Israel's Unfaithfulness Rebuked

481 " Hear this , O house of Jacob , who are named e Israel And who came forth from the loins of Judah , Who swear by the name of the Lord And invoke the God of Israel , But not in truth nor in righteousness . 2 "For they call themselves after the holy city And lean on the God of Israel ; The Lord of hosts is His name . 3 "I declared the former things long ago And they went forth from My mouth , and I proclaimed them. Suddenly I acted , and they came to pass . 4 "Because I know that you are obstinate , And your neck is an iron sinew And your forehead bronze , 5 Therefore I declared them to you long ago , Before they took place I proclaimed them to you, So that you would not say , 'My idol has done them, And my graven image and my molten image have commanded them.' 6 "You have heard ; look at all this. And you, will you not declare it? I proclaim to you new things from this time , Even 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 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 rebel from birth .

9 " For the sake of My name I 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 not as silver ; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction . 11 " For My own sake , for My own sake , I will act ; For how can My name be profaned ? And My glory I will not give to another . 12 "Listen to Me, O Jacob , even Israel whom I called ; I am He, I am the first , I am also the last . 13 "Surely My hand founded the earth , And My right hand spread out the heavens ; When I call to them, they stand together . 14 " Assemble , all of you, and listen ! Who among them has declared these things ? The Lord loves him; he will carry out His good pleasure on Babylon , And His arm will be against the Chaldeans . 15 "I, even I, have spoken ; indeed I have called him, I have brought him, and He will make his ways successful .

16 " Come near to Me, listen to this : From the first I have not spoken in secret , From the time it took place , I was there . And now the Lord GOD has sent Me, and His Spirit ." 17 Thus says the Lord , your Redeemer , the Holy One of Israel , "I am the Lord your God , who teaches you to profit , Who leads you in the way you should go . 18 "If only you had paid attention to My commandments ! Then your well-being would have been like a river , And your righteousness like the waves of the sea . 19 "Your descendants would have been like the sand , And your offspring e like its grains ; Their name would never be cut off or destroyed from My presence ." 20 Go forth from Babylon ! Flee from the Chaldeans ! Declare with the sound of joyful shouting , proclaim this , Send it out to the end of the earth ; Say , " The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob ." 21 They did not thirst when He led them through the deserts . He made the water flow out of the rock for them; He split the rock and the water gushed forth. 22 " There is no peace for the wicked ," says the Lord .