Isaiah 48

¹“Hear this, house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, and have come out of the waters of Judah. You swear by the LORD’s name, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness—

²for they call themselves citizens of the holy city, and rely on the God of Israel; the LORD of Armies is his name.

³I have declared the former things from of old. Yes, they went out of my mouth, and I revealed them. I did them suddenly, and they happened.

⁴Because I knew that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew, and your brow bronze;

⁵therefore I have declared it to you from of old; before it came to pass I showed it to you; lest you should say, ‘My idol has done them. My engraved image and my molten image has commanded them.’

⁶You have heard it. Now see all this. And you, won’t you declare it? “I have shown you new things from this time, even hidden things, which you have not known.

⁷They are created now, and not from of old. Before today, you didn’t hear them, lest you should say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’

⁸Yes, you didn’t hear. Yes, you didn’t know. Yes, from of old your ear was not opened, for I knew that you dealt very treacherously, and were called a transgressor from the womb.

⁹For my name’s sake, I will defer my anger, and for my praise, I hold it back for you so that I don’t cut you off.

¹⁰Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver. I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction.

¹¹For my own sake, for my own sake, I will do it; for how would my name be profaned? I will not give my glory to another.