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Isaiah 46-48
New American Standard Bible
Isaiah 46-48
New American Standard Bible
Babylon’s Idols and the True God
46 (A)Bel has bowed down, Nebo stoops over;
Their idols have become loads for the animals and the cattle.
The things [a]that you carry are burdensome,
A load for the weary animal.
2 They stooped over, they have bowed down together;
They could not rescue the burden,
But [b]have themselves (B)gone into captivity.
3 “(C)Listen to Me, house of Jacob,
And all (D)the remnant of the house of Israel,
You who have been (E)carried by Me from [c]birth
And have been carried from the womb;
4 Even to your old age (F)I [d]will be the same,
And even to your [e](G)graying years I will [f]carry you!
I have [g]done it, and I will bear you;
And I will [h]carry you and I will save you.
5 “(H)To whom would you liken Me
And make Me equal, and compare Me,
That we would be alike?
6 Those who (I)lavish gold from the bag
And weigh silver on the scale,
Hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god;
They (J)bow down, indeed they worship it.
7 They (K)lift it on the shoulder, carry it,
And set it in its place, and it stands there.
(L)It does not move from its place.
Though one may shout to it, it (M)cannot answer;
It (N)cannot save him from his distress.
8 “(O)Remember this, and be [i]assured;
(P)Recall it to [j]mind, you (Q)wrongdoers.
9 Remember the (R)former things long past,
For I am God, and there is (S)no other;
I am God, and there is (T)no one like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘(U)My plan will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;
11 Calling a (V)bird of prey from the (W)east,
The man of [k]My purpose from a distant country.
Truly I have (X)spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.
I have planned it, I will certainly do it.
12 “(Y)Listen to Me, you (Z)stubborn-minded,
Who are (AA)far from righteousness.
13 I (AB)bring near My righteousness, it is not far off;
And My salvation will not delay.
And I will grant (AC)salvation in Zion,
And My (AD)glory for Israel.
Mourning for Babylon
47 “(AE)Come down and sit in the dust,
(AF)Virgin (AG)daughter of Babylon;
Sit on the ground without a throne,
Daughter of the Chaldeans!
For you will no longer be called (AH)tender and delicate.
2 Take the (AI)millstones and (AJ)grind flour.
Remove your (AK)veil, (AL)strip off the skirt,
Uncover the leg, cross the rivers.
3 Your (AM)nakedness will be uncovered,
Your shame will also be exposed;
I will (AN)take vengeance and will not spare anyone.”
4 Our (AO)Redeemer, the Lord of armies is His name,
The Holy One of Israel.
5 “(AP)Sit silently, and go into (AQ)darkness,
Daughter of the Chaldeans;
For you will no longer be called
The (AR)queen of (AS)kingdoms.
6 I was angry with My people,
I profaned My heritage
And handed them over to you.
You did not show mercy to them,
On the (AT)aged you made your yoke very heavy.
7 Yet you said, ‘I will be a (AU)queen forever.’
These things you did not (AV)consider
Nor remember the (AW)outcome of [l]them.
8 “Now, then, hear this, you (AX)luxuriant one,
Who (AY)lives securely,
Who says in her heart,
‘(AZ)I am, and there is no one besides me.
I will (BA)not sit as a widow,
Nor know the loss of children.’
9 But these (BB)two things will come on you (BC)suddenly in one day:
Loss of children and widowhood.
They will come on you in full measure
In spite of your many (BD)sorceries,
In spite of the great power of your spells.
10 You felt (BE)secure in your wickedness and said,
‘(BF)No one sees me,’
Your (BG)wisdom and your knowledge, [m]they have led you astray;
For you have said in your heart,
‘(BH)I am, and there is no one besides me.’
11 But (BI)evil will come on you
Which you will not know how to charm away;
And disaster will fall on you
For which you cannot atone;
And (BJ)destruction about which you do not know
Will come on you (BK)suddenly.
12 “Persist now in your (BL)spells
And in your many sorceries
With which you have labored from your youth;
Perhaps you will be able to benefit,
Perhaps you may cause trembling.
