Isaiah 48:1-11 - Yahweh Refines Stubborn Israel

¹ Listen to this, people of Israel, you that are descended from Judah. You swear by the name of Jehovah and claim to worship the God of Israel. However you do not mean a word you say. ² Yet you are proud to say that you are citizens of the holy city and that you depend on Israel's God, whose name is Jehovah of Hosts. ³ Jehovah says to Israel: Long ago I predicted what would take place. Then suddenly I made it happen. ⁴ I knew that you would prove to be stubborn. You were as rigid as iron and unyielding as copper. ⁵ I predicted your future long ago. I announced events before they took place, to keep you from claiming that your idols and images made them happen. ⁶ All I foretold has now taken place. You have to admit my predictions were right. Now I will tell you of new things to come, events that I did not reveal before. ⁷ They are created now, not in the past. You have not heard about them before today, so you cannot say that you already knew about them. ⁸ You have never heard about them. You have never known about them. Your ears have never been open to hear them before. I know that you have acted very treacherously and that you have been called a rebel since you were born. ⁹ For my name's sake I will be patient. For my glory's sake I will hold my anger back from you, and not destroy you. ¹⁰ I have been testing you for myself like silver. I have put you through the fire of trouble. ¹¹ I did it for myself and because of my name. I will not let my name be shamed (profaned). I will not give my glory to another.