Commentary on Isaiah - Volume 3

1Hear this, O house of Jacob, Ye who are called by the name of Israel, Who have come forth from the waters of Judah, Who swear by the name of Jehovah, And remember the God of Israel, Not in truth, nor in righteousness.

2For from the holy city they are called, And they rely on the God of Israel, Whose name is Jehovah of hosts.

3Long ago did I declare the former things; They went out of my mouth; I published them; I did them suddenly, And they came.

4For I knew that thou art obstinate; And thy neck is all iron sinew; And thy forehead is of brass.

5Long ago did I declare them to thee; Before they came, I showed to thee; Lest perhaps thou shouldst say, My idol hath done these things; My graven image And my molten image hath commanded them.

6Thou hast heard; see all things; And will ye not declare them? Even now have I made thee to hear new things, And hidden things, which thou didst not know.

7Now for the first time have they been created, And not long ago, nor by a succession of time; Thou hadst not heard them; Lest thou shouldst say, Behold, I knew.

8Surely thou hadst not heard; Surely thou hadst not known; Surely it is not long since thine ear was opened; For I knew that by transgressing thou didst transgress; Therefore have I called thee a rebel from the womb.

9For my names sake I will delay my fury; And for my praise I will restrain myself toward thee, So as not to cut thee off.

10Behold, I have tried thee, And not like silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

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

12Hear me, O Jacob, And O Israel, my called; I, even I, am the first; Also I am the last.

13Surely my hand hath founded the earth; And my right hand hath measured ²⁸³ the heavens with the palm; When I call them they stand up ²⁸⁴ together.

14Assemble yourselves, all of you, And hear. Who among them declareth those things? Jehovah hath loved him, And will execute his pleasure against Babylon, And his arm ²⁸⁵ against the Babylonians.

15I, I ²⁸⁶ have spoken; Surely I have called him, I have led him; Therefore he shall prosper in his way.

16Draw near to me, hear this. I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; Since the thing was done, there was I; And now the Lord Jehovah, And his Spirit, hath sent me.

17Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel. I am Jehovah thy God, Who teacheth thee profitably, Who directeth thee in the way which thou goest.

18O if thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! Then should thy peace have been as a river, And thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.

19Thy seed should have been as the sand, And the children of thy womb as the small stones of it; Her name would not be cut off, And would not be destroyed before my face.

20Come forth from Babylon; Flee from the Babylonians. With the voice of rejoicing tell this; Publish, And carry it even to the end of the earth. Say ye, Jehovah hath redeemed his servant Jacob.

21Therefore they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts; He made water to flow to them from the rock; He clave the rock, And the waters flowed out.

22There is no peace, saith Jehovah to the wicked.