13 You are (BM)wearied with your many counsels;
Let now the (BN)astrologers,
Those who prophesy by the stars,
Those who predict by the new moons,
Stand up and (BO)save you from what will come upon you.
14 Behold, they have become (BP)like stubble,
(BQ)Fire burns them;
They cannot save themselves from the power of the flame;
There will be (BR)no coal to warm by
Nor a fire to sit before!
15 So have those become to you with whom you have labored,
Those who have (BS)done business with you from your youth;
Each has wandered in his own [n]way;
There is (BT)no one to save you.
Israel’s Obstinacy
48 “(BU)Hear this, house of Jacob, who are named Israel
And who came from the (BV)waters of Judah,
Who (BW)swear by the name of the Lord
And invoke the God of Israel,
But not in truth nor in (BX)righteousness.
2 For they name themselves after the (BY)holy city,
And (BZ)lean on the God of Israel;
The Lord of armies is His name.
3 I (CA)declared the former things long ago,
And they went out of My mouth, and I proclaimed them.
(CB)Suddenly I acted, and they (CC)came to pass.
4 Because I know that you are [o](CD)obstinate,
And your (CE)neck is an iron tendon
And your (CF)forehead bronze,
5 Therefore I declared them to you long ago,
Before [p]they took place I proclaimed them to you,
So that you would not say, ‘My (CG)idol has done them,
And my carved image and my cast metal image have commanded them.’
6 You have heard; look at all this.
And you, will you not declare it?
I proclaim to you (CH)new things from this time,
Hidden things which you have not known.
7 They are created now and not long ago;
And before today you have not heard them,
So that you will not say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’
8 You have not (CI)heard, you have not known.
Even from long ago your ear has not been open,
Because I knew that you would deal very treacherously;
And you have been called a [q](CJ)rebel from [r]birth.
9 (CK)For the sake of My name I (CL)delay My wrath,
And for My praise I restrain it for you,
In order not to cut you off.
10 Behold, I have refined you, but (CM)not as silver;
I have tested you in the (CN)furnace of affliction.
11 (CO)For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act;
For how can My name be profaned?
And I will not give My (CP)glory to another.
Rescue Promised
12 “Listen to Me, Jacob, Israel [s]whom I called;
(CQ)I am He, (CR)I am the first, I am also the last.
13 Assuredly My hand (CS)founded the earth,
And My right hand spread out the heavens;
When I (CT)call to them, they stand together.
14 (CU)Assemble, all of you, and listen!
(CV)Who among them has declared these things?
The Lord loves him; he will (CW)carry out His good pleasure against (CX)Babylon,
And His arm will be against the Chaldeans.
15 I, yes I, have spoken; indeed I have (CY)called him,
I have brought him, and He will make his ways successful.
16 (CZ)Come near to Me, listen to this:
From the beginning I have (DA)not spoken in secret,
(DB)From the time it took place, I was there.
And now (DC)the Lord [t]God has sent Me, and His Spirit.”
17 This is what the Lord says, He who is your (DD)Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to benefit,
Who (DE)leads you in the way you should go.
18 If only you had (DF)paid attention to My commandments!
Then your [u](DG)well-being would have been like a river,
And your (DH)righteousness like the waves of the sea.
19 Your [v](DI)descendants would have been like the sand,
And [w]your offspring like its grains;
(DJ)Their name would never be eliminated or destroyed from My presence.”
20 (DK)Go out from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans!
Declare with the sound of (DL)joyful shouting, proclaim this,
(DM)Send it out to the end of the earth;
Say, “(DN)The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob.”
21 They did not (DO)thirst when He led them through the deserts.
He (DP)made the water flow out of the rock for them;
He split the rock and (DQ)the water gushed out.
