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Chapter 45

[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:
I myself will advance before you
    and level the mountains;
I will tear down bronze gates[b]
    and cut through bars of iron.
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.
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.
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,
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.
I form the light and create the darkness;
    prosperity and disaster depend upon my will;
    I, the Lord, do all these things.
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.
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

  1. 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.
  2. Isaiah 45:2 Bronze gates: Babylon had a hundred of these.
  3. 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.

Cyrus, God’s Instrument

45 “Thus says the Lord to His anointed,
To (A)Cyrus, whose (B)right hand I have [a]held—
(C)To subdue nations before him
And (D)loose the armor of kings,
To open before him the double doors,
So that the gates will not be shut:
‘I will go before you
(E)And[b] make the [c]crooked places straight;
(F)I will break in pieces the gates of bronze
And cut the bars of iron.
I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden riches of secret places,
(G)That you may know that I, the Lord,
Who (H)call you by your name,
Am the God of Israel.
For (I)Jacob My servant’s sake,
And Israel My elect,
I have even called you by your name;
I have named you, though you have not known Me.
I (J)am the Lord, and (K)there is no other;
There is no God besides Me.
(L)I will gird you, though you have not known Me,
(M)That they may (N)know from the rising of the sun to its setting
That there is none besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other;
I form the light and create darkness,
I make peace and (O)create calamity;
I, the Lord, do all these things.

“Rain(P) down, you heavens, from above,
And let the skies pour down righteousness;
Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation,
And let righteousness spring up together.
I, the Lord, have created it.

“Woe to him who strives with (Q)his Maker!
Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth!
(R)Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’
Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’?
10 Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What are you begetting?’
Or to the woman, ‘What have you brought forth?’ ”

11 Thus says the Lord,
The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker:
(S)“Ask Me of things to come concerning (T)My sons;
And concerning (U)the work of My hands, you command Me.
12 (V)I have made the earth,
And (W)created man on it.
I—My hands—stretched out the heavens,
And (X)all their host I have commanded.
13 (Y)I have raised him up in righteousness,
And I will [d]direct all his ways;
He shall (Z)build My city
And let My exiles go free,
(AA)Not for price nor reward,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

The Lord, the Only Savior

14 Thus says the Lord:

(AB)“The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush
And of the Sabeans, men of stature,
Shall come over to you, and they shall be yours;
They shall walk behind you,
They shall come over (AC)in chains;
And they shall bow down to you.
They will make supplication to you, saying, (AD)‘Surely God is in you,
And there is no other;
(AE)There is no other God.’ ”

15 Truly You are God, (AF)who hide Yourself,
O God of Israel, the Savior!
16 They shall be (AG)ashamed
And also disgraced, all of them;
They shall go in confusion together,
Who are makers of idols.
17 (AH)But Israel shall be saved by the Lord
With an (AI)everlasting salvation;
You shall not be ashamed or (AJ)disgraced
Forever and ever.

18 For thus says the Lord,
(AK)Who created the heavens,
Who is God,
Who formed the earth and made it,
Who has established it,
Who did not create it [e]in vain,
Who formed it to be (AL)inhabited:
(AM)“I am the Lord, and there is no other.
19 I have not spoken in (AN)secret,
In a dark place of the earth;
I did not say to the seed of Jacob,
‘Seek Me [f]in vain’;
(AO)I, the Lord, speak righteousness,
I declare things that are right.

20 “Assemble yourselves and come;
Draw near together,
You who have escaped from the nations.
(AP)They have no knowledge,
Who carry the wood of their carved image,
And pray to a god that cannot save.
21 Tell and bring forth your case;
Yes, let them take counsel together.
(AQ)Who has declared this from ancient time?
Who has told it from that time?
Have not I, the Lord?
(AR)And there is no other God besides Me,
A just God and a Savior;
There is none besides Me.

22 “Look to Me, and be saved,
(AS)All you ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.
23 (AT)I have sworn by Myself;
The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness,
And shall not return,
That to Me every (AU)knee shall bow,
(AV)Every tongue shall take an oath.
24 He shall say,
[g]‘Surely in the Lord I have (AW)righteousness and strength.
To Him men shall come,
And (AX)all shall be ashamed
Who are incensed against Him.
25 (AY)In the Lord all the descendants of Israel
Shall be justified, and (AZ)shall glory.’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 45:1 strengthened or sustained
  2. Isaiah 45:2 Tg. I will trample down the walls; Vg. I will humble the great ones of the earth
  3. Isaiah 45:2 DSS, LXX mountains
  4. Isaiah 45:13 Or make all his ways straight
  5. Isaiah 45:18 Or empty, a waste
  6. Isaiah 45:19 Or in a waste place
  7. Isaiah 45:24 Or Only in the Lord are all righteousness and strength

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:
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)
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)
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.
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,
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.
I form the light and create darkness,(U)
    I bring prosperity and create disaster;(V)
    I, the Lord, do all these things.

“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.

