171 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
171 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
God's Stubborn People
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# Chapter 48
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1. "Listen to me, O family of Jacob,
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you who are called by the name of Israel
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and born into the family of Judah.
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Listen, you who take oaths in the name of the LORD
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and call on the God of Israel.
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You don't keep your promises,
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2. even though you call yourself the holy city
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and talk about depending on the God of Israel,
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whose name is the LORD of Heaven's Armies.
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3. Long ago I told you what was going to happen.
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Then suddenly I took action,
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and all my predictions came true.
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4. For I know how stubborn and obstinate you are.
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Your necks are as unbending as iron.
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Your heads are as hard as bronze.
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5. That is why I told you what would happen;
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I told you beforehand what I was going to do.
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Then you could never say, 'My idols did it.
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My wooden image and metal god commanded it to happen!'
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6. You have heard my predictions and seen them fulfilled,
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but you refuse to admit it.
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Now I will tell you new things,
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secrets you have not yet heard.
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7. They are brand new, not things from the past.
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So you cannot say, 'We knew that all the time!'
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8. "Yes, I will tell you of things that are entirely new,
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things you never heard of before.
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For I know so well what traitors you are.
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You have been rebels from birth.
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9. Yet for my own sake and for the honor of my name,
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I will hold back my anger and not wipe you out.
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10. I have refined you, but not as silver is refined.
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Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.
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11. I will rescue you for my sake--
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yes, for my own sake!
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I will not let my reputation be tarnished,
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and I will not share my glory with idols!
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Freedom from Babylon
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12. "Listen to me, O family of Jacob,
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Israel my chosen one!
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I alone am God,
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the First and the Last.
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13. It was my hand that laid the foundations of the earth,
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my right hand that spread out the heavens above.
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When I call out the stars,
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they all appear in order."
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14. Have any of your idols ever told you this?
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Come, all of you, and listen:
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The LORD has chosen Cyrus as his ally.
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He will use him to put an end to the empire of Babylon
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and to destroy the Babylonian armies.
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15. "I have said it: I am calling Cyrus!
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I will send him on this errand and will help him succeed.
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16. Come closer, and listen to this.
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From the beginning I have told you plainly what would happen."
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And now the Sovereign LORD and his Spirit
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have sent me with this message.
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17. This is what the LORD says--
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your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
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"I am the LORD your God,
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who teaches you what is good for you
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and leads you along the paths you should follow.
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18. Oh, that you had listened to my commands!
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Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river
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and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea.
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19. Your descendants would have been like the sands along the seashore--
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too many to count!
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There would have been no need for your destruction,
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or for cutting off your family name."
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20. Yet even now, be free from your captivity!
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Leave Babylon and the Babylonians.
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Sing out this message!
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Shout it to the ends of the earth!
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The LORD has redeemed his servants,
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the people of Israel.
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21. They were not thirsty
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when he led them through the desert.
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He divided the rock,
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and water gushed out for them to drink.
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22. "But there is no peace for the wicked,"
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says the LORD.
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