22 “(DR)There is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 46:1 Lit carried by you
- Isaiah 46:2 Or their soul has
- Isaiah 46:3 Lit the belly
- Isaiah 46:4 Lit will be He
- Isaiah 46:4 Lit gray hairs
- Isaiah 46:4 Or support
- Isaiah 46:4 Or made you
- Isaiah 46:4 Or support
- Isaiah 46:8 Lit firm
- Isaiah 46:8 Lit heart
- Isaiah 46:11 Lit His
- Isaiah 47:7 Lit it
- Isaiah 47:10 Lit it has
- Isaiah 47:15 Lit side, region
- Isaiah 48:4 Or harsh
- Isaiah 48:5 Lit it
- Isaiah 48:8 Or transgressor
- Isaiah 48:8 Lit the belly
- Isaiah 48:12 Lit My called one
- Isaiah 48:16 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 48:18 Or peace
- Isaiah 48:19 Lit seed
- Isaiah 48:19 Lit the offspring of your inward parts
Isaiah 46-48
New International Version
Isaiah 46-48
New International Version
Gods of Babylon
46 Bel(A) bows down, Nebo stoops low;
their idols(B) are borne by beasts of burden.[a]
The images that are carried(C) about are burdensome,
a burden for the weary.
2 They stoop and bow down together;
unable to rescue the burden,
they themselves go off into captivity.(D)
3 “Listen(E) to me, you descendants of Jacob,
all the remnant(F) of the people of Israel,
you whom I have upheld since your birth,(G)
and have carried(H) since you were born.(I)
4 Even to your old age and gray hairs(J)
I am he,(K) I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain(L) you and I will rescue you.
5 “With whom will you compare me or count me equal?
To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?(M)
6 Some pour out gold from their bags
and weigh out silver on the scales;
they hire a goldsmith(N) to make it into a god,
and they bow down and worship it.(O)
7 They lift it to their shoulders and carry(P) it;
they set it up in its place, and there it stands.
From that spot it cannot move.(Q)
Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer;(R)
it cannot save(S) them from their troubles.
8 “Remember(T) this, keep it in mind,
take it to heart, you rebels.(U)
9 Remember the former things,(V) those of long ago;(W)
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.(X)
10 I make known the end from the beginning,(Y)
from ancient times,(Z) what is still to come.(AA)
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,(AB)
and I will do all that I please.’
11 From the east I summon(AC) a bird of prey;(AD)
from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about;
what I have planned,(AE) that I will do.(AF)
12 Listen(AG) to me, you stubborn-hearted,(AH)
you who are now far from my righteousness.(AI)
13 I am bringing my righteousness(AJ) near,
it is not far away;
and my salvation(AK) will not be delayed.
I will grant salvation to Zion,(AL)
my splendor(AM) to Israel.
The Fall of Babylon
47 “Go down, sit in the dust,(AN)
Virgin Daughter(AO) Babylon;
sit on the ground without a throne,
queen city of the Babylonians.[b](AP)
No more will you be called
tender or delicate.(AQ)
2 Take millstones(AR) and grind(AS) flour;
take off your veil.(AT)
Lift up your skirts,(AU) bare your legs,
and wade through the streams.
3 Your nakedness(AV) will be exposed
and your shame(AW) uncovered.
I will take vengeance;(AX)
I will spare no one.(AY)”
5 “Sit in silence,(BD) go into darkness,(BE)
queen city of the Babylonians;(BF)
no more will you be called
queen(BG) of kingdoms.(BH)
6 I was angry(BI) with my people
and desecrated my inheritance;(BJ)
I gave them into your hand,(BK)
and you showed them no mercy.(BL)
Even on the aged
you laid a very heavy yoke.
7 You said, ‘I am forever(BM)—
the eternal queen!’(BN)
But you did not consider these things
or reflect(BO) on what might happen.(BP)
8 “Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure,
lounging in your security(BQ)
and saying to yourself,
‘I am, and there is none besides me.(BR)
I will never be a widow(BS)
or suffer the loss of children.’
9 Both of these will overtake you
in a moment,(BT) on a single day:
loss of children(BU) and widowhood.(BV)
They will come upon you in full measure,
in spite of your many sorceries(BW)
and all your potent spells.(BX)
10 You have trusted(BY) in your wickedness
and have said, ‘No one sees me.’(BZ)
Your wisdom(CA) and knowledge mislead(CB) you
when you say to yourself,
‘I am, and there is none besides me.’
11 Disaster(CC) will come upon you,
and you will not know how to conjure it away.
A calamity will fall upon you
that you cannot ward off with a ransom;
a catastrophe you cannot foresee
will suddenly(CD) come upon you.
