Old/New Testament

This is what the Lord says to his anointed one,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped,
    to subdue nations before him
    by stripping kings of their weapons,
    to open doors before him
    so that the gates cannot be shut.

²     I myself will go before you,
    and I will level high mountains.^[a]
    I will break bronze doors into pieces,
    and I will cut through iron bars.
³     I will give you treasures hidden in darkness
    and riches concealed in secret places,
    so that you will acknowledge that I am the Lord,
    the one who calls you by name, the God of Israel.
⁴     For the sake of my servant Jacob,
    for the sake of Israel my chosen one,
    I will call you by your name.
    I will give you an honored name, though you do not know me.
⁵     I am the Lord, and there is no other.
    Except for me, there is no god.
    I will equip you even though you do not know me,
⁶     so that people will know from the rising of the sun
            to the place where it sets
        that there is no one except me.
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.
⁷     I am the one who forms light and creates darkness,
    the one who makes peace and creates disaster.
    I am the Lord, the one who does all these things.

¹¹ This is what the Lord says,
the Holy One of Israel, who formed Israel.
    Do you wish to question me concerning things to come?
    Will you give me orders about my children
    and about the work of my hands?
¹²     I myself made the earth,
    and I created Adam^[b] upon it.
    With my hands I stretched out the heavens,
    and I commanded all their army.

¹⁸ This is what the Lord says.
He created the heavens,
He is God!
He formed the earth and made it.
Yes, he established it!
He did not create it to remain empty.^[c]
He formed it to be inhabited.

I am the Lord, and there is no other.
¹⁹ I did not speak in secret,
or from someplace in a land of darkness.
I did not say to the descendants^[d] of Jacob,
“Seek me in the midst of chaos.”^[e]
I, the Lord, am speaking in righteousness.
I am declaring what is right.

²⁰ Gather! Come! Draw near together,
you survivors from the nations.
They have no knowledge—
those who are lifting up their idols of wood
and praying to a god that cannot save.
²¹ Make an announcement and come close.
Let them consult together.
Who made this known ahead of time?
From time past who announced it?
Was it not I, the Lord?
There is no god except me,
a righteous God and Savior.
There is no one except me.
²² Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth,
because I am God,
and there is no other.
²³ I have sworn by myself.
From my mouth a righteous word has gone out,
and it will not return unfulfilled.
Indeed, to me every knee will bow,
and every tongue will swear allegiance.
²⁴ “Only in the Lord,” they will say of me,
“Only in the Lord is there true righteousness and strength.”
To him they will come and be ashamed—
all those who are angry at him.
²⁵ In the Lord, all the descendants^[f] of Israel will be justified.
They will be praised by him.^[g]

Bel bows down. Nebo stoops.
Babylon’s idols are a heavy load, carried by animals and cattle.
They are dead weight for the tired animals that carry them.
² The animals stoop. They bow down together.
They are not able to save their burdensome load.
They go into captivity.

³ Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
all of you who are left from the house of Israel,
you who have been carried from birth,
you who have been lifted up from before you were born.
⁴     Until your old age, I am he,
    and until you have gray hair, I myself will hold you up.
    I myself made you, and I myself will lift you up.
    I myself will hold you up, and I will rescue you.

⁵ Whom can you set beside me as if we were equal?
Whom can you compare to me as if we were alike?
⁶ People pour out gold from a purse
and weigh out silver on a scale.
They hire a smith,
and he makes the metal into a god.
They bow down to it. They even worship it.
⁷ They lift it up. They carry it on their shoulders.
They set it up in its place, but it just stands there.
It cannot move from its place.
Even when someone cries out to it, it does not answer.
It cannot save him from his distress.
⁸ Remember this, and stand firm.
You rebels, take this to heart!

⁹ Remember the former^[h] things that took place long ago,
for I am God, and there is no other.
I am God, and there is no one like me.
¹⁰ I am the one who announces the final outcome already in the beginning.
I announce ahead of time things that have not yet been done.
I am the one who says, “My plan will stand,
and I will do everything I want to do.”
¹¹ I am the one who calls a bird of prey from the east.
I call the man who fulfills my plan from a faraway land.
Yes, I have spoken. I will certainly bring it to pass.
I have formed a plan, and I will certainly carry it out.
¹² Listen to me, you who have stubborn hearts,
you who are far from righteousness.
¹³ I will bring my righteousness near. It will not be far away.
I will bring my salvation near. It will not be delayed.
I will set up salvation in Zion,
and I will show my splendor to Israel.