3. I foretold the former things long ago,my mouth announced them and I made them known;then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.
4. For I knew how stubborn you were;your neck muscles were iron,your forehead was bronze.
5. Therefore I told you these things long ago;before they happened I announced them to youso that you could not say,“My images brought them about;my wooden image and metal god ordained them.”
6. You have heard these things; look at them all.Will you not admit them?‘From now on I will tell you of new things,of hidden things unknown to you.
7. They are created now, and not long ago;you have not heard of them before today.So you cannot say,“Yes, I knew of them.”
8. You have neither heard nor understood;from of old your ears have not been open.Well do I know how treacherous you are;you were called a rebel from birth.
9. For my own name’s sake I delay my wrath;for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you,so as not to destroy you completely.
10. See, I have refined you, though not as silver;I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
11. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this.How can I let myself be defamed?I will not yield my glory to another.
12. ‘Listen to me, Jacob,Israel, whom I have called:I am he;I am the first and I am the last.
13. My own hand laid the foundations of the earth,and my right hand spread out the heavens;when I summon them,they all stand up together.
14. ‘Come together, all of you, and listen:which of the idols has foretold these things?The Lord’s chosen allywill carry out his purpose against Babylon;his arm will be against the Babylonians.
15. I, even I, have spoken;yes, I have called him.I will bring him,and he will succeed in his mission.