Israel Must Leave Babylon
1“Listen to this, house of Jacob —
those who are called by the name Israel
and declare the God of Israel,
but not in truth or righteousness.
2For they are named after the holy city,
his name is the Lord of Armies.
3I declared the past events long ago;
they came out of my mouth; I proclaimed them.
Suddenly I acted, and they occurred.
4Because I know that you are stubborn,
and your neck is iron48:4 Lit is an iron sinew
5therefore I declared to you long ago.
I announced it to you before it occurred,
so you could not claim, ‘My idol caused them;
my carved image and cast idol control them.’48:5 Jr 44:15–18
6You have heard it. Observe it all.
Will you not acknowledge it?
From now on I will announce new things to you,
7They have been created now, and not long ago;
you have not heard of them before today,
so you could not claim, ‘I already knew them!’
8You have never heard; you have never known;
for a long time your ears have not been open.
For I knew that you were very treacherous,
9I will delay my anger for the sake of my name,
and I will restrain myself for your benefit and for my praise,
so that you will not be destroyed.
I have tested48:10 DSS; MT reads chosen you in the furnace of affliction.
for how can I48:11 DSS, Syr; MT reads it be defiled?
I will not give my glory to another.48:11 Is 42:8
12“Listen to me, Jacob,
and Israel, the one called by me:
I am he; I am the first,
13My own hand founded the earth,
and my right hand spread out the heavens;48:13 Ps 102:25; Is 42:5; 45:12,18; Heb 1:10–12
when I summoned them,
they stood up together.
14All of you, assemble and listen!
Who among the idols48:14 Lit among them has declared these things?
The Lord loves him;48:14 = Cyrus
and his arm will be against the Chaldeans.
15I — I have spoken;
I have brought him,
and he will succeed in his mission.48:15 Is 53:10
16Approach me and listen to this.
From the beginning I have not spoken in secret;48:16 Is 45:19
from the time anything existed, I was there.”
And now the Lord God
I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you for your benefit,
who leads you in the way you should go.
18If only you had paid attention to my commands.
Then your peace would have been like a river,48:18 Is 32:16–18; 66:12
and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.48:18 Dt 5:29; 32:29; Ps 81:13–16; Am 5:24
and the offspring of your body like its grains;
their name would not be cut off
or eliminated from my presence.
20Leave Babylon,
flee from the Chaldeans!
Declare with a shout of joy,
proclaim this,
let it go out to the end of the earth;
announce,
“The Lord has redeemed his servant48:20 Is 41:8–9; 42:19; 43:10; 44:1–2,21; 45:4; 49:3; 54:17; Lk 1:54 Jacob!”
21They did not thirst
when he led them through the deserts;
he made water flow from the rock for them;48:21 Ex 17:6; Ps 78:15–16
he split the rock, and water gushed out.
Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard
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