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Isaiah 45
New Catholic Bible
Isaiah 45
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 45
1 [a]Thus says the Lord to his anointed,
to Cyrus whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
and to remove the armor of kings,
opening doors before him
and leaving no gates barred:
2 I myself will advance before you
and level the mountains;
I will tear down bronze gates[b]
and cut through bars of iron.
3 I will give you treasures concealed in darkness
and riches hidden away in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel who calls you by your name.
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob
and of Israel my chosen one,
I have called you by your name,
and I have given you a title,
even though you do not know me.
5 I am the Lord and there is no other;
there is no god besides me.
I am the Lord who armed you
even though you did not know me,
6 so that it may be acknowledged from east to west
that there is no god besides me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
7 I form the light and create the darkness;
prosperity and disaster depend upon my will;
I, the Lord, do all these things.
8 Rain down righteousness, you heavens;
let the skies pour it down from above.
Let the earth open up
so that salvation may blossom forth,
and let justice also spring up;
I, the Lord, have created it.
9 Woe to anyone who rises up against his Maker,
or to the pot that is displeased with the potter.
Does the clay say to the one who molds it,
“What are you doing?
Your work makes no sense.”
10 Woe to anyone who asks a father,
“What are you begetting?”
or who says to a mother,
“To what have you given birth?”
11 Thus says the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel and its Maker:
How dare you question me about my children
or command me regarding the work of my hands?
12 I was the one who made the earth
and created mankind upon it.
It was my hands that stretched out the heavens
and commanded all their host.
13 I have raised this man for the triumph of justice,
and I will smooth all his paths.
He will rebuild my city
and set my exiles free
without price or ransom,
says the Lord of hosts.
14 Thus says the Lord:
The wealth of Egypt, the commerce of Ethiopia,
and the Sabeans, tall of stature,
will come over to you and belong to you;
they will follow you, wearing chains.
They will bow down before you
and pray to you, saying,
“God is with you alone, and there is no other;
there is no god aside from him.”[c]
15 Truly you are a God who is hidden,
O God of Israel, the Savior.
16 All the makers of idols are disgraced and humbled;
they perish in their shame.
17 But Israel is saved by the Lord,
a salvation that is everlasting.
You will never be put to shame or humiliated
forever and ever.
18 For thus says the Lord,
the Creator of the heavens,
he who is God,
the one who formed the earth and created it
and established it;
he did not create it to be a wasteland,
but a place to be lived in.
I am the Lord,
and there is no other.
19 I did not speak in secret,
in realms of darkness.
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,
“Search for me in an empty waste.”
I the Lord proclaim the truth;
I declare what is right.
20 Gather together and come forth;
assemble, all you survivors of the nations.
Bereft of knowledge are those
who parade with their wooden idols
and pray to gods who are unable to save them.
21 Come forward and present your case
once you have examined the evidence.
Who foretold this in ages past?
Who revealed it long ago?
Was it not I, the Lord?
There is no god aside from me,
I alone am the righteous God and Savior.
22 If you turn to me, you will be saved,
all you ends of the earth,
for I am God, and there is no other.
23 By myself I have sworn
that the word that issues forth from my mouth
is righteous and irrevocable.
To me every knee will bow,
every tongue will swear,
24 saying, “In the Lord alone
are righteousness and strength;
all those who formerly defied him
and vented their rage against him
will come before him in shame.
25 Then all the descendants of Israel
will be triumphant and glory in the Lord.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 45:1 Around 540 B.C., Cyrus’s victories perturbed many Israelites. In the eyes of the religious minority, among whom was the prophet, Cyrus was a messiah, that is, a man charged from on high with accomplishing the major deeds of God in his century. Our expectations of heaven are that justice would come and that “the just one,” that is, the final Messiah, Jesus Christ, would also come. This is how the Vulgate (Latin translation of the Bible) reads verse 8.
- Isaiah 45:2 Bronze gates: Babylon had a hundred of these.
- Isaiah 45:14 The prophet sees Egypt, and especially Ethiopia and Nubia, being conquered by the Persians; the prisoners taken captive pass through Palestine and acknowledge the true God.
Isaiah 45
Common English Bible
Isaiah 45
Common English Bible
Cyrus as God’s anointed
45 The Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whom I have grasped by the strong hand,
to conquer nations before him,
disarming kings,
and opening doors before him,
so no gates will be shut:
2 I myself will go before you,
and I will level mountains.
