God the Creator and Redeemer

1“Listen to this, house of Jacob,

you who are called by the name of Israel,

and who have come forth from Judah’s loins;a

you who swear oaths in the name of the LORD

and invoke the God of Israel—

but not in truth, nor in good faith.

2For they name themselves after the holy city,

and rely on the God of Israel—

the LORD of the Heavenly Armies is his name.

3I foretold the former things long ago;

itb went forth from my mouth,

and I disclosed them;

Suddenly, I acted,

and they came to pass.

4Because I knewc that you are obstinate,

and because your neck is an iron sinew,

and your forehead is bronze,

5I told you these things long ago;

I announced them to you before they happened

so that you couldn’t say, ‘My idol did them;

myd carved image or metal idol ordained them.’

6“You have heard—now look at them all!

Howe can you not admit them?

From now on, I’ll make you hear new things,

hidden things that you have not known.

7They are created now, and not long ago;

you didn’t hear them before today,

so you cannot say, ‘Yes, I knew them.’

8Andf neither had you heard, nor did you understand,

nor did you openg your ear long ago.h

Indeed, I knew thati you would act very deceitfully,

and they would callj you a rebel from birth.

9I defer my anger for my name’s sake,

and as my first actk I’m restraining it for you,

so as not to cut you off.

10Look, I have refined you, but not like silver;

I have purifiedl you in the furnace of affliction.

11For my own sake—Yes, for my own sake!—I’m doing it;

indeed, how can I be profaned?m

Furthermore, I won’t give my glory to another.”

The LORD Calls Israel

12“Listen to these things,n Jacob,

and Israel, whom I have called.

I am the One: I am the first,

I am eveno the last.

13Moreover, my hands laidp the earth’s foundation,

and my right hand spread out the heavens.

I call out to them,

andq they stand up together.

14Let all of them come together and listen:r

Who is there among them that could declares these things?

“The LORD loves me,t

and he will accomplishu my purposev against Babylon;

his armw will be against the Chaldeans.

15I—Yes, I!—have spoken;

indeed, I’ve called andx I’ve brought him,

and he will make his path successful.y

16Draw near to me, andz listen to this:

‘From the beginning I haven’t spoken in secret;

ataa the time it happened, I was there.’

And now the LORD God, and his Spirit, has sent me.bb

17“This is what the LORD says,

your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:

“I am the LORD your God,

who teaches you how to succeed,

who directs youcc in the path by whichdd you should go.

18Nowee if only you had paid attention to my commandments!

Then your peace would have been like a river,

and your success like the waves of the sea.

19Your descendants would’ve been like the sand,

and your offspringff like its numberless grains.

Their name wouldn’t have been cut off

or annihilated out of my reach.

20“Go out from Babylon, flee from the Chaldeans!

With happy shouts, announce

andgg proclaim thishh to the endsii of the earth:

Say, ‘The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob!’

21They didn’t thirst when he led himjj through the desolate places.

He made water gushkk from a rock for them;

he split open the rock, and water gushed out.

22“Butll there is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.”