New things from now on

¹Listen to this, house of Jacob,

who are known by the name of Israel,

who swear by the LORD ’s name

²They are known as residents of the holy city,

³Past things I announced long ago;

from my mouth I proclaimed them.

I acted suddenly, and they came about.

⁴Because I know that you are stubborn,

your neck is made of iron,

and your forehead is bronze.

⁵I informed you long ago;

before they came about I proclaimed them to you

so you wouldn’t say, “My idol did them;

my wood statue and metal god commanded them.”

⁶You’ve heard and seen all this—

won’t you admit it?

From now on I’ll tell you new things,

guarded secrets that you don’t know.

⁷They are created now, not long ago;

before today you hadn’t heard of them,

so you won’t say, “I already knew them.”

⁸You haven’t heard, nor have you known;

as in ages past your ears are closed,

because I knew what a traitor you were;

you were known as a rebel from birth.

⁹For the sake of my reputation I control my anger;

for your sake I restrain my powerful radiance

so as to not destroy you.

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

I have tested you in the furnace of misery.

¹¹For the sake of my reputation, for my own sake, I will act,

for why will my name be made impure?

I won’t give my glory to another.

¹²Listen to me, Jacob;

Israel, whom I called:

¹³My hand founded the earth;

my strong hand spread out the heavens.

When I call to them, they all stand up.

¹⁴Gather yourselves, all of you, and listen.

Who among you announced these things?

¹⁵I, I have spoken and told him

the things that will happen to him;

I will make him succeed.

¹⁶Come close to me; listen to this:

Since the very beginning I haven’t spoken in secret.

Whenever anything happens, I am there.

(And now the LORD God has sent me with his spirit.)

¹⁷The LORD your redeemer,

the holy one of Israel, proclaims:

I am the LORD your God

¹⁸If you would pay attention to my commands,

your well-being would be like a river,

and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

¹⁹Your offspring would be like the sand,

and your descendants like its grains.

Their name would never be eliminated,

²⁰Go out from Babylon;

flee from the Chaldeans!

Report this with a loud shout, proclaim it;

broadcast it out to the end of the earth.

Say, “The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob!”

²¹They weren’t thirsty when he led them through the deserts.

God made water flow from the rock for them;

split the rock, and water flowed out.

²²There is no well-being, says the LORD , for the wicked.