Isaiah 45
Christian Standard Bible
45 The Lord says this to Cyrus, his anointed,(A)
whose right hand I have grasped(B)
to subdue nations before him
and disarm[a] kings,(C)
to open doors before him,
and even city gates will not be shut:
2 “I will go before you
and level the uneven places;[b](D)
I will shatter the bronze doors
and cut the iron bars in two.(E)
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
and riches from secret places,(F)
so that you may know that I am the Lord.
I am the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.(G)
4 I call you by your name,
for the sake of my servant Jacob(H)
and Israel my chosen one.
I give a name to you,
though you do not know me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;(I)
there is no God but me.(J)
I will strengthen[c] you,
though you do not know me,
6 so that all may know from the rising of the sun to its setting
that there is no one but me.(K)
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
7 I form light and create darkness,(L)
I make success and create disaster;(M)
I am the Lord, who does all these things.
8 “Heavens, sprinkle from above,
and let the skies shower righteousness.(N)
Let the earth open up
so that salvation will sprout
and righteousness will spring up with it.(O)
I, the Lord, have created it.
9 “Woe to the one who argues with his Maker—
one clay pot among many.[d]
Does clay say to the one forming it,
‘What are you making?’ (P)
Or does your work say,
‘He has no hands’?[e]
10 Woe to the one who says to his father,
‘What are you fathering?’
or to his mother,[f]
‘What are you giving birth to?’”
11 This is what the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel(Q) and its Maker, says:
“Ask me what is to happen to[g] my sons,(R)
and instruct me about the work of my hands.(S)
12 I made the earth,
and created humans on it.
It was my hands that stretched out the heavens,(T)
and I commanded everything in them.
13 I have stirred him up in righteousness,(U)
and will level all roads for him.
He will rebuild my city,(V)
and set my exiles free,(W)
not for a price or a bribe,”
says the Lord of Armies.
God Alone Is the Savior
14 This is what the Lord says:
“The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush
and the Sabeans, men of stature,(X)
will come over to you(Y)
and will be yours;
they will follow you,
they will come over in chains
and bow down to you.
They will confess[h] to you,
‘God is indeed with you,(Z) and there is no other;
there is no other God.’”
15 Yes, you are a God who hides,(AA)
God of Israel, Savior.(AB)
16 All of them are put to shame, even humiliated;(AC)
the makers of idols go in humiliation together.
17 Israel will be saved by the Lord
with an everlasting salvation;
you will not be put to shame or humiliated
for all eternity.(AD)
18 For this is what the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens,
the God who formed the earth and made it,
the one who established it
(he did not create it to be a wasteland,
but formed it to be inhabited)(AE)—
he says, “I am the Lord,
and there is no other.
19 I have not spoken in secret,(AF)
somewhere in a land of darkness.
I did not say to the descendants of Jacob:
Seek me in a wasteland.(AG)
I am the Lord, who speaks righteously,(AH)
who declares what is right.
20 “Come, gather together,
and approach, you fugitives of the nations.
Those who carry their wooden idols
and pray to a god who cannot save(AI)
have no knowledge.(AJ)
21 Speak up and present your case[i](AK)—
yes, let them consult each other.
Who predicted this long ago?
Who announced it from ancient times?
Was it not I, the Lord?
There is no other God but me,
a righteous God and Savior;(AL)
there is no one except me.(AM)
22 Turn to me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth.
For I am God,
and there is no other.
23 By myself I have sworn;(AN)
truth has gone from my mouth,(AO)
a word that will not be revoked:
Every knee will bow(AP) to me,
every tongue will swear allegiance.
24 It will be said about me, ‘Righteousness and strength
are found only in the Lord.’”
All who are enraged against him
will come to him and be put to shame.(AQ)
25 All the descendants of Israel
will be justified and boast in the Lord.
Isaiah 45
International Standard Version
Cyrus: God’s Deliverer
45 This is what the Lord says to his anointed, Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped
to subdue nations before him,
as I strip kings of their armor,[a]
to open doors[b] before him
and gates that cannot keep closed:
2 “I myself will go before you,
and he[c] will make the mountains[d] level;
I’ll shatter bronze doors
and cut through iron bars.
3 I’ll give you concealed treasures[e]
and riches hidden in secret places,
so that you’ll know that it is I, the Lord,
the God of Israel, who calls you by name.
4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,
Israel[f] my chosen,
I’ve called you,
and he has established you with a name,[g]
although you have not acknowledged me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other besides me:
and there are no gods.[h]
I’m strengthening you,
although you have not acknowledged me,
6 so that from the sun’s rising[i] to the west
people may know that there is none besides me.
“I am the Lord, and there is no other.”
God is Sovereign
7 “I form light and create darkness,
I make goodness[j] and create disaster.
I am the Lord, who does all these things.
8 “Shout,[k] you skies above, and you clouds,
and let righteousness stream down.[l]
I am[m] the one who says to the earth, ‘Let salvation blossom,
and let righteousness sprout forth.’[n]
9 “Woe to the one who quarrels with his makers,[o]
a mere potsherd with the potsherds of the[p] earth!
