I am the Lord, and there is no other;(A)
    apart from me there is no God.(B)
I will strengthen you,(C)
    though you have not acknowledged me,
so that from the rising of the sun
    to the place of its setting(D)
people may know(E) there is none besides me.(F)
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.
I form the light and create darkness,(G)
    I bring prosperity and create disaster;(H)
    I, the Lord, do all these things.

“You heavens above, rain(I) down my righteousness;(J)
    let the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth open wide,
    let salvation(K) spring up,
let righteousness flourish with it;
    I, the Lord, have created it.

“Woe to those who quarrel(L) with their Maker,(M)
    those who are nothing but potsherds(N)
    among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,(O)
    ‘What are you making?’(P)
Does your work say,
    ‘The potter has no hands’?(Q)
10 Woe to the one who says to a father,
    ‘What have you begotten?’
or to a mother,
    ‘What have you brought to birth?’

11 “This is what the Lord says—
    the Holy One(R) of Israel, and its Maker:(S)
Concerning things to come,
    do you question me about my children,
    or give me orders about the work of my hands?(T)
12 It is I who made the earth(U)
    and created mankind on it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens;(V)
    I marshaled their starry hosts.(W)

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I am the Lord, and (A)there is no one else;
(B)There is no God except Me.
I will (C)[a]arm you, though you have not known Me,
So that (D)people may know from the rising to the setting of the sun
That there is (E)no one besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no one else,
The One (F)forming light and (G)creating darkness,
Causing [b]well-being and (H)creating disaster;
I am the Lord who does all these things.

God’s Supreme Power

(I)Drip down, heavens, from above,
And let the clouds pour down righteousness;
Let the (J)earth open up and salvation bear fruit,
(K)And righteousness sprout with it.
I, the Lord, have created it.

“Woe to the one who (L)quarrels with [c]his Maker—
A piece of pottery [d]among the other earthenware pottery pieces!
Will the (M)clay say to the [e]potter, ‘What are you doing?’
Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’?
10 Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you fathering?’
Or to a woman, ‘To what are you [f]giving birth?’”

11 This is what the (N)Lord says, the Holy One of Israel and [g]his (O)Maker:

[h](P)Ask Me about the things to come [i]concerning My (Q)sons,
And you shall commit to Me (R)the work of My hands.
12 It is I who (S)made the earth, and created mankind upon it.
I (T)stretched out the heavens with My hands,
And I [j]ordained (U)all their [k]lights.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 45:5 Or embrace
  2. Isaiah 45:7 Or peace
  3. Isaiah 45:9 Lit He who formed him
  4. Isaiah 45:9 Lit with
  5. Isaiah 45:9 Lit he who formed him
  6. Isaiah 45:10 Lit in labor pains with
  7. Isaiah 45:11 Lit He who formed him
  8. Isaiah 45:11 Or Will you ask
  9. Isaiah 45:11 Or upon
  10. Isaiah 45:12 Or commanded
  11. Isaiah 45:12 Lit host; i.e., sun, stars, etc.


“I am the Lord, and there is no one else;
There is no God except Me.
I will embrace and arm you, though you have not known Me,

That people may know from the rising to the setting of the sun [the world over]
That there is no one except Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other,

The One forming light and creating darkness,
Causing peace and creating disaster;
I am the Lord who does all these things.

God’s Supreme Power


“Rain down, O heavens, from above,
Let the clouds pour down righteousness [all the blessings of God];
Let the earth open up, let salvation bear fruit,
And righteousness spring up with it;
I, the Lord, have created it.


“Woe (judgment is coming) to him who quarrels with his Maker—
A [worthless] piece of broken pottery among other broken pieces [equally worthless]!
Shall the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’
Or does the thing say, ‘He has no hands’?(A)
10 
“Woe (judgment is coming) to him who says to a father, ‘What are you fathering?’
Or to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?’”

11 For the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker says this,

“Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons,
And give Me orders concerning the work of My hands.
12 
“I made the earth and created man upon it.
My hands, stretched out the heavens,
And I commanded all their host.

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I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:

That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else.

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.

Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the Lord have created it.

Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?

10 Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth?

11 Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.

12 I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.

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Only I am the Lord!
    There are no other gods.
I have made you strong,
    though you don't know me.
Now everyone from east to west
will learn that I am the Lord.
    No other gods are real.
I create light and darkness,
happiness and sorrow.
    I, the Lord, do all this.

Tell the heavens
to send down justice
    like showers of rain.
Prepare the earth
    for my saving power
to sprout and produce justice
    that I, the Lord, create.[a]

The Lord's Mighty Power

The Lord said:

(A) Israel, you have no right
    to argue with your Creator.
You are merely a clay pot
    shaped by a potter.
The clay doesn't ask,
“Why did you make me this way?
    Where are the handles?”
10 Children don't have the right
    to demand of their parents,
“What have you done
    to make us what we are?”

11 I am the Lord, the Creator,
    the holy God of Israel.
Do you dare question me
about my own nation
    or about what I have done?
12 I created the world
    and covered it with people;
I stretched out the sky
    and filled it with stars.

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Footnotes

  1. 45.8 Prepare … create: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.