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

Cyrus, God's Instrument

45 Thus says the Lord to (A)his anointed, to Cyrus,
    (B)whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
    and (C)to loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him
    that gates may not be closed:
“I will go before you
    and (D)level the exalted places,[a]
(E)I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
    and cut through the bars of iron,
(F)I will give you the treasures of darkness
    and the hoards in secret places,
that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
    the God of Israel, (G)who call you by your name.
For the sake of my servant Jacob,
    and Israel my chosen,
(H)I call you by your name,
    (I)I name you, though you do not know me.
(J)I am the Lord, and there is no other,
    besides me there is no God;
    (K)I equip you, though you do not know me,
(L)that people may know, from the rising of the sun
    and from the west, that there is none besides me;
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.
I form light and create darkness;
    I make well-being and (M)create calamity;
    I am the Lord, who does all these things.

(N)“Shower, O heavens, from above,
    and (O)let the clouds rain down righteousness;
let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit;
    let the earth cause them both to sprout;
    I the Lord have created it.

(P)“Woe to him who strives with him who formed him,
    a pot among earthen pots!
(Q)Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’
    or ‘Your work has no handles’?
10 Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’
    or to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?’”

11 Thus says (R)the Lord,
    the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him:
(S)“Ask me of things to come;
    will you command me (T)concerning my children and (U)the work of my hands?[b]
12 (V)I made the earth
    and created man on it;
it was my hands (W)that stretched out the heavens,
    and (X)I commanded all their host.
13 (Y)I have stirred him up in righteousness,
    (Z)and I will make all his ways level;
(AA)he shall build my city
    (AB)and set my exiles free,
not for price or reward,”
    says the Lord of hosts.

The Lord, the Only Savior

14 Thus says the Lord:
(AC)“The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,
    and the Sabeans, men of stature,
shall come over to you (AD)and be yours;
    they shall follow you;
    they shall come over in chains and bow down to you.
They will plead with you, saying:
    ‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other,
    no god besides him.’”

15 (AE)Truly, you are a God who hides himself,
    O God of Israel, the Savior.
16 (AF)All of them are put to shame and confounded;
    the makers of idols go in confusion together.
17 But Israel is saved by the Lord
    with everlasting salvation;
(AG)you shall not be put to shame or confounded
    to all eternity.

18 (AH)For thus says the Lord,
who created the heavens
    (he is God!),
who formed the earth and made it
    (he established it;
he (AI)did not create it empty,
    (AJ)he formed it to be inhabited!):
“I am the Lord, and there is no other.
19 (AK)I did not speak in secret,
    in a land of darkness;
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,
    (AL)‘Seek me in vain.’[c]
I the Lord speak (AM)the truth;
    I declare what is right.

20 (AN)“Assemble yourselves and come;
    draw near together,
    you survivors of the nations!
(AO)They have no knowledge
    who (AP)carry about their wooden idols,
(AQ)and keep on praying to a god
    that cannot save.
21 (AR)Declare and present your case;
    let them take counsel together!
Who told this long ago?
    Who declared it of old?
Was it not I, the Lord?
    And there is no other god besides me,
a righteous God (AS)and a Savior;
    there is none besides me.

22 “Turn to me and be saved,
    (AT)all the ends of the earth!
    For I am God, and there is no other.
23 (AU)By myself I have sworn;
    from my mouth has gone out in (AV)righteousness
    a word that shall not return:
(AW)‘To me every knee shall bow,
    every tongue shall swear allegiance.’[d]

24 (AX)“Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me,
    are righteousness and (AY)strength;
to him shall come and be ashamed
    (AZ)all who were incensed against him.
25 In the Lord all the offspring of Israel
    shall be justified and shall glory.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 45:2 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint level the mountains
  2. Isaiah 45:11 A slight emendation yields will you question me about my children, or command me concerning the work of my hands?
  3. Isaiah 45:19 Hebrew in emptiness
  4. Isaiah 45:23 Septuagint every tongue shall confess to God

God Uses Cyrus

45 This is what the Lord says to (A)Cyrus His anointed,
Whom I have taken by the right (B)hand,
To (C)subdue nations before him
And [a]to (D)undo the weapons belt on the waist of kings;
To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:
“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.
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,
The Lord, the God of Israel, who (I)calls you by your name.
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.
I am the Lord, and (M)there is no one else;
(N)There is no God except Me.
I will [d](O)arm you, though you have not known Me,
So that (P)people may know from the rising to the setting of the sun
That there is (Q)no one besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no one else,
The One (R)forming light and (S)creating darkness,
Causing [e]well-being and (T)creating disaster;
I am the Lord who does all these things.

