Isaiah 46-48

Contemporary English Version

³ You survivors in Israel,
    listen to me, the Lord.
Since the day you were born,
    I have carried you along.
⁴ I will still be the same
when you are old and gray,
    and I will take care of you.
I created you. I will carry you
    and always keep you safe.

⁵ Can anyone compare with me?
    Is anyone my equal?
⁶ Some people hire a goldsmith
    and give silver and gold
to be formed into an idol
    for them to worship.
⁷ They carry the idol
    on their shoulders,
then put it on a stand,
    but it cannot move.

They call out to the idol
    when they are in trouble,
but it doesn't answer,
    and it cannot help.
⁸ Now keep this in mind,^[c]
you sinful people.
    And don't ever forget it.

I kept my word ¹¹ and brought
someone from a distant land
    to do what I wanted.
He attacked from the east,
    like a hawk swooping down.
Now I will keep my promise
    and do what I planned.

¹² You people are stubborn
and far from being safe,
    so listen to me.
¹³ I will soon come to save you.
I am not far away
    and will waste no time;
I take pride in Israel
    and will save Jerusalem.

⁵ Babylon, be silent!
    Sit in the dark.
No longer will nations
    accept you as their queen.
⁶ I was angry with my people.
So I let you take their land
    and bring disgrace on them.
You showed them no mercy,
but were especially cruel
    to those who were old.
⁷ You thought that you
    would be queen forever.
You didn't care what you did;
it never entered your mind
    that you might get caught.

^8 (B) You think that you alone
    are all-powerful,
that you won't be a widow
    or lose your children.
All you care about is pleasure,
    but listen to what I say.
⁹ Your magic powers and charms
    will suddenly fail,
then you will be a widow
    and lose your children.

¹⁰ You hid behind evil
like a shield and said,
    “No one can see me!”
You were fooled by your wisdom
    and your knowledge;
you felt sure that you alone
    were in full control.
¹¹ But without warning,
    disaster will strike—
and your magic charms
    won't help at all.

¹² Keep using your magic powers
and your charms
    as you have always done.
Maybe—just maybe—
    you will frighten somebody!
¹³ You have worn yourself out,
    asking for advice
from those who study the stars
and tell the future
    month after month.
Go ask them how to be saved
    from what will happen.
¹⁴ People who trust the stars
are as helpless as straw
    in a flaming fire.
No one can even keep warm,^[f]
sitting by a fire
    that feeds only on straw.
¹⁵ These are the fortunetellers
you have done business with
    all of your life.
But they don't know
where they are going,
    and they can't save you.

³ Long ago I announced
    what was going to be,
then without warning,
    I made it happen.
⁴ I knew you were stubborn
    and hardheaded.
⁵ And I told you these things,
so that when they happened
    you would not say,
“The idols we worship did this.”

⁶ You heard what I said,
and you have seen it happen.
    Now admit it's true!
I will show you secrets
    you have never known.
⁷ Today I am doing something new,
something you cannot say
    you have heard before.
⁸ You have never been willing
    to listen to what I say;
from the moment of your birth,
    I knew you would rebel.

^12 (C) Israel, my chosen people,
    listen to me.
I alone am the Lord,
    the first and the last.
¹³ With my own hand
I created the earth
    and stretched out the sky.
They obey my every command.

^20 (D) Now leave Babylon!
    Celebrate as you go.
Be happy and shout
    for everyone to hear,
“The Lord has rescued
    his servant Israel!
²¹ He led us through the desert
and made water flow from a rock
    to satisfy our thirst.
^22 (E) But the Lord has promised
that none who are evil
    will live in peace.”