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
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Cyrus, God’s Instrument
45 Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped
to subdue nations before him
and to strip kings of their robes,
to open doors before him—
and the gates shall not be closed:(A)
2 I will go before you
and level the mountains;[a]
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron;(B)
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
and riches hidden in secret places,
so that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
the God of Israel, who call you by your name.(C)
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob
and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name;
I give you a title, though you do not know me.(D)
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;
besides me there is no god.
I arm you, though you do not know me,(E)
6 so that they may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is no one besides me;
I am the Lord, and there is no other.(F)
7 I form light and create darkness,
I make weal and create woe;
I the Lord do all these things.(G)
8 Shower, O heavens, from above,
and let the skies rain down righteousness;
let the earth open, that salvation may spring up,[b]
and let it cause righteousness to sprout up also;
I the Lord have created it.(H)
9 Woe to those who strive with their Maker,
earthen vessels with the potter![c]
Does the clay say to the one who fashions it, “What are you making”?
or “Your work has no handles”?(I)
10 Woe to anyone who says to a father, “What are you fathering?”
or to a woman, “With what are you in labor?”
11 Thus says the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel and its Maker:
Will you question me[d] about my children
or command me concerning the work of my hands?(J)
12 I made the earth
and created humankind upon it;
it was my hands that stretched out the heavens,
and I commanded all their host.(K)
13 I have aroused Cyrus[e] in righteousness,
and I will make all his paths straight;
he shall build my city
and set my exiles free,
not for price or reward,
says the Lord of hosts.(L)
14 Thus says the Lord:
The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush
and the Sabeans, tall of stature,
shall come over to you and be yours;
they shall follow you;
they shall come over in chains and bow down to you.
They will make supplication to you, saying,
“God is with you alone, and there is no other;
there is no god besides him.”(M)
15 Truly, you are a God who hides himself,
O God of Israel, the Savior.(N)
16 All of them are put to shame and confounded;
the makers of idols go in disgrace together.(O)
17 But Israel is saved by the Lord
with everlasting salvation;
you shall not be put to shame or confounded
ever again.(P)
18 For thus says the Lord,
who created the heavens
(he is God!),
who formed the earth and made it
(he established it;
he did not create it a chaos;
he formed it to be inhabited!):
I am the Lord, and there is no other.(Q)
19 I did not speak in secret
in a land of darkness;
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,
“Seek me in chaos.”
I the Lord speak the truth;
I declare what is right.(R)
Idols Cannot Save Babylon
20 Assemble yourselves and come together;
draw near, you survivors of the nations!
They have no knowledge—
those who carry about their wooden idols
and keep on praying to a god
that cannot save.(S)
21 Declare and present your case;
take counsel together![f]
Who told this long ago?
Who declared it of old?
Was it not I, the Lord?
There is no other god besides me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
there is no one besides me.(T)
22 Turn to me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.(U)
23 By myself I have sworn;
from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness
a word that shall not return:
“To me every knee shall bow,
every tongue shall swear.”(V)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.