God’s Supreme Power

(U)Drip down, heavens, from above,
And let the clouds pour down righteousness;
Let the (V)earth open up and salvation bear fruit,
(W)And righteousness sprout with it.
I, the Lord, have created it.

“Woe to the one who (X)quarrels with [f]his Maker—
A piece of pottery [g]among the other earthenware pottery pieces!
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 fathering?’
Or to a woman, ‘To what are you [i]giving birth?’”

11 This is what the (Z)Lord says, the Holy One of Israel and [j]his (AA)Maker:

[k](AB)Ask Me about the things to come [l]concerning My (AC)sons,
And you shall commit to Me (AD)the work of My hands.
12 It is I who (AE)made the earth, and created mankind upon it.
I (AF)stretched out the heavens with My hands,
And I [m]ordained (AG)all their [n]lights.
13 I have stirred him in (AH)righteousness,
And I will (AI)make all his ways smooth.
He will (AJ)build My city and let My exiles go (AK)free,
Without any payment or reward,” says the Lord of armies.

14 This is what the Lord says:

“The [o]products of (AL)Egypt and the merchandise of [p](AM)Cush
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 plead with you:
[q](AQ)God certainly is [r]with you, and (AR)there is no one else,
No other God.’”
15 Truly, You are a God who (AS)hides Himself,
God of Israel, (AT)Savior!
16 They will be (AU)put to shame and even humiliated, all of them;
The (AV)manufacturers of idols will go away together in humiliation.
17 Israel has been saved by the Lord
With an (AW)everlasting salvation;
You (AX)will not be put to shame or humiliated
To all eternity.

18 For this is what the Lord says, He 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 [s]as a (BA)waste place, but formed it to be (BB)inhabited):

“I am the Lord, and (BC)there is no one else.
19 (BD)I have not spoken in secret,
In [t]some dark land;
I did not say to the [u](BE)offspring of Jacob,
(BF)Seek Me in [v]a wasteland’;
I, the Lord, (BG)speak righteousness,
(BH)Declaring things that are right.

20 (BI)Gather yourselves and come;
Come together, you survivors of the nations!
(BJ)They have no knowledge,
Who (BK)carry around [w]their wooden idol
And (BL)pray to a god who cannot save.
21 (BM)Declare and present your case;
Indeed, let them consult together.
(BN)Who has announced this long ago?
Who has long since declared it?
Is it not I, the Lord?
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 out 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 the Lord are righteousness and strength.’
People will come to Him,
And (BX)all who were angry at Him will be put to shame.
25 In the Lord all the offspring of Israel
Will be (BY)justified and will (BZ)boast.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 45:1 Lit I will loose
  2. Isaiah 45:2 Another reading is mountains
  3. Isaiah 45:3 Or hoarded treasures
  4. Isaiah 45:5 Or embrace
  5. Isaiah 45:7 Or peace
  6. Isaiah 45:9 Lit He who formed him
  7. Isaiah 45:9 Lit with
  8. Isaiah 45:9 Lit he who formed him
  9. Isaiah 45:10 Lit in labor pains with
  10. Isaiah 45:11 Lit He who formed him
  11. Isaiah 45:11 Or Will you ask
  12. Isaiah 45:11 Or upon
  13. Isaiah 45:12 Or commanded
  14. Isaiah 45:12 Lit host; i.e., sun, stars, etc.
  15. Isaiah 45:14 Lit labor
  16. Isaiah 45:14 Or Ethiopia
  17. Isaiah 45:14 Or God is with you alone
  18. Isaiah 45:14 Or in
  19. Isaiah 45:18 LXX in vain
  20. Isaiah 45:19 Lit a place of a land of darkness
  21. Isaiah 45:19 Lit seed
  22. Isaiah 45:19 Or vain
  23. Isaiah 45:20 Lit the wood of their carved image