Woe to the one who says[q] to the one forming him,
‘What are you making?’
or ‘Your work has no human[r] hands?’!
10 Woe to the[s] one who says to his father,
‘What are you begetting?’
or to a woman, ‘To what are you giving birth?’!”
11 This is what the Lord[t] says,
the Creator of the signs:
“Question me about my children,[u]
or give me orders about the work of my hands.
12 I myself made the earth
and personally created humankind upon it.
My own hands stretched out the skies;
I marshaled all their starry hosts.”
God will Bless Cyrus
13 “I have aroused him[v] in righteousness,
and I’ll make all his pathways smooth.
It is he who will rebuild my city
and set my exiles free,
but not for a price nor reward, ”
says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
14 This is what the Lord says:
“The wealth of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia,
those[w] Sabeans, men of great heights.[x]
They’ll come over to you and will be yours;
They’ll trudge behind you—
coming over in chains, they’ll bow down to you.
They’ll plead with you,
‘Surely God is in you;
and there is no other God at all.’”
God as Savior of Israel
15 “Truly you are a God who hides himself,
O God of Israel, the Savior.
16 All of them will be put to shame—indeed, disgraced!
The makers of idols will go off in disgrace together.
17 But Israel will be saved by the Lord
with everlasting salvation;
you won’t be put to shame or disgraced ever again.”
18 For this is what the Lord says,
who created the heavens—
he is God,
and[y] the one who formed the earth and made it,
and[z] he is the one who established it;
he didn’t create it for[aa] chaos,
but formed it to be inhabited—
“I am the Lord and there is no other.
19 I didn’t speak in secret,
from somewhere in a land of darkness;
I didn’t say to Jacob’s descendants,
‘Seek me in chaos.’
I, the Lord, speak truth,
declaring what is right.
20 “Gather together and come;
draw near and enter,[ab]
your fugitives from the nations.
Those who carry around their wooden idols
know nothing,
nor do those who keep praying to a god
that cannot save.
21 Explain and present a case!
Yes, let them take counsel together.
Who announced this long ago,
who declared it from the distant past?
Was it not I, the Lord?
And there is no other God besides me,
a righteous God and Savior;
and[ac] there is none besides me.
22 Turn to me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth.
For I am God, and there is no other.
Every Knee will Bow
23 By myself I have sworn—
from my mouth has gone out integrity,
a promise[ad] that won’t be revoked:
‘To me every knee will bow,
and[ae] every tongue will swear.’
24 One will say of me,[af]
‘Only in the Lord are victories and might.’
All who raged against him will come[ag] to him
and will be put to shame.
25 In the Lord all the descendants of Israel
will triumph and make their boast.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 45:1 Lit. I expose the loins of kings
- Isaiah 45:1 So 1QIsaa (pl.); MT (dual)
- Isaiah 45:2 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read I
- Isaiah 45:2 So 1QIsaa 1QIsab LXX; MT reads hills
- Isaiah 45:3 Lit. treasures of darkness
- Isaiah 45:4 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read and Israel
- Isaiah 45:4 So 1QIsaa; MT reads I have called you by your name, given you a title; LXX reads I will call you by your name, and receive you
- Isaiah 45:5 So 1QIsaa; MT 1QIsab read there is no other: besides me there are no gods
- Isaiah 45:6 I.e. the east
- Isaiah 45:7 So 1QIsaa; MT reads well-being; LXX reads peace
- Isaiah 45:8 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads Shower
- Isaiah 45:8 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT LXX read Shower, you skies above, and let the clouds stream down righteousness
- Isaiah 45:8 1QIsaa MT LXX lack I am
- Isaiah 45:8 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab 1QIsac MT read Let the earth open up, let them bear the fruit of salvation, and let righteousness sprout forth also. I the Lord have created it
- Isaiah 45:9 So 1QIsaa; MT reads maker
- Isaiah 45:9 So 1QIsaa; MT lacks the
- Isaiah 45:9 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT LXX read Will clay say
- Isaiah 45:9 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack human
- Isaiah 45:10 So 1QIsaa; MT lacks the
- Isaiah 45:11 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX 1QIsaa corrector reads the Lord, the Holy One of Israel
- Isaiah 45:11 So 1QIsaa LXX; Lit. my sons and daughters; MT reads says, and its creator: Question me of things to come about my children
- Isaiah 45:13 I.e. Cyrus, king of Persia
- Isaiah 45:14 Lit. and those; so 1QIsaa; MT LXX read and the
- Isaiah 45:14 So 1QIsaa; MT reads height
- Isaiah 45:18 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack and
- Isaiah 45:18 So 1QIsaa; MT lacks and
- Isaiah 45:18 Or it to remain in a state of; so 1QIsaa LXX; MT lacks for
- Isaiah 45:20 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read together
- Isaiah 45:21 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack and
- Isaiah 45:23 Lit. word
- Isaiah 45:23 So 1QIsaa; MT lacks and
- Isaiah 45:24 So 1QIsaa; MT reads one said of me; LXX reads saying
- Isaiah 45:24 So 1QIsaa MTmss LXX (pl.); MT (sing.)
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