Isaiah 45:1-7

The Voice

45 This is what the Eternal One says to His chosen agent, Cyrus the Persian.

God has a special mission for Cyrus, the Persian emperor: to lead the world and free His exiled people. The Scripture is clear: God, not kings, directs history. Kings—and sometimes their subjects—often need to be reminded of that. The Eternal, the one True God, stands above and behind human history, directing and orchestrating its events.

Eternal One: Not by his hand alone, but with his in Mine,
        nations are vanquished, their leaders conquered;
    Doors and gates open without a fight
        and will not close.

²    (to Cyrus) I will go ahead of you and smooth the way, lower the heights,
        break down bronze doors, and cut through iron bars.
³    I will give you hidden treasures
        and wealth tucked away in secret places;
    I will reveal them to you.
        Then you will know that I am
        the Eternal, the God of Israel, who calls you by name.
⁴    For the sake of My servant Jacob, My chosen people Israel,
        I have called you by name, made you who you are,
    And bestowed an honorable title on you, even though you don’t know Me.
⁵    I am the Eternal One; there is no other God but Me,
        and even though you don’t know Me, I am preparing you for victory.
⁶    I am doing all this so that people all around the world
        may know that I alone am the Eternal, the only God.
⁷    I form light and create darkness;
        I make what is good, happy, and healthy, and I create woe.
        I, the Eternal One, make them one and all.