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45 Yahweh says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him, and strip kings of their armor; to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut:

“I will go before you
    and make the rough places smooth.
I will break the doors of bronze in pieces
    and cut apart the bars of iron.
I will give you the treasures of darkness
    and hidden riches of secret places,
that you may know that it is I, Yahweh, who calls you by your name,
    even the God of Israel.
For Jacob my servant’s sake,
    and Israel my chosen,
I have called you by your name.
    I have given you a title,
    though you have not known me.
I am Yahweh, and there is no one else.
    Besides me, there is no God.
I will strengthen[a] you,
    though you have not known me,
that they may know from the rising of the sun,
    and from the west,
that there is no one besides me.
    I am Yahweh, and there is no one else.
I form the light
    and create darkness.
I make peace
    and create calamity.
I am Yahweh,
    who does all these things.

Rain, you heavens, from above,
    and let the skies pour down righteousness.
Let the earth open, that it may produce salvation,
    and let it cause righteousness to spring up with it.
I, Yahweh, have created it.

Woe to him who strives with his Maker—
    a clay pot among the clay pots of the earth!
Shall the clay ask him who fashions it, ‘What are you making?’
    or your work, ‘He has no hands?’
10 Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What have you become the father of?’
    or to a mother, ‘What have you given birth to?’”

11 Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel
    and his Maker says:
“You ask me about the things that are to come, concerning my sons,
    and you command me concerning the work of my hands!
12 I have made the earth, and created man on it.
    I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens.
    I have commanded all their army.
13 I have raised him up in righteousness,
    and I will make all his ways straight.
He shall build my city,
    and he shall let my exiles go free,
    not for price nor reward,” says Yahweh of Armies.

14 Yahweh says: “The labor of Egypt,
    and the merchandise of Ethiopia,
    and the Sabeans, men of stature, will come over to you,
    and they will be yours.
They will go after you.
    They shall come over in chains.
    They will bow down to you.
They will make supplication to you:
    ‘Surely God is in you; and there is no one else.
    There is no other god.
15 Most certainly you are a God who has hidden yourself,
    God of Israel, the Savior.’”
16 They will be disappointed,
    yes, confounded, all of them.
    Those who are makers of idols will go into confusion together.
17 Israel will be saved by Yahweh with an everlasting salvation.
    You will not be disappointed nor confounded to ages everlasting.

18 For Yahweh who created the heavens,
    the God who formed the earth and made it,
    who established it and didn’t create it a waste,
    who formed it to be inhabited says:
“I am Yahweh.
    There is no other.
19 I have not spoken in secret,
    in a place of the land of darkness.
I didn’t say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’
    I, Yahweh, speak righteousness.
    I declare things that are right.

20 “Assemble yourselves and come.
    Draw near together, you who have escaped from the nations.
Those have no knowledge who carry the wood of their engraved image,
    and pray to a god that can’t save.
21 Declare and present it.
    Yes, let them take counsel together.
Who has shown this from ancient time?
    Who has declared it of old?
    Haven’t I, Yahweh?
There is no other God besides me, a just God and a Savior.
    There is no one besides me.

22 “Look to me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth;
    for I am God, and there is no other.
23 I have sworn by myself.
    The word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and will not be revoked,
that to me every knee shall bow,
    every tongue shall take an oath.
24 They will say of me,
    ‘There is righteousness and strength only in Yahweh.’”
Even to him will men come.
    All those who raged against him will be disappointed.
25 All the offspring of Israel will be justified in Yahweh,
    and will rejoice!

Footnotes

  1. 45:5 or, equip

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:
I myself will go before you,
    and I will level mountains.
I will shatter bronze doors;
    I will cut through iron bars.
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.
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.
I am the Lord, and there is no other;
    besides me there is no God.
I strengthen you—
    though you don’t know me—
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.
    I form light and create darkness,
    make prosperity and create doom;
    I am the Lord, who does all these things.

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

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

  1. Isaiah 45:9 Or maker
  2. Isaiah 45:11 Or potter
  3. Isaiah 45:11 Or about future things ask me
  4. Isaiah 45:14 Heb uncertain