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45 This is what the Lord says about Cyrus, his [a] anointed one:

I have held him by his right hand
so he could conquer the nations ahead of him,
strip kings of their power,
and open doors ahead of him
so that the gates would not be shut.
I will go ahead of you, Cyrus, and smooth out the rough places.
I will break down the bronze doors and cut through the iron bars.
I will give you treasures from dark places and hidden stockpiles.
Then you will know that I, the Lord God of Israel,
have called you by name.

For the sake of my servant Jacob,
Israel, my chosen one,
I have called you by name.
I have given you a title of honor, although you don’t know me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
There is no other God besides me.
I will strengthen you, although you don’t know me,
so that from the east to the west people will know
that there is no God except me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
I make light and create darkness.
I make blessings and create disasters.
I, the Lord, do all these things.

Rain down from above, you heavens,
and pour down righteousness, you skies.
Let the earth open.
Let salvation and righteousness sprout.
Let them spring up.
I, the Lord, have created them.

How horrible it will be for the one who quarrels with his maker.
He is pottery among other earthenware pots.
Does the clay ask the one who shapes it, “What are you making?”
Does your work say to you, “There are no handles”?
10 How horrible it will be for the one
who says to his father, “Why did you conceive me?”
or to his mother, “Why did you go through labor pains for me?”

11 The Lord is the Holy One and the maker of Israel.

This is what the Lord says:

Ask me about what is going to happen to my children!
Are you going to give me orders concerning my handiwork?
12 I made the earth and created humans on it.
I stretched out the heavens with my own hands.
I commanded all the stars ⌞to shine⌟.
13 I prepared Cyrus for my righteous purpose.
I will make all his roads straight.
He will build my city and let my exiles go free
without any payment or any reward, says the Lord of Armies.

14 This is what the Lord says:

The products from Egypt, the merchandise from Sudan,
and the important Sabaeans will come to you.
They will belong to you.
They will follow you.
They will come to you in chains.
They will bow to you and pray to you,
“Certainly God is with you alone, and there is no other God.”

15 Certainly, you are a God who has hidden himself.
You are the God of Israel, the Savior!
16 Those who make idols will be ashamed and disgraced.
They will go away completely disgraced.
17 Israel has been saved by the Lord forever.
You will never again be ashamed or disgraced.

18 The Lord created the heavens.
God formed the earth and made it.
He set it up.
He did not create it to be empty
but formed it to be inhabited.

This is what the Lord says:

I am the Lord, and there is no other.
19 I haven’t spoken privately or in some dark corner of the world.
I didn’t say to Jacob’s descendants,
“Search for me in vain!”
I, the Lord, speak what is fair and say what is right.

20 Come here, you refugees from the nations.
Ignorant people carry wooden idols
and pray to gods that cannot save ⌞anyone⌟.
21 Speak and present your case. Yes, let them consult one another.
Who revealed this in the distant past and predicted it long ago?
Wasn’t it I, the Lord?
There is no other God except me.
There is no other righteous God and Savior besides me.

22 Turn to me and be saved, all who live at the ends of the earth,
because I am God, and there is no other.
23 I have bound myself with an oath.
A word has gone out from my righteous mouth
that will not be recalled,
“Every knee will bow to me
and every tongue will swear ⌞allegiance⌟.”
24 It will be said of me,
“Certainly, righteousness and strength are found in the Lord alone.”

All who are angry with him will come to him and be ashamed.
25 All the descendants of Israel will be declared righteous,
and they will praise the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. 45:1 Masoretic Text; Greek “my.”

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