45 The Lord says this to Cyrus, the king that he has chosen to serve him:
‘I hold your right hand.
I give you power over other nations,
to take away the weapons of their kings.
I will open the gates of cities in front of you,
and they will stay open.
2 I will go in front of you,
and I will make the mountains flat.
I will break bronze gates into pieces,
and I will cut through iron bars. [ a ]
3 I will take valuable things that people have stored in secret places,
and I will give them to you.
Then you will know that I am the Lord , Israel's God.
I am the one who calls you by your name.
4 I have called you on behalf of my people,
to help my servant, Jacob's descendants.
They are Israel's people, that I have chosen for myself.
You do not know me as your God,
but I have given to you an important name.
5 I am the Lord and there is nobody else like me.
There is no other God, except me.
You do not know me as your God,
but I will make you strong to fight battles.
6 Then all over the world, from east to west,
people will know that there is no other God.
Yes, I am the Lord
and there is nobody else like me.
7 I make light and I also make darkness.
I make peace as well as trouble.
I am the Lord .
I do all these things.
8 Let justice pour down from the sky like rain!
Let the earth be ready to receive it!
Then salvation and righteousness will grow together,
like strong plants.
I am the Lord,
and I will cause it to happen.’
9 It will be very bad for people who quarrel with their Maker. They are like pieces of a pot that are lying on the ground among all the other pieces. The clay does not say to the potter, ‘What do you think you are you making?’ The pot does not say to the potter, ‘Your work is useless!’
10 It will be very bad for people who say to their fathers, ‘What kind of child have you become a father to?’ And it will be bad for people who say to their mothers, ‘What kind of baby are you giving birth to?’
11 The Lord is Israel's Holy God. He is the one who created Israel. He says this about the things that will happen:
‘You should not ask me questions about my children.
You should not tell me what to do
with the people that I have made
12 It is I who made the earth.
I created the people who live on it.
I hung up the sky like a curtain.
I did that with my own hands!
I put all the stars in their places.
13 Now I have woken up Cyrus
to do for me things that are right.
I will make all his paths easy to travel on.
He will build again my city,
and he will make my people free to return home.
Nobody will have to pay him any money
or give him a bribe to do that.’
That is what the Lord Almighty says.
14 This is what the Lord says to his people:
‘I promise you that you will rule Egypt and Ethiopia,
and also those tall people from Seba.
They will bring to you the things that they buy and sell.
Those valuable things will belong to you.
They will walk behind you in chains,
as your slaves.
They will bend down low in front of you,
and they will even pray to you.
They will agree, “Surely God is with you.
There is nobody else like him. There is no other God.” ’
15 Yes, you are a God who hides yourself!
You are Israel's God, our Saviour!
16 People who make idols will all become ashamed.
People will insult them as they leave together.
17 The Lord will make Israel safe.
Israel will be safe and free for ever.
You will never be ashamed again.
People will never insult you again.
18 The Lord created the heavens. He is the true God. He created the earth and he put it in its place. He built it to be strong. He did not create it as an empty place. He made it for people to live there. He says,
‘I am the Lord .
There is nobody else who is like me.
19 I have not spoken secretly,
as I hid in a dark place.
I did not say to Jacob's descendants,
“Look for me, but you will not find me.”
I am the Lord . I speak what is right.
My message is true.
20 So come, you people of the nations,
you who have escaped from war.
Bring yourselves in front of me together!
People who carry wooden idols are fools!
They pray to gods who cannot rescue them.
21 Now decide together what you will say in court!
Tell me what you think!
Who said a long time ago what would happen?
Who spoke about it long before it happened?
It was I, the Lord !
There is nobody else like me.
There is no other God, except me.
I am a righteous God and I save my people.
There is no other God.
22 So turn to me and I will make you safe.
I say that to everybody all over the world.
Turn to me, because I am God.
There is nobody else like me.
23 This is my promise that I say is true.
I have spoken it honestly and I will not change it.
I promise this:
Everybody will go down on their knees in front of me.
Everybody will promise to serve me.
24 They will all say this about me:
“The Lord alone is true and strong.” ’
Everybody who has been angry with God will come to him.
They will be ashamed that they were angry.
25 The Lord will bring justice
for all the descendants of Israel.
They will say that the Lord is great!
45 This is what the Lord said to Cyrus, his chosen king [ a ] :
“I took you by your right hand to help you defeat nations,
to strip other kings of their power,
and to open city gates that will not be closed again.
2 I will go in front of you
and make the mountains flat.
I will break the city gates of bronze
and cut the iron bars on the gates.
3 I will give you the wealth that is stored in secret places.
I will give you those hidden treasures.
Then you will know that I am the Lord ,
the God of Israel, who calls you by name.
4 I do this for my servant, Jacob.
I do it for my chosen people, Israel.
