Isaiah 44:24-45:13

New American Standard Bible

²⁴This is what the Lord says, He who is your ^(A)Redeemer, and the one who ^(B)formed you from the womb:

“I, the Lord, am the maker of all things,
^(C)Stretching out the heavens by Myself
And spreading out the earth ^[a]alone,
²⁵^(D)Causing the ^[b]omens of diviners to fail,
^[c]Making fools of fortune-tellers;
^(E)Causing wise men to turn back
And ^[d]making their knowledge ridiculous,
²⁶^(F)Confirming the word of His servant
And ^[e]carrying out the purpose of His messengers.
It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’
And of the ^(G)cities of Judah, ‘^(H)They shall be built.’
And I will raise her ruins again.
²⁷I am the One who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Dry up!’
And I will make your rivers ^(I)dry up.
²⁸It is I who says of ^(J)Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,
And he will carry out all My desire.’
And ^[f]he says of Jerusalem, ‘^(K)She will be built,’
And of the temple, ‘^[g]Your foundation will be laid.’”

God Uses Cyrus

45 This is what the Lord says to ^(L)Cyrus His anointed,
Whom I have taken by the right ^(M)hand,
To ^(N)subdue nations before him
And ^[h]to ^(O)undo the weapons belt on the waist of kings;
To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:
²“I will go before you and ^(P)make the ^[i]rough places smooth;
I will ^(Q)shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron ^(R)bars.
³I will give you the ^[j]^(S)treasures of darkness
And hidden wealth of secret places,
So that you may know that it is I,
The Lord, the God of Israel, who ^(T)calls you by your name.
⁴For the sake of ^(U)Jacob My servant,
And Israel My chosen one,
I have also ^(V)called you by your name;
I have given you a title of honor
Though you have ^(W)not known Me.
⁵I am the Lord, and ^(X)there is no one else;
^(Y)There is no God except Me.
I will ^(Z)^[k]arm you, though you have not known Me,
⁶So that ^(AA)people may know from the rising to the setting of the sun
That there is ^(AB)no one besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no one else,
⁷The One ^(AC)forming light and ^(AD)creating darkness,
Causing ^[l]well-being and ^(AE)creating disaster;
I am the Lord who does all these things.

God’s Supreme Power

⁸“^(AF)Drip down, heavens, from above,
And let the clouds pour down righteousness;
Let the ^(AG)earth open up and salvation bear fruit,
^(AH)And righteousness sprout with it.
I, the Lord, have created it.

⁹“Woe to the one who ^(AI)quarrels with ^[m]his Maker—
A piece of pottery ^[n]among the other earthenware pottery pieces!
Will the ^(AJ)clay say to the ^[o]potter, ‘What are you doing?’
Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’?
¹⁰Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you fathering?’
Or to a woman, ‘To what are you ^[p]giving birth?’”

¹¹This is what the ^(AK)Lord says, the Holy One of Israel and ^[q]his ^(AL)Maker:

“^[r]^(AM)Ask Me about the things to come ^[s]concerning My ^(AN)sons,
And you shall commit to Me ^(AO)the work of My hands.
¹²It is I who ^(AP)made the earth, and created mankind upon it.
I ^(AQ)stretched out the heavens with My hands,
And I ^[t]ordained ^(AR)all their ^[u]lights.
¹³I have stirred him in ^(AS)righteousness,
And I will ^(AT)make all his ways smooth.
He will ^(AU)build My city and let My exiles go ^(AV)free,
Without any payment or reward,” says the Lord of armies.