I will shatter bronze doors;
I will cut through iron bars.
3 I will give you hidden treasures of secret riches,
so you will know that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, who calls you by name.
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob and Israel my chosen,
I called you by name.
I gave you an honored title,
though you didn’t know me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;
besides me there is no God.
I strengthen you—
though you don’t know me—
6 so all will know, from the rising of the sun to its setting,
that there is nothing apart from me.
I am the Lord; there’s no other.
7 I form light and create darkness,
make prosperity and create doom;
I am the Lord, who does all these things.
8 Pour down, you heavens above,
and let the clouds flow with righteousness.
Let the earth open for salvation to bear fruit;
let righteousness sprout as well.
I, the Lord, have created these things.
Potter and clay
9 Doom to the one who argues with the potter,[a]
as if he were just another clay pot!
Does the clay say to the potter, “What are you making?”
or “Your work has no handles”?
10 Doom to one who says to a father,
“What have you fathered?”
and to a woman,
“With what are you in labor?”
11 The Lord, the holy one of Israel and its maker,[b] says:
Are you questioning me[c] about my own children?
Are you telling me what to do with the work of my hands?
12 I myself made the earth,
and created humans upon it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens.
I commanded all their forces.
13 I have a right to awaken Cyrus;
I will smooth all his paths.
He will build my city
and set my exiles free,
not for a price and not for a bribe,
says the Lord of heavenly forces.
14 The Lord says:
Egypt will grow weary, Cush will be sold,[d]
and the tall Sabeans will cross over to you.
They will be yours, and after you they will go.
In chains they will come;
to you they will bow down.
They will plead with you:
“Truly God is with you;
there’s no other, no other God.”
15 Surely you are a god who hides himself,
Israel’s God and savior.
Idols contrasted with God
16 They will all be shamed and disgraced;
the makers of idols will end up disgraced together.
17 Israel has been saved by the Lord of everlasting salvation.
You won’t be shamed,
and you won’t be disgraced forever and always.
18 For this is what the Lord said, who created the heavens,
who is God,
who formed the earth and made it,
who established it,
who didn’t create it a wasteland but formed it as a habitation:
I, the Lord, and none other!
19 I didn’t speak in secret
or in some land of darkness;
I didn’t say to the offspring of Jacob,
“Seek me in chaos.”
I am the Lord, the one who speaks truth,
who announces what is correct.
20 Gather and come,
draw near together,
fugitives of the nations!
Those who carry their wooden idols don’t know;
those who pray to a god who won’t save.
21 Announce! Approach! Confer together!
Who proclaimed this from the beginning, announced it from long ago?
Wasn’t it I, the Lord?
There’s no other God except me,
a righteous God and a savior;
there’s none besides me!
22 Turn to me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth,
for I am God, and there’s no other.
23 I have sworn a solemn pledge;
a word has left my mouth;
it is reliable and won’t fail.
Surely every knee will bow
and every tongue will confess;
24 they will say, “Righteousness and strength come only from the Lord.
All who are angry with him will come to shame.
25 All the Israelites
will be victorious and rejoice.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 45:9 Or maker
- Isaiah 45:11 Or potter
- Isaiah 45:11 Or about future things ask me
- Isaiah 45:14 Heb uncertain
Isaiah 45
Legacy Standard Bible
Isaiah 45
Legacy Standard Bible
Cyrus, Yahweh’s Anointed
45 Thus says Yahweh to (A)Cyrus His anointed,
Whom I have taken hold of by his right (B)hand,
To (C)subdue nations before him
And [a]to (D)loose the loins of kings,
To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:
2 “I will go before you and (E)make the [b]rough places smooth;
I will (F)shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron (G)bars.
3 I will give you the [c](H)treasures of darkness
And hidden wealth of secret places,
So that you may know that it is I,
Yahweh, the God of Israel, who (I)calls you by your name.
4 For the sake of (J)Jacob My servant,
And Israel My chosen one,
I have also (K)called you by your name;
I have given you a title of honor
Though you have (L)not known Me.
5 I am Yahweh, and (M)there is no other;
(N)Besides Me there is no God.