12 “Keep on, then, with your magic spells
and with your many sorceries,(CE)
which you have labored at since childhood.
Perhaps you will succeed,
perhaps you will cause terror.
13 All the counsel you have received has only worn you out!(CF)
Let your astrologers(CG) come forward,
those stargazers who make predictions month by month,
let them save(CH) you from what is coming upon you.
14 Surely they are like stubble;(CI)
the fire(CJ) will burn them up.
They cannot even save themselves
from the power of the flame.(CK)
These are not coals for warmth;
this is not a fire to sit by.
15 That is all they are to you—
these you have dealt with
and labored(CL) with since childhood.
All of them go on in their error;
there is not one that can save(CM) you.
Stubborn Israel
48 “Listen to this, you descendants of Jacob,
you who are called by the name of Israel(CN)
and come from the line of Judah,(CO)
you who take oaths(CP) in the name of the Lord(CQ)
and invoke(CR) the God of Israel—
but not in truth(CS) or righteousness—
2 you who call yourselves citizens of the holy city(CT)
and claim to rely(CU) on the God of Israel—
the Lord Almighty is his name:(CV)
3 I foretold the former things(CW) long ago,
my mouth announced(CX) them and I made them known;
then suddenly(CY) I acted, and they came to pass.
4 For I knew how stubborn(CZ) you were;
your neck muscles(DA) were iron,
your forehead(DB) was bronze.
5 Therefore I told you these things long ago;
before they happened I announced(DC) them to you
so that you could not say,
‘My images brought them about;(DD)
my wooden image and metal god ordained them.’
6 You have heard these things; look at them all.
Will you not admit them?
“From now on I will tell you of new things,(DE)
of hidden things unknown to you.
7 They are created(DF) now, and not long ago;(DG)
you have not heard of them before today.
So you cannot say,
‘Yes, I knew(DH) of them.’
8 You have neither heard nor understood;(DI)
from of old your ears(DJ) have not been open.
Well do I know how treacherous(DK) you are;
you were called a rebel(DL) from birth.
9 For my own name’s sake(DM) I delay my wrath;(DN)
for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you,
so as not to destroy you completely.(DO)
10 See, I have refined(DP) you, though not as silver;
I have tested(DQ) you in the furnace(DR) of affliction.
11 For my own sake,(DS) for my own sake, I do this.
How can I let myself be defamed?(DT)
I will not yield my glory to another.(DU)
Israel Freed
12 “Listen(DV) to me, Jacob,
Israel, whom I have called:(DW)
I am he;(DX)
I am the first and I am the last.(DY)
13 My own hand laid the foundations of the earth,(DZ)
and my right hand spread out the heavens;(EA)
when I summon them,
they all stand up together.(EB)
14 “Come together,(EC) all of you, and listen:
Which of the idols has foretold(ED) these things?
The Lord’s chosen ally(EE)
will carry out his purpose(EF) against Babylon;(EG)
his arm will be against the Babylonians.[c]
15 I, even I, have spoken;
yes, I have called(EH) him.
I will bring him,
and he will succeed(EI) in his mission.
16 “Come near(EJ) me and listen(EK) to this:
“From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret;(EL)
at the time it happens, I am there.”
17 This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer,(EP) the Holy One(EQ) of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches(ER) you what is best for you,
who directs(ES) you in the way(ET) you should go.
18 If only you had paid attention(EU) to my commands,
your peace(EV) would have been like a river,(EW)
your well-being(EX) like the waves of the sea.
19 Your descendants(EY) would have been like the sand,(EZ)
your children like its numberless grains;(FA)
their name would never be blotted out(FB)
nor destroyed from before me.”
20 Leave Babylon,
flee(FC) from the Babylonians!
Announce this with shouts of joy(FD)
and proclaim it.
Send it out to the ends of the earth;(FE)
say, “The Lord has redeemed(FF) his servant Jacob.”
21 They did not thirst(FG) when he led them through the deserts;
he made water flow(FH) for them from the rock;
he split the rock
and water gushed out.(FI)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 46:1 Or are but beasts and cattle
- Isaiah 47:1 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 5
- Isaiah 48:14 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 20
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.