Read the Bible

¹ People of Israel,
you come from Jacob's family
    and the tribe^[a] of Judah.
You claim to worship me,
the Lord God of Israel,
    but you are lying.
² You call Jerusalem your home
    and say you depend on me,
the Lord All-Powerful,
    the God of Israel.

³ Long ago I announced
    what was going to be,
then without warning,
    I made it happen.
⁴ I knew you were stubborn
    and hardheaded.
⁵ And I told you these things,
so that when they happened
    you would not say,
"The idols we worship did this."

⁶ You heard what I said,
and you have seen it happen.
    Now admit that it's true!
I will show you secrets
    you have never known.
⁷ Today I am doing something new,
something you cannot say
    you have heard before.
⁸ You have never been willing
    to listen to what I say;
from the moment of your birth,
    I knew you would rebel.

⁹ I, the Lord, am true to myself;
I will be praised
for not punishing
    and destroying you.
¹⁰ I tested you in hard times
just as silver is refined
    in a heated furnace.^[b]
11 I did this because of who I am.
I refuse to be dishonored^[c]
    or share my praise
    with any other god.

¹² Israel, my chosen people,
    listen to me.
I alone am the Lord,
    the first and the last.
¹³ With my own hand
I created the earth
    and stretched out the sky.
They obey my every command.

¹⁴ Gather around me, all of you!
    Listen to what I say.
Did any of your idols
    predict this would happen?
Did they say that my friend^[d]
would do
what I want done
    to Babylonia?^[e]
15 I was the one who chose him.
I have brought him this far,
    and he will be successful.
¹⁶ Come closer and listen!
I have never kept secret
    the things I have said,
and I was here
    before time began.

By the power of his Spirit
the Lord God has sent me
¹⁷     with this message:
People of Israel,
I am the holy Lord God,
    the one who rescues you.
For your own good,
I teach you,
and I lead you
    along the right path.
¹⁸ How I wish that you
    had obeyed my commands!
Your success and good fortune
would then have overflowed
    like a flooding river.
¹⁹ Your nation would be blessed
    with more people
than there are grains of sand
    along the seashore.
And I would never have let
    your country be destroyed.

²⁰ Now leave Babylon!
    Celebrate as you go.
Be happy and shout
    for everyone to hear,
"The Lord has rescued
    his servant Israel!
²¹ He led us through the desert
and made water flow from a rock
    to satisfy our thirst.
²² But the Lord has promised
that none who are evil
    will live in peace."