I will [d](O)gird you, though you have not known Me,
6 That (P)they may know from the rising to the setting of the sun
That there is (Q)no one besides Me.
I am Yahweh, and there is no other,
7 The One (R)forming light and (S)creating darkness,
Producing peace and (T)creating calamity;
I am Yahweh who does all these.
Yahweh the Maker
8 “(U)Drip down, O heavens, from above,
And let the skies pour down righteousness;
Let the (V)earth open up and salvation bear fruit,
(W)And righteousness [e]spring up with it.
I, Yahweh, have created it.
9 “Woe to the one who (X)contends with his [f]Maker—
An earthenware vessel [g]among the vessels of earth!
Will the (Y)clay say to the [h]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 begetting?’
Or to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor pains?’”
11 Thus says (Z)Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, and his [i](AA)Maker:
“[j](AB)Ask Me about the things that are to come [k]concerning My (AC)sons,
And you shall [l]commit to Me (AD)the work of My hands.
12 It is I who (AE)made the earth and created man upon it.
I (AF)stretched out the heavens with My hands,
And I commanded (AG)all their host.
13 I have awakened him in (AH)righteousness,
And I will (AI)make all his ways smooth;
He will (AJ)build My city and will (AK)let My exiles go,
Without any payment or reward,” says Yahweh of hosts.
14 Thus says Yahweh,
“The fruit of the labor of (AL)Egypt and the profit of [m](AM)Ethiopia
And the Sabeans, men of stature,
Will (AN)come over to you and will be yours;
They will walk behind you; they will come over in (AO)chains
And will (AP)bow down to you;
They will make supplication to you:
‘[n]Surely, (AQ)God is [o]with you, and (AR)there is none else,
No other God.’”
15 Truly, You are a God who (AS)hides Himself,
O God of Israel, (AT)Savior!
16 They will be (AU)put to shame and even dishonored, all of them;
The (AV)craftsmen of idols will go away together in dishonor.
17 Israel has been saved by Yahweh
With an (AW)everlasting salvation;
You (AX)will not be put to shame or dishonored
To all eternity.
18 For thus says Yahweh, who (AY)created the heavens (He is the God who (AZ)formed the earth and made it; He established it and did not create it [p]a (BA)formless place, but formed it to be (BB)inhabited),
“I am Yahweh, and (BC)there is none else.
19 (BD)I have not spoken in secret,
In [q]some dark land;
I did not say to the (BE)seed of Jacob,
‘(BF)Seek Me in [r]a formless place’;
I, Yahweh, (BG)speak righteousness,
(BH)Declaring things that are upright.
20 “(BI)Gather yourselves and come;
Draw near together, you who have escaped from the nations;
(BJ)They do not know,
Who (BK)carry about their graven image of wood
And (BL)pray to a god who cannot save.
21 (BM)Declare and draw near with your case;
Indeed, let them consult together.
(BN)Who has made this heard from of old?
Who has long since declared it?
Is it not I, Yahweh?
And there is (BO)no other God besides Me,
A righteous God and a (BP)Savior;
There is none except Me.
22 (BQ)Turn to Me and (BR)be saved, all the ends of the earth;
For I am God, and there is no other.
23 (BS)I have sworn by Myself,
The (BT)word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness
And will not turn back,
That to Me (BU)every knee will bow, every tongue will (BV)swear allegiance.
24 They will say of Me, ‘Only (BW)in Yahweh are righteousness and strength.’
Men will come to Him,
And (BX)all who were angry at Him will be put to shame.
25 In Yahweh all the seed of Israel
Will be (BY)justified and will (BZ)boast.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 45:1 Lit I will open, cf. 45:1b
- Isaiah 45:2 Or mountains
- Isaiah 45:3 Or hoarded treasures
- Isaiah 45:5 Or arm
- Isaiah 45:8 Or branch forth, cf. 61:11
- Isaiah 45:9 Lit Fashioner
- Isaiah 45:9 Lit with
- Isaiah 45:9 Lit Fashioner
- Isaiah 45:11 Lit Fashioner
- Isaiah 45:11 Or Will you ask...?
