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Cyrus the Anointed

45 Thus says Adonai to His anointed, Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him,
to loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him
    so that gates may not be shut.
I will go before you
and make crooked places straight.
I will shatter bronze doors
and cut through iron bars.
I will give you treasures of darkness
and hidden riches of secret places,
so you may know that I am Adonai,
    the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.
For the sake of Jacob My servant,
and Israel My chosen one,
I have also called you by name,
I have given you a title of honor,
though you have not known Me.
I am Adonai—there is no other.
Besides Me there is no God.
I will strengthen you,
though you have not known Me,
so they may know,
    from the rising to the setting of the sun,
that there is no one besides Me.
I am Adonai—there is no other.
I form light and create darkness.
I make shalom and create calamity.
I, Adonai, do all these things.

“Rain down, O heavens, from above,
and let the clouds pour down justice.
Let the earth open up,
let salvation sprout,
and righteousness spring up with it.
I, Adonai, have created it.”

Oy, to one who quarrels with his Maker,
like a pot among the pots of the earth!
Shall the clay say to the potter,
    “What have you made?”
Or does your work say,
    “It has no handles”?[a]
10 Oy, to him who says to his father,
    “What have you begotten?”
Or to a woman,
“What have you born?”

11 Thus says Adonai,
the Holy One of Israel and its Maker,
“Ask Me about the things to come
upon My children.
Then you will commit to Me the work of My hands.
12 I made the earth and created man on it.
My hands stretched out the heavens
and I commanded all their host.

13 “I stirred Cyrus up in righteousness
and I will level all his roads.
He will build My city
and set My exiles free,
with no price or bribe,”
    says Adonai-Tzva’ot.

14 Thus says Adonai:
“Egypt’s toil, Ethiopia’s merchandise, and the tall Sabeans
    will come over to you and be yours.
They will walk behind you in chains.
They will bow down to you, and pray,
    saying, ‘Surely God is with you!’
There is none else—no other God!”

Mystery of Creation

15 Truly You are a God who hides Himself,
O God of Israel, Savior!
16 All of them will be ashamed, disgraced—
idol-makers go in dishonor together.
17 Israel has been saved by Adonai
    with an everlasting salvation.
You will not be put to shame
    or disgraced, for ever and ever.

18 For thus says Adonai
He is God who fashioned the heavens,
    who formed the earth and made it,
    He established it
    and did not create it desolate
    but formed it to be inhabited—
“I am Adonai—there is no other!”
19 “I have not spoken in secret,
    in a place of a land of darkness.
I did not say to the seed of Jacob,
    ‘Seek Me in desolation.’
I, Adonai, speak righteousness,
    declaring uprightly.”

No Other God and Savior

20 “Assemble yourselves and come,
draw near together, fugitives of the nations!
Those who carry their wooden idols have no knowledge,
    praying to a god who cannot save.
21 Declare and present your case,
Indeed, let them consult together.
Who foretold this from ancient time?
Who has declared it of old?
Is it not I, Adonai?
There is no other God beside Me
—a righteous God and a Savior—
there is none besides Me![b]
22 Turn to Me, and be saved,
all the ends of the earth.
For I am God—there is no other.
23 By Myself I have sworn—
the word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness,
    and is irrevocable:
that to Me every knee will bow,
    every tongue will swear.[c]
24 They will say of Me,
    ‘Only in Adonai is righteousness and strength.’
All who have raged against Him
will come to Him and be put to shame.
25 In Adonai all the seed of Israel
will be justified and give praise.”

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