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45 Thus says Adonai to Koresh, his anointed,
whose right hand he has grasped,
so that he subdues nations before him
and strips kings of their robes,
so that doors open in front of him,
and no gates are barred:
“I will go ahead of you,
levelling the hills,
shattering the bronze gates,
smashing the iron bars.
I will give you treasures
hoarded in the dark,
secret riches hidden away,
so that you will know that I, Adonai,
calling you by your name,
am the God of Isra’el.
It is for the sake of Ya‘akov my servant,
yes, for Isra’el my elect,
that I call you by your name
and give you a title, although you don’t know me.
I am Adonai; there is no other;
besides me there is no God.
I am arming you, although you don’t know me,
so that those from the east and those from the west
will know that there is none besides me —
I am Adonai; there is no other.
I form light, I create darkness;
I make well-being, I create woe;
I, Adonai, do all these things.

“Heavens above, rain down justice;
let the clouds pour it down.
Let the earth open,
so that salvation springs up,
and justice sprouts with it.
I, Adonai, have created it.”

Woe to anyone who argues with his maker,
like potsherds lying on the ground!
Does the clay ask the potter, “What are you doing?”
or, “What’s this you’re making, that has no hands?”
10 Woe to him who asks a father,
“Of what are you the father?”
or who asks a woman,
“To what are you giving birth?”

11 Thus says Adonai,
the Holy One of Isra’el, his Maker:
“You ask for signs concerning my children?
You give orders concerning the work of my hands?
12 I am the one who made the earth!
I created human beings on it!
I — my hands — stretched out the heavens,
and directed all their number.
13 I am stirring up Koresh to righteousness,
I am smoothing out all his paths.
He will rebuild my city;
and he will free my exiles,
taking neither ransom nor bribe,”
says Adonai-Tzva’ot.

14 Here is what Adonai says:
“The earnings of Egypt, the commerce of Ethiopia,
and men of stature from S’va
will come over to you and become yours;
they will come in chains and follow you.
They will prostrate themselves before you;
they will pray to you:
‘Surely God is with you; there is no other,
other gods are nothing.’”

15 Truly, you are a God who hides himself,
God of Isra’el, Savior!
16 The idol-makers will be ashamed,
disgraced, all of them;
they will go dishonored together.
17 But Isra’el, saved by Adonai
with an everlasting salvation,
you will never, ever, be ashamed or disgraced.

18 For thus says Adonai, who created the heavens,
God, who shaped and made the earth,
who established and created it not to be chaos,
but formed it to be lived in:
“I am Adonai; there is no other.
19 I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness.
I did not say to the descendants of Ya‘akov,
‘It is in vain that you will seek me.’
I, Adonai, speak rightly; I say what is true.
20 Assemble, come and gather together,
you refugees from the nations!
Those carrying their wooden idols are ignorant,
they pray to a god that cannot save.
21 Let them stand and present their case!
Indeed, let them take counsel together.
Who foretold this long ago,
announced it in times gone by?
Wasn’t it I, Adonai?
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,
all the ends of the earth!
For I am God;
there is no other.
23 In the name of myself I have sworn,
from my mouth has rightly gone out,
a word that will not return —
that to me every knee will bow
and every tongue will swear 24 about me
that only in Adonai
are justice and strength.”

All who rage against him
will come to him ashamed,
25 but all the descendants of Isra’el
will find justice and glory in Adonai.

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