The God Who Forgets

¹⁴Thus says the Lord,

your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:

e“For your sake I send to Babylon

and fbring them all down as fugitives,

geven the Chaldeans, in the ships in which they rejoice.

¹⁵I am the Lord, your Holy One,

the Creator of Israel, your King.”

¹⁶Thus says the Lord,

hwho makes a way in the sea,

a path in the mighty waters,

¹⁷who ibrings forth chariot and horse,

army and warrior;

they lie down, they cannot rise,

jthey are extinguished, kquenched like a wick:

¹⁸l“Remember not the former things,

nor consider the things of old.

¹⁹mBehold, I am doing a new thing;

now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

nI will make a way in the wilderness

oand rivers in the desert.

²⁰The wild beasts will honor me,

pthe jackals and the ostriches,

qfor I give water in the wilderness,

rivers in the desert,

to give drink to my chosen people,

²¹the people whom I formed for myself

rthat they might declare my praise.

²²“Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob;

but syou have been weary of me, O Israel!

²³tYou have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings,

or honored me with your sacrifices.

I have not burdened you with offerings,

sor wearied you with frankincense.

²⁴You have not bought me sweet cane with money,

or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices.

But you have burdened me with your sins;

you have wearied me with your iniquities.

²⁵“I, I am he

uwho blots out vyour transgressions for my own sake,

and I will not remember your sins.

²⁶Put me in remembrance; wlet us argue together;

set forth your case, that you may be proved right.

²⁷xYour first father sinned,

and yyour mediators transgressed against me.

²⁸Therefore zI will profane the princes of the sanctuary,

and adeliver Jacob to utter destruction

and Israel to reviling.