The Lord Confronts His People
Listen closely, house of Jacob—you who go by the name Israel, who came from Judah’s line, who invoke the Lord’s name and claim the God of Israel as yours. But you don’t mean it. Your words ring hollow. You call yourselves citizens of the Holy City, but you don’t lean on the God of Israel—the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. That’s his name.
I told you what would happen long ago. The words left my mouth, I showed you, and then suddenly I made it real. I did it because I knew how stubborn you are—your neck like iron, your forehead like bronze. So I declared these things to you from the beginning. I showed them to you before they happened, so you couldn’t say, “My idol did this,” or “My carved god made it happen.”
You’ve seen it all. You’ve heard it all. Won’t you admit it? Now I’m showing you new things—hidden things you never knew. These things are being created now, not back at the beginning. Before today you’d never heard of them. That way you can’t say, “Oh, I knew that already.” You didn’t hear. You didn’t know. Your ears were sealed shut. I knew you’d be faithless—a rebel from birth.
But for my own name’s sake, I’ll hold back my anger. For my honor, I’ll restrain myself from destroying you. I’ve refined you—chosen you in the furnace of hard times. For my own sake—yes, for my own sake—I’ll do this. I won’t let my name be dragged through the dirt. I won’t hand my glory to anyone else.
The Lord Declares His Power
Listen to me, Jacob. Listen, Israel, whom I’ve called. I am the one. I am the first, and I am the last. My hand laid the earth’s foundation. My right hand stretched out the heavens. When I call to them, they stand at attention.
All of you, gather and listen. Which of your idols ever told you these things? The Lord has chosen someone he loves. That person will carry out his word and accomplish his purpose against Babylon. His power will come down on the Chaldeans. The Lord says: I have spoken. I have called him and brought him here. He’ll succeed in what I send him to do.
Come close to me. I’ve never spoken in secret from the start. From the moment it was declared, I’ve been speaking. The Lord God and his Spirit have sent me.
What Could Have Been
This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God. I teach you what’s good for you. I guide you along the path you should walk.
If only you had listened to my commands! Your peace would have flowed like a river. Your righteousness would have rolled in like ocean waves. Your children would have been as countless as grains of sand. Your family line would have spread like pebbles on a beach. Your name would never have been wiped out or forgotten.
Escape from Babylon
Get out of Babylon! Run from the Chaldeans! Shout it out with joy—declare it, spread the news to the ends of the earth: “The Lord has rescued his servant Jacob!” They didn’t go thirsty when he led them through the desert. He made water flow from the rock for them. He split the rock open, and water gushed out.
Yet even after all this—and so much more—the Lord says: “There is no peace for the wicked.”