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Isaiah 48 (Yesha’yahu) in Hebrew and English

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Tenakh Study · Isaiah 48:1–22

Isaiah, Chapter 48

ישעיהו מח

Hashem rebukes the house of Ya’akov, who swear by His name but not in truth: He declared the former things beforehand lest they credit their idols, refines them in the furnace of affliction for His own name’s sake, and calls them to go forth from Bavel, for He has redeemed His servant Ya’akov.

48:1Hear you this, O house of Ya’akov (Jacob), which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Yehudah (Judah), which swear by the name of Hashem, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness.

אשִׁמְעוּ־זֹ֣את בֵּֽית־יַעֲקֹ֗ב הַנִּקְרָאִים֙ בְּשֵׁ֣ם יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וּמִמֵּ֥י יְהוּדָ֖ה יָצָ֑אוּ הַֽנִּשְׁבָּעִ֣ים ׀ בְּשֵׁ֣ם יְהוָ֗ה וּבֵאלֹהֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ יַזְכִּ֔ירוּ לֹ֥א בֶאֱמֶ֖ת וְלֹ֥א בִצְדָקָֽה׃

48:2For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; Hashem of hosts is His name.

בכִּֽי־מֵעִ֤יר הַקֹּ֨דֶשׁ֙ נִקְרָ֔אוּ וְעַל־אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל נִסְמָ֑כוּ יְהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת שְׁמֽוֹ׃

The former things declared

48:3I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of My mouth, and I showed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass.

גהָרִֽאשֹׁנוֹת֙ מֵאָ֣ז הִגַּ֔דְתִּי וּמִפִּ֥י יָצְא֖וּ וְאַשְׁמִיעֵ֑ם פִּתְאֹ֥ם עָשִׂ֖יתִי וַתָּבֹֽאנָה׃

48:4Because I knew that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew, and your brow bronze;

דמִדַּעְתִּ֕י כִּ֥י קָשֶׁ֖ה אָ֑תָּה וְגִ֤יד בַּרְזֶל֙ עָרְפֶּ֔ךָ וּמִצְחֲךָ֖ נְחוּשָֽׁה׃

48:5I have even from the beginning declared it to you; before it came to pass I showed it you: lest you should say, “My idol has done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, has commanded them.”

הוָאַגִּ֤יד לְךָ֙ מֵאָ֔ז בְּטֶ֥רֶם תָּב֖וֹא הִשְׁמַעְתִּ֑יךָ פֶּן־תֹּאמַר֙ עָצְבִּ֣י עָשָׂ֔ם וּפִסְלִ֥י וְנִסְכִּ֖י צִוָּֽם׃

48:6You have heard, see all this; and will not you declare it? I have shown you new things from this time, even hidden things, and you did not know them.

ושָׁמַ֤עְתָּֽ חֲזֵה֙ כֻּלָּ֔הּ וְאַתֶּ֖ם הֲל֣וֹא תַגִּ֑ידוּ הִשְׁמַעְתִּ֤יךָ חֲדָשׁוֹת֙ מֵעַ֔תָּה וּנְצֻר֖וֹת וְלֹ֥א יְדַעְתָּֽם׃

48:7They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when you heard them not; lest you should say, “Behold, I knew them.”

זעַתָּ֤ה נִבְרְאוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א מֵאָ֔ז וְלִפְנֵי־י֖וֹם וְלֹ֣א שְׁמַעְתָּ֑ם פֶּן־תֹּאמַ֖ר הִנֵּ֥ה יְדַעְתִּֽין׃

48:8Yea, you heard not; yea, you knew not; yea, from that time that your ear was not opened: for I knew that you would deal very treacherously, and were called a transgressor from the womb.

חגַּ֣ם לֹֽא־שָׁמַ֗עְתָּ גַּ֚ם לֹ֣א יָדַ֔עְתָּ גַּ֕ם מֵאָ֖ז לֹא־פִתְּחָ֣ה אָזְנֶ֑ךָ כִּ֤י יָדַ֨עְתִּי֙ בָּג֣וֹד תִּבְגּ֔וֹד וּפֹשֵׁ֥עַ מִבֶּ֖טֶן קֹ֥רָא לָֽךְ׃

For My name’s sake

48:9For My name’s sake will I defer My anger, and for My praise will I refrain for you, that I cut you not off.

טלְמַ֤עַן שְׁמִי֙ אַאֲרִ֣יךְ אַפִּ֔י וּתְהִלָּתִ֖י אֶחֱטָם־לָ֑ךְ לְבִלְתִּ֖י הַכְרִיתֶֽךָ׃

48:10Behold, I have refined you, but not with silver; I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction.

יהִנֵּ֥ה צְרַפְתִּ֖יךָ וְלֹ֣א בְכָ֑סֶף בְּחַרְתִּ֖יךָ בְּכ֥וּר עֹֽנִי׃

48:11For My own sake, even for My own sake, will I do it: for how should My name be polluted? and I will not give My glory unto another.

יאלְמַעֲנִ֧י לְמַעֲנִ֛י אֶעֱשֶׂ֖ה כִּ֣י אֵ֣יךְ יֵחָ֑ל וּכְבוֹדִ֖י לְאַחֵ֥ר לֹֽא־אֶתֵּֽן׃

I am the first and the last

48:12Hearken unto Me, O Ya’akov and Israel, My called; I am He; I am the first, I also am the last.

יבשְׁמַ֤ע אֵלַי֙ יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מְקֹרָאִ֑י אֲנִי־הוּא֙ אֲנִ֣י רִאשׁ֔וֹן אַ֖ף אֲנִ֥י אַחֲרֽוֹן׃

48:13My hand also has laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand has spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.