“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

  1. Isaiah 45:2 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
  2. Isaiah 45:13 Hebrew him
  3. Isaiah 45:14 That is, the upper Nile region

Koresh som Guds verktyg

45 (A) Så säger Herren

    till sin smorde[a],
    till Koresh vars högra hand
        jag har fattat
    för att slå ner folken framför honom,
        lossa bältet från kungars höfter
    och öppna dörrar för honom
        så att inga portar mer är stängda:
Jag ska gå framför dig
        och jämna ut höjderna[b].
    Jag ska krossa kopparportarna
        och knäcka järnbommarna.
Jag ska ge dig skatter
    som är dolda i mörkret
        och hemliga rikedomar,
    för att du ska inse att jag är Herren
        som kallar dig vid ditt namn,
            jag är Israels Gud.
För min tjänare Jakobs skull,
    för Israels skull, min utvalde,
        kallade jag dig vid namn.
    Jag gav dig ett ärenamn,
        fastän du inte kände mig.
(B) Jag är Herren,
    och det finns ingen annan.
        Utom mig finns ingen Gud.
    Jag spänner bältet om ditt liv,
        fastän du inte känner mig,
(C) för att man ska förstå
    både i öster och väster
        att det inte finns någon utom mig.
    Jag är Herren,
        och det finns ingen annan.
(D) Jag formar ljuset och skapar mörkret,
    jag ger lycka och skapar olycka.
        Jag, Herren, gör allt detta.

(E) Låt det regna från ovan, ni himlar,
    låt rättfärdighet strömma ner
        från skyarna.
    Jorden ska öppna sig
        och ge frälsning som frukt,
    den ska låta rättfärdighet växa upp.
        Jag, Herren, skapar detta.

Blindhet för Skaparen

(F) Ve den som tvistar med sin Skapare,
    en lerskärva
        bland jordens skärvor!
    Säger leran till den som formar den:
        "Vad gör du?"
    Säger ditt verk:
        "Han har inga händer?"
10 Ve den som säger till en far:
        "Vad är det du avlar?"
    och till en kvinna:
        "Vad är det du föder fram?"
11 (G) Så säger Herren,
        Israels Helige och Skapare:
    Fråga mig om det som ska komma.
        Låt mig ha omsorg
    om mina söner
        och mina händers verk.
12 (H) Det är jag som har gjort jorden
        och skapat människorna på den.
    Det är jag som har spänt ut himlen
        med mina händer
    och gett befallning till hela dess här.
13 (I) Det är jag som har
    väckt upp honom i rättfärdighet
        och gör alla hans vägar jämna.
    Han ska bygga upp min stad
        och släppa mina fångar fria,
    men inte för betalning eller mutor,
        säger Herren Sebaot.

14 (J) Så säger Herren:
    Vad egyptierna har vunnit
        med arbete
    och nubiernas och Sebas resliga folk
        med handel,
    allt ska gå över till dig
        och tillhöra dig.
    De ska följa efter dig,
        i kedjor ska de gå.
    Och de ska falla ner inför dig
        och rikta sin bön till dig:
    "Endast hos dig är Gud,
        och det finns ingen mer,
            ingen annan Gud."

15 (K) Du är sannerligen
        en Gud som döljer sig,
    du Israels Gud, du Frälsare.
16 (L) Alla måste de skämmas och blygas,
    avgudamakarna går bort
        tillsammans i skam.
17 (M) Men Israel blir frälst genom Herren
        med en evig frälsning.
    Ni ska aldrig i evighet
        behöva skämmas eller blygas.

18 (N) För så säger Herren,
    han som har skapat himlen,
        han som är Gud,
    som har format jorden
        och gjort den och berett den,
    som inte har skapat den
        till att vara öde
    utan format den till att vara bebodd:
        Jag är Herren,
            och det finns ingen annan.
19 (O) Jag har inte talat i hemlighet,
        någonstans i ett mörkt land.
    Jag har inte sagt
        till Jakobs avkomlingar:
            "Ni ska söka mig förgäves."
    Jag är Herren,
        som talar sanning
    och förkunnar vad som är rätt.

20 (P) Samla er och kom, träd fram,
        ni som räddats från folken.
    De förstår inte,
        de som bär på sina träbilder
        och ber till en gud
            som inte kan frälsa.
21 (Q) Berätta, lägg fram er sak!
        Ja, låt dem rådslå tillsammans.
    Vem har låtit er höra detta
        sedan länge
    och förkunnat det för längesedan?
        Är det inte jag, Herren?
    Och det finns ingen Gud utom mig,
        en rättfärdig Gud som frälser,
            ingen utom mig.
22 (R) Vänd er till mig och bli frälsta,
        ni jordens alla ändar,
    för jag är Gud
        och det finns ingen annan.
23 (S) Jag har svurit vid mig själv,
    ett sanningsord har gått ut
            från min mun,
        ett ord som inte ska tas tillbaka:
    För mig ska alla knän böjas,
        alla tungor ska ge mig sin ed[c]
24 (T) och säga om mig:
    Endast i Herren
        finns rättfärdighet och styrka.
    Till honom ska man komma,
        och alla som varit arga på honom
            ska skämmas.
25 (U) I Herren ska hela Israels släkt
        ha sin rättfärdighet,
    de ska ha sin ära i honom.

Footnotes

  1. 45:1 smorde   Guds utvalde, helgade kung, en förebild till Messias (Apg 10:38).
  2. 45:2 höjderna   Jesajarullen från Qumran och Septuaginta: "bergen".
  3. 45:23 Citeras av Paulus i Rom 14:11 och i Kristushymnen i Fil 2:10f.