Isaiah 48:9-15

48:9 For the sake of my reputation ¹  I hold back my anger;

for the sake of my prestige ²  I restrain myself from destroying you. ³ 

48:10 Look, I have refined you, but not as silver;

I have purified you ⁴  in the furnace of misery.

48:11 For my sake alone ⁵  I will act,

for how can I allow my name to be defiled? ⁶ 

I will not share my glory with anyone else! ⁷ 

48:12 Listen to me, O Jacob,

Israel, whom I summoned!

I am the one;

I am present at the very beginning

and at the very end. ⁸ 

48:13 Yes, my hand founded the earth;

my right hand spread out the sky.

I summon them;

they stand together.

48:14 All of you, gather together and listen!

Who among them ⁹  announced these things?

The Lord’s ally ¹⁰  will carry out his desire against Babylon;

he will exert his power against the Babylonians. ¹¹ 

48:15 I, I have spoken –

yes, I have summoned him;

I lead him and he will succeed. ¹² 

[48:9]  ¹ tn Heb “for the sake of my name” (so NAB, NASB); NLT “for my own sake.”

[48:9]  ² tn Heb “and my praise.” לְמַעַן (lÿma’an, “for the sake of”) is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[48:9]  ³ tn Heb “I restrain [myself] concerning you not to cut you off.”

[48:10]  ⁴ tc The Hebrew text has בְּחַרְתִּיךָ (bÿkhartikha, “I have chosen you”), but the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a reads correctly בחנתיכה (“I have tested you”). The metallurgical background of the imagery suggests that purification through testing is the idea.

[48:11]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew text repeats לְמַעֲנִי (lÿma’ani, “for my sake”) for emphasis.

[48:11]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “for how can it be defiled?” The subject of the verb is probably “name” (v. 9).

[48:11]  ⁹ sn See 42:8.

[48:12]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “I [am] he, I [am the] first, also I [am the] last.”

[48:14]  ¹³ sn This probably refers to the idol gods (see v. 5).

[48:14]  ¹⁴ tn Or “friend,” or “covenant partner.”

[48:14]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and his arm [against] the Babylonians.”

[48:15]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and his way will be prosperous.”