Isaiah 45
Expanded Bible
God Chooses Cyrus to Free Israel
45 This is what the Lord says to Cyrus [44:28], his ·appointed king [anointed one; messiah]:
“I hold your right hand
and will help you ·defeat [subdue] nations
and ·take away other kings’ power [or remove kings’ armor; L open the loins of kings].
I will open doors for you
so city gates will not ·stop you [be shut].
2 I will go before you
and ·make the mountains flat [level mountains; 40:4].
I will ·break down [shatter; smash] the bronze gates of the cities
and cut through their iron bars.
3 I will give you the ·wealth that is stored away [L treasures of darkness]
and the ·hidden riches [hoards in secret places]
so you will know I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, who calls you by name.
4 I do these things for ·my servants, the people of Jacob [L the sake of Jacob my servant],
and for ·my chosen people, the Israelites [Israel, my chosen].
·Cyrus, I call [L I call] you by name,
and I give you a title of honor even though you don’t know me.
5 I am the Lord. There is no other God;
I am the only God.
I will ·make you strong [or arm you for battle; L gird you],
even though you don’t know me,
6 so that everyone will know
there is ·no other God [none besides me].
From the ·east [rising of the sun] to ·the west [its setting] they will know
I alone am the Lord.
7 I make the light
and create the darkness.
I bring ·peace [prosperity; wholeness; C Hebrew shalom], and I ·cause [create] ·troubles [disaster; calamity].
I, the Lord, do all these things.
8 “·Sky [Heavens] above, make ·victory [or righteousness] fall like rain;
clouds, pour down ·victory [or righteousness].
Let the earth ·receive it [open up],
and let salvation grow,
and let ·victory [or righteousness] grow with it.
I, the Lord, have created it.
9 “·How terrible it will be for [L Woe to] those who argue with ·the God who made them [their Maker].
·They are like a piece of broken pottery [L A potsherd] among ·many pieces [L potsherds of the earth].
·The clay does not [L Does the clay…?] ask the potter [64:8; Rom. 9:20],
‘What are you doing?’
The thing that is made doesn’t say to its maker,
‘You have no ·hands [or skill].’
10 ·How terrible it will be for [L Woe to] the child who says to his father,
‘·Why are you giving me life [or What have you fathered]?’
·How terrible it will be for [L Woe to] the child who says to his mother,
‘·Why are you giving birth to me [or What have you given birth to]?’”
11 This is what the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel [1:4], and its Maker, says:
“You ask me about what will happen.
·You [or Do you…?; or How dare you…!] question me about my children.
·You [or Do you…?; or How dare you…!] give me orders about ·what I have made [the work of my hands].
12 I made the earth
and all the people living on it.
With my own hands I stretched out the ·skies [heavens],
and I commanded all ·the armies in the sky [or the stars in the sky; T their host].
13 I will ·bring [raise/stir up] ·Cyrus [L him; 44:28] ·to do good things [or for my righteous purpose; in my righteousness],
and I will make his ·work easy [ways/paths straight].
He will rebuild my city
and set my ·people [L exiles] free
without any payment or ·reward [gift; or bribe].
The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says this.”
14 The Lord says,
“The ·goods made in [L labor of] Egypt and the ·products [merchandise; or revenue] of ·Cush [Ethiopia]
and the tall people of Seba [43:3]
will ·come to [or be brought to] you
and will become yours.
·The Sabeans [L They] will walk behind you,
coming along in chains [C Israel is depicted as a great empire, receiving tribute from other nations].
They will bow down before you
and pray to you [C because they recognize Israel as God’s representative], saying,
‘God is with you,
and there is no other God.’”
15 God and Savior of Israel,
·you are [or how, then, can you be…?] a God ·that people cannot see [L who hides himself].
16 All the people who make idols will be put to great shame;
they will go off together in ·disgrace [humiliation; or confusion].
17 But Israel will be saved by the Lord,
and that salvation will continue forever.
Never again will Israel be ·put to shame [shamed; disgraced].
18 The Lord created the heavens.
He is the God who formed the earth and made it.
He did not ·want [create] it to be ·empty [or formless; chaotic; Gen. 1:2],
but he ·wanted life on the earth [L formed it to be inhabited].
This is what the Lord says:
“I am the Lord. There is no other God.
19 I did not speak in secret
or hide my words in some dark place.
I did not tell the ·family [descendants; offspring; seed] of Jacob
to ·look for me in empty places [or seek me in vain].
I am the Lord, and I speak the truth;
I say what is right.
20 “You ·people who have escaped [fugitives; refugees] from other nations,
gather together and come before me;
come near together.
People who carry idols of wood ·don’t know what they are doing [know nothing; or are fools].
They pray to a god who cannot save them.
21 ·Tell these people to come to me [or Declare and bring your case].
Let them ·talk about these things [take counsel] together.
Who told you long ago that this would happen?
Who told about it long ago?
I, the Lord, said these things.
There is no other God besides me.
I am the only good God. I am the Savior.
There is no other God.
22 “All ·people everywhere [the ends of the earth],
·follow [turn] and be saved.
I am God. There is no other God.
23 I ·will make a promise by my own power [L have sworn by myself],
and ·my promise is true [L a righteous/right/true word goes out of my mouth];
what I say will not ·be changed [be revoked; L return].
·I promise that everyone will bow before me [L For to me every knee will bow]
and ·will promise to follow me [L every tongue will swear; C allegiance; Rom. 14:11; Phil. 2:10].
24 People will say about me, ‘·Goodness [Righteousness; or Deliverance] and ·power [strength]
come only from the Lord.’”
Everyone who has been angry with him
will come to him and be ashamed.
25 But with the Lord’s help, the ·people [descendants; offspring; seed] of Israel
will be ·found to be good [justified; vindicated; or victorious],
and they will ·praise [boast/glory in] him.
Isaiah 45
English Standard Version
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:
2 “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,
3 (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.
4 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.
5 (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,
6 (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.
7 I form light and create darkness;
I make well-being and (M)create calamity;
I am the Lord, who does all these things.
8 (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.
9 (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
- Isaiah 45:2 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint level the mountains
- Isaiah 45:11 A slight emendation yields will you question me about my children, or command me concerning the work of my hands?
- Isaiah 45:19 Hebrew in emptiness
- Isaiah 45:23 Septuagint every tongue shall confess to God
Jesaja 45
Svenska Folkbibeln 2015
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:
2 Jag ska gå framför dig
och jämna ut höjderna[b].
Jag ska krossa kopparportarna
och knäcka järnbommarna.
3 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.
4 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.
5 (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,
6 (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.
7 (D) Jag formar ljuset och skapar mörkret,
jag ger lycka och skapar olycka.
Jag, Herren, gör allt detta.
8 (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
9 (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.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Svenska Folkbibeln 2015, Copyright © 2015 by Svenska Folkbibeln Foundation