did not thirst when He led them through the waste places.
He made the water flow out of the rock for them;
He split the rock, and the water gushed forth.
22
“There is no peace for the wicked,” says Yahweh.