- Isaiah 45:11 Or upon
- Isaiah 45:11 Lit command
- Isaiah 45:14 Or Cush, cf. Gen 10:6
- Isaiah 45:14 Or God is with you alone
- Isaiah 45:14 Or in
- Isaiah 45:18 Or in vain
- Isaiah 45:19 Lit a place of a land of darkness
- Isaiah 45:19 Or vain
Isaiah 45
New International Version
Isaiah 45
New International Version
45 “This is what the Lord says to his anointed,(A)
to Cyrus,(B) whose right hand I take hold(C) of
to subdue nations(D) before him
and to strip kings of their armor,
to open doors before him
so that gates will not be shut:
2 I will go before you(E)
and will level(F) the mountains[a];
I will break down gates(G) of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.(H)
3 I will give you hidden treasures,(I)
riches stored in secret places,(J)
so that you may know(K) that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, who summons you by name.(L)
4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,(M)
of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
and bestow on you a title of honor,
though you do not acknowledge(N) me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;(O)
apart from me there is no God.(P)
I will strengthen you,(Q)
though you have not acknowledged me,
6 so that from the rising of the sun
to the place of its setting(R)
people may know(S) there is none besides me.(T)
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
7 I form the light and create darkness,(U)
I bring prosperity and create disaster;(V)
I, the Lord, do all these things.
8 “You heavens above, rain(W) down my righteousness;(X)
let the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth open wide,
let salvation(Y) spring up,
let righteousness flourish with it;
I, the Lord, have created it.
9 “Woe to those who quarrel(Z) with their Maker,(AA)
those who are nothing but potsherds(AB)
among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,(AC)
‘What are you making?’(AD)
Does your work say,
‘The potter has no hands’?(AE)
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(AF) of Israel, and its Maker:(AG)
Concerning things to come,
do you question me about my children,
or give me orders about the work of my hands?(AH)
12 It is I who made the earth(AI)
and created mankind on it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens;(AJ)
I marshaled their starry hosts.(AK)
13 I will raise up Cyrus[b](AL) in my righteousness:
I will make all his ways straight.(AM)
He will rebuild my city(AN)
and set my exiles free,
but not for a price or reward,(AO)
says the Lord Almighty.”
14 This is what the Lord says:
“The products(AP) of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,[c]
and those tall Sabeans(AQ)—
they will come over to you(AR)
and will be yours;
they will trudge behind you,(AS)
coming over to you in chains.(AT)
They will bow down before you
and plead(AU) with you, saying,
‘Surely God is with you,(AV) and there is no other;
there is no other god.(AW)’”
15 Truly you are a God who has been hiding(AX) himself,
the God and Savior(AY) of Israel.
16 All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced;(AZ)
they will go off into disgrace together.
17 But Israel will be saved(BA) by the Lord
with an everlasting salvation;(BB)
you will never be put to shame or disgraced,(BC)
to ages everlasting.
18 For this is what the Lord says—
he who created the heavens,
he is God;
he who fashioned and made the earth,(BD)
he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,(BE)
but formed it to be inhabited(BF)—
he says:
“I am the Lord,
and there is no other.(BG)
19 I have not spoken in secret,(BH)
from somewhere in a land of darkness;(BI)
I have not said to Jacob’s descendants,(BJ)
‘Seek(BK) me in vain.’
I, the Lord, speak the truth;
I declare what is right.(BL)
20 “Gather together(BM) and come;
assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant(BN) are those who carry(BO) about idols of wood,
who pray to gods that cannot save.(BP)
21 Declare what is to be, present it—
let them take counsel together.
Who foretold(BQ) this long ago,
who declared it from the distant past?(BR)
Was it not I, the Lord?
And there is no God apart from me,(BS)
a righteous God(BT) and a Savior;(BU)
there is none but me.
22 “Turn(BV) to me and be saved,(BW)
all you ends of the earth;(BX)
for I am God, and there is no other.(BY)
23 By myself I have sworn,(BZ)
my mouth has uttered in all integrity(CA)
a word that will not be revoked:(CB)
Before me every knee will bow;(CC)
by me every tongue will swear.(CD)
24 They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone
are deliverance(CE) and strength.(CF)’”
All who have raged against him
will come to him and be put to shame.(CG)
25 But all the descendants(CH) of Israel
will find deliverance(CI) in the Lord
and will make their boast in him.(CJ)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 45:2 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
- Isaiah 45:13 Hebrew him
- Isaiah 45:14 That is, the upper Nile region
Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.