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# Isaiah, Chapter 48
## Chapter 48
### Exhortations to the Exiles
1 Hear this, house of Jacob ^isaiah-48-1
called by the name Israel,
sprung from the stock of Judah,
You who swear by the name of the LORD
and invoke the God of Israel
without sincerity, without justice,
2 Though you are named after the holy city ^isaiah-48-2
and rely on the God of Israel,
whose name is the LORD of hosts.
3 Things of the past I declared long ago, ^isaiah-48-3
they went forth from my mouth, I announced them;
then suddenly I took action and they came to be.
4 Because I know that you are stubborn ^isaiah-48-4
and that your neck is an iron sinew
and your forehead bronze,
5 I declared them to you of old; ^isaiah-48-5
before they took place I informed you,
That you might not say, “My idol did them,
my statue, my molten image commanded them.”
6 Now that you have heard, look at all this; ^isaiah-48-6
must you not admit it?
From now on I announce new things to you,
hidden events you never knew.
7 Now, not from of old, they are created, ^isaiah-48-7
before today you did not hear of them,
so that you cannot claim, “I have known them.”
8 You never heard, you never knew, ^isaiah-48-8
they never reached your ears beforehand.
Yes, I know you are utterly treacherous,
a rebel you were named from the womb.
9 For the sake of my name I restrain my anger, ^isaiah-48-9
for the sake of my renown I hold it back from you,
lest I destroy you.
10 See, I refined you, but not like silver; ^isaiah-48-10
I tested you in the furnace of affliction.
11 For my sake, for my own sake, I do this; ^isaiah-48-11
why should my name be profaned?
My glory I will not give to another.
12 Listen to me, Jacob, ^isaiah-48-12
Israel, whom I called!
I, it is I who am the first,
and am I the last.
13 Yes, my hand laid the foundations of the earth; ^isaiah-48-13
my right hand spread out the heavens.
When I summon them,
they stand forth at once.
14 All of you assemble and listen: ^isaiah-48-14
Who among you declared these things?
The one the LORD loves shall do his will
against Babylon and the offspring of Chaldea.
15 I myself have spoken, I have summoned him, ^isaiah-48-15
I have brought him, and his way succeeds!
16 Come near to me and hear this! ^isaiah-48-16
From the beginning I did not speak in secret;
At the time it happens, I am there:
“Now the Lord G OD has sent me, and his spirit.”
17 Thus says the LORD, your redeemer, ^isaiah-48-17
the Holy One of Israel:
I am the LORD, your God,
teaching you how to prevail,
leading you on the way you should go.
18 If only you would attend to my commandments, ^isaiah-48-18
your peace would be like a river,
your vindication like the waves of the sea,
19 Your descendants like the sand, ^isaiah-48-19
the offspring of your loins like its grains,
Their name never cut off
or blotted out from my presence.
20 Go forth from Babylon, flee from Chaldea! ^isaiah-48-20
With shouts of joy declare this, announce it;
Make it known to the ends of the earth,
Say: “The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob.
21 They did not thirst ^isaiah-48-21
when he led them through dry lands;
Water from the rock he set flowing for them;
he cleft the rock, and waters welled forth.”
22 There is no peace for the wicked, ^isaiah-48-22
says the LORD.
\* (48:14) The one the LORD loves: the reference is no doubt to Cyrus, who does the Lord’s will by overcoming Babylon and releasing Israel from captivity.
\* (48:16) “Now the Lord…spirit”: said by Cyrus; cf. v. [14].
\* (48:22) No peace: while the good news proclaimed by the prophet is directed to the people as a whole, “peace,” which can represent the fullness of God’s blessings and which would here include deliverance from exile, is not extended to all regardless of disposition.
a. (48:6) [Is 42:9].
b. (48:8) [Is 43:22] – [24].
c. (48:10) [Is 1:25]; [Jer 6:29] – [30]; [Zec 13:9]; [Mal 3:2].
d. (48:12) [Is 41:4]; [44:6]; [48:12]; ([[revelation-01|Rv 1]]:8], [17].
e. (48:13) [Is 40:22], [26]; [45:12], [18].
f. (48:21) ([[exodus-17|Ex 17]]:6]; [Nm 20:11].
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_New American Bible, revised edition_ (2010, 1991, 1986, 1970) Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C.
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