耶和華立居魯士為王

45 耶和華對所膏的居魯士如此說,
他的右手我曾攙扶,
使列國降服在他面前,
列王的腰帶我曾鬆開,
使城門在他面前敞開,
不得關閉:
「我要在你前面行,
修平崎嶇之地。
我必打破銅門,
砍斷鐵閂。
我要將暗中的寶物和隱藏的財富賜給你,
使你知道提名召你的
就是我—耶和華,以色列的 神。
因我的僕人雅各
我所揀選的以色列
我提名召你;
你雖不認識我,
我也加給你名號。
我是耶和華,再沒有別的了;
除了我以外再沒有 神。
你雖不認識我,
我必給你束腰。
從日出之地到日落之處使人都知道
除我以外,沒有別的。
我是耶和華,再沒有別的了。
我造光,又造暗;
施平安,又降災禍;
做成這一切的是我—耶和華。

「諸天哪,要如雨傾盆而降,
雲要降下公義,
地要裂開,救恩湧出[a]
使公義也一同滋長;
這都是我—耶和華造的。」

創造和歷史的主宰

「那與造他的主爭論的人有禍了!
他不過是地上瓦塊中的一片[b]
泥土豈可對塑造它的說:『你做的是甚麼?
你所做的物怎麼沒有把手呢?[c]
10 有人對父親說,
『你生的是甚麼』,
對母親[d]說,
『你生產的是甚麼』;
這人有禍了!」
11 耶和華—以色列的聖者,
就是造以色列的如此說:
「難道我孩子的未來,你們能質問我,
我手的工作,你們可以吩咐我嗎?
12 我造大地,又創造人在地上。
我親手鋪張諸天,
天上萬象也是我所任命的。
13 我憑公義興起居魯士[e]
又要修直他一切的道路。
他必建造我的城,
釋放我被擄的民,
不為工價,也不為獎賞。」
這是萬軍之耶和華說的。

14 耶和華如此說:
埃及的出產和古實的貨物必歸你;
身量高大的西巴人,他們必過來歸你,為你所有。
他們必帶着鎖鏈過來跟隨你,
向你下拜,祈求你說:
『 神真是在你中間,再沒有別的,
沒有別的 神。』」
15 救主—以色列的 神啊,
你誠然是隱藏自己的 神。
16 製造偶像的都要抱愧蒙羞,
他們要一同歸於慚愧。
17 惟有以色列必蒙耶和華拯救,
得永遠的救恩。
你們必不蒙羞,也不抱愧,
直到永世無盡。

18 耶和華如此說,
他創造諸天,他是 神;
他造了地,形成它,堅固它,
並非創造它為荒涼,
而是要給人居住:
「我是耶和華,再沒有別的。
19 我不在隱密黑暗之地說話,
也沒有對雅各的後裔說,
『你們尋求我是徒然的』,
我—耶和華所講的是公義,
所說的是正直。」

天地之主

20 「你們從列國逃脫的人,
要一同聚集前來。
那些抬着雕刻的木偶、
祈求不能救人之神明的,
毫無知識。
21 你們要近前來說明,
讓他們彼此商議。
誰從古時指明這事?
誰從上古述說它?
不是我—耶和華嗎?
除了我以外,再沒有 神;
我是公義的 神,又是救主;
除了我以外,再沒有別的了。

22 「地的四極都當轉向我,
就必得救;
因為我是 神,再沒有別的。
23 我指着自己起誓,
公義從我的口發出,這話並不返回:
『萬膝必向我跪拜,
萬口必憑我起誓。』

24 「人論我說[f]
『公義、能力,惟獨在乎耶和華。
人必歸向他,
凡向他發怒的都必蒙羞。
25 以色列的後裔必因耶和華得稱為義,
並要彼此誇耀。』」

Footnotes

  1. 45.8 「救恩湧出」:原文另譯「產出救恩」。
  2. 45.9 「那與…一片」:死海古卷是「那與造他的主爭論的人,就是瓦器與陶匠爭論的,有禍了!」
  3. 45.9 「你所做…把手呢?」或譯「所做的物豈可說:你沒有手呢?」
  4. 45.10 「母親」:原文是「婦人」。
  5. 45.13 「居魯士」:原文是「他」。
  6. 45.24 「人論我說」:七十士譯本是「人說」。