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.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 45:2 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint level the mountains

Cyrus as God’s anointed

45 The Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus,
    whom I have grasped by the strong hand,
    to conquer nations before him,
    disarming kings,
    and opening doors before him,
    so no gates will be shut:
I myself will go before you,
    and I will level mountains.
I will shatter bronze doors;
    I will cut through iron bars.
I will give you hidden treasures of secret riches,
    so you will know that I am the Lord,
    the God of Israel, who calls you by name.
For the sake of my servant Jacob and Israel my chosen,
    I called you by name.
I gave you an honored title,
    though you didn’t know me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other;
    besides me there is no God.
I strengthen you—
    though you don’t know me—
so all will know, from the rising of the sun to its setting,
    that there is nothing apart from me.
I am the Lord; there’s no other.
    I form light and create darkness,
    make prosperity and create doom;
    I am the Lord, who does all these things.

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