יגאַף־יָדִי֙ יָ֣סְדָה אֶ֔רֶץ וִֽימִינִ֖י טִפְּחָ֣ה שָׁמָ֑יִם קֹרֵ֥א אֲנִ֛י אֲלֵיהֶ֖ם יַעַמְד֥וּ יַחְדָּֽו׃

48:14All you, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them has declared these things? Hashem has loved him: he will do his pleasure on Bavel (Babylon), and his arm shall be on the Kasdim (Chaldeans).

ידהִקָּבְצ֤וּ כֻלְּכֶם֙ וּֽשֲׁמָ֔עוּ מִ֥י בָהֶ֖ם הִגִּ֣יד אֶת־אֵ֑לֶּה יְהוָ֣ה אֲהֵב֔וֹ יַעֲשֶׂ֤ה חֶפְצוֹ֙ בְּבָבֶ֔ל וּזְרֹע֖וֹ כַּשְׂדִּֽים׃

48:15I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.

טואֲנִ֥י אֲנִ֛י דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי אַף־קְרָאתִ֑יו הֲבִיאֹתִ֖יו וְהִצְלִ֥יחַ דַּרְכּֽוֹ׃

48:16Come you near unto Me, hear you this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord Hashem, and His Spirit, has sent me.

טזקִרְב֧וּ אֵלַ֣י שִׁמְעוּ־זֹ֗את לֹ֤א מֵרֹאשׁ֙ בַּסֵּ֣תֶר דִּבַּ֔רְתִּי מֵעֵ֥ת הֱיוֹתָ֖הּ שָׁ֣ם אָ֑נִי וְעַתָּ֗ה אֲדֹנָ֧י יְהוִ֛ה שְׁלָחַ֖נִי וְרוּחֽוֹ׃

O that you had hearkened

48:17Thus says Hashem, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; “I am Hashem your God which teaches you to profit, which leads you by the way that you should go.

יזכֹּֽה־אָמַ֧ר יְהוָ֛ה גֹּאַלְךָ֖ קְד֣וֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֲנִ֨י יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֨יךָ֙ מְלַמֶּדְךָ֣ לְהוֹעִ֔יל מַדְרִֽיכֲךָ֖ בְּדֶ֥רֶךְ תֵּלֵֽךְ׃

48:18O that you had hearkened to My commandments! then had your peace been as a river, and your righteousness as the waves of the sea:

יחל֥וּא הִקְשַׁ֖בְתָּ לְמִצְוֺתָ֑י וַיְהִ֤י כַנָּהָר֙ שְׁלוֹמֶ֔ךָ וְצִדְקָתְךָ֖ כְּגַלֵּ֥י הַיָּֽם׃

48:19Your seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of your bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before Me.”

יטוַיְהִ֤י כַחוֹל֙ זַרְעֶ֔ךָ וְצֶאֱצָאֵ֥י מֵעֶ֖יךָ כִּמְעֹתָ֑יו לֹֽא־יִכָּרֵ֧ת וְֽלֹא־יִשָּׁמֵ֛ד שְׁמ֖וֹ מִלְּפָנָֽי׃

Go forth from Bavel

48:20Go you forth of Bavel, flee you from the Kasdim, with a voice of singing declare you, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say you, “Hashem has redeemed His servant Ya’akov.”

כצְא֣וּ מִבָּבֶל֮ בִּרְח֣וּ מִכַּשְׂדִּים֒ בְּק֣וֹל רִנָּ֗ה הַגִּ֤ידוּ הַשְׁמִ֨יעוּ֙ זֹ֔את הוֹצִיא֖וּהָ עַד־קְצֵ֣ה הָאָ֑רֶץ אִמְר֕וּ גָּאַ֥ל יְהוָ֖ה עַבְדּ֥וֹ יַעֲקֹֽב׃

48:21And they thirsted not when He led them through the deserts: He caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: He clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.

כאוְלֹ֣א צָמְא֗וּ בָּחֳרָבוֹת֙ הֽוֹלִיכָ֔ם מַ֥יִם מִצּ֖וּר הִזִּ֣יל לָ֑מוֹ וַיִּ֨בְקַע־צ֔וּר וַיָּזֻ֖בוּ מָֽיִם׃

48:22There is no peace, says Hashem, unto the wicked.

כבאֵ֣ין שָׁל֔וֹם אָמַ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה לָרְשָׁעִֽים׃

Sources & method

Hebrew text
The Masoretic text with vowels (nikkud) and cantillation marks (ta’amim), from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain) as published by the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (CC BY 4.0). Where the written text (ketiv) differs from the reading (qere), the reading is shown and the written form follows in small type. A paragraph mark (ס or פ) inside a verse is shown in small type.
English translation
The King James Version (public domain), lightly modernized by Benei Avraham: “thee/thou/ye” become “you,” older verb forms are updated (“hath” to “has”), and archaic words are replaced only where the meaning would otherwise be unclear. People and places carry their Hebrew names, with the King James spelling in parentheses the first time on each page (e.g., Yehudah (Judah)). The Divine Name (יהוה, “the LORD” in the KJV) is written “Hashem”; “God” (Elohim) is unchanged, and “law” is “Torah” where the Hebrew is תּוֹרָה.
Verse numbers
Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible. In Isaiah they differ from most English Bibles in chapters 8–9 (9:1 there is 8:23 here) and 63–64 (64:1 there is the end of 63:19 here); a note under the summary on those pages explains how.
Hebrew font
SBL Hebrew, by the Society of Biblical Literature.