Cyrus, I am calling you by name.
You don’t know me, but I know you. [ b ]
5 I am the Lord , the only God.
There is no other God except me.
I put your clothes on you, [ c ]
but still you don’t know me.
6 I am doing this so that everyone will know
that I am the only God.
From the east to the west, people will know that I am the Lord
and that there is no other God.
7 I made the light and the darkness.
I bring peace, and I cause trouble.
I, the Lord , do all these things.
8 “May the clouds in the skies above
pour goodness on the earth like rain.
May the earth open up
to let salvation grow.
And may goodness grow with that salvation,
which I, the Lord , created.
9 “Look at these people! They are arguing with the one who made them. Look at them argue with me. They are like pieces of clay from a broken pot. Clay does not say to the one molding it, ‘Man, what are you doing?’ Things that are made don’t have the power to question the one who makes them. 10 A father gives life to his children, and they cannot ask, ‘Why are you giving me life?’ They cannot question their mother and ask, ‘Why are you giving birth to me?’”
11 The Lord God is the Holy One of Israel. He created Israel, and he says,
“My children, you asked me to show you a sign.
You told me to show you what I have done. [ d ]
12 I made the earth,
and I created the people on it.
I used my own hands to make the skies.
And I command all the armies in the sky. [ e ]
13 I was right to give power to Cyrus, [ f ]
and I will make his work easy.
He will rebuild my city,
and he will set my people free without bribes or payment.”
The Lord All-Powerful said this.
14 The Lord says, “Egypt and Ethiopia are rich,
but, Israel, you will get those riches.
The tall people from Seba will be yours.
They will walk behind you with chains around their necks.
They will bow down before you
and ask you to pray for them and say,
‘The true God really is with you,
and there is no other God.’”
15 You are the God people cannot see.
You are the God who saves Israel.
16 Many people make false gods,
but they will be disappointed.
All of them will go away ashamed.
17 But Israel will be saved by the Lord .
That salvation will continue forever.
Never again will Israel be shamed.
18 The Lord is God.
He made the skies and the earth.
He put the earth in its place.
He did not want the earth to be empty when he made it.
He created it to be lived on.
“I am the Lord .
There is no other God.
19 I have spoken openly, not in secret.
I did not hide my words in a dark and secret place.
I did not tell the people of Jacob
to look for me in empty places.
I am the Lord , and I speak the truth.
I say only what is right.
20 “You people who escaped from other nations, gather together before me. (These people carry statues of false gods. They pray to useless gods, but they don’t know what they are doing. 21 Tell them to come to me. Let them present their case and discuss these things.)
“Who told you about this before it happened? Who told you this so long ago? I, the Lord , am the one who said these things. I am the only God, the one who does what is right. I am the one who saves, and there is no other! 22 So all you people in faraway places, turn to me and be saved, because I am God, and there is no other.
23 “When I make a promise, that promise is true. It will happen. And I swear by my own power that everyone will bow before me and will take an oath to obey me. 24 They will say, ‘Goodness and strength come only from the Lord .’”
And all who show their anger against him will be humiliated. 25 The Lord will help the people of Israel live right [ g ] and praise their God.
45 Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;
2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:
3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord , which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.
4 For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.
5 I am the Lord , and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:
6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord , and there is none else.
7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.
8 Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the Lord have created it.
9 Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?
10 Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth?
11 Thus saith the Lord , the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.
12 I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.
13 I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the Lord of hosts.
14 Thus saith the Lord , The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.
15 Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.
16 They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols.
17 But Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.
18 For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord ; and there is none else.
19 I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the Lord speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.
20 Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save.
21 Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the Lord ? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.
22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
24 Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.
25 In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.
45 This is what the Lord says to ( A ) Cyrus His anointed,
Whom I have taken by the right ( B ) hand,
To ( C ) subdue nations before him
And [ a ] to ( D ) undo the weapons belt on the waist of kings;
To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:
2 “I will go before you and ( E ) make the [ b ] rough places smooth;
I will ( F ) shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron ( G ) bars.
3 I will give you the [ c ] ( H ) treasures of darkness
And hidden wealth of secret places,
So that you may know that it is I,
The Lord , the God of Israel, who ( I ) calls you by your name.
4 For the sake of ( J ) Jacob My servant,
And Israel My chosen one ,
I have also ( K ) called you by your name;
I have given you a title of honor
Though you have ( L ) not known Me.
5 I am the Lord , and ( M ) there is no one else;
( N ) There is no God except Me.
I will ( O ) [ d ] arm you, though you have not known Me,
6 So that ( P ) people may know from the rising to the setting of the sun
That there is ( Q ) no one besides Me.
I am the Lord , and there is no one else,
7 The One ( R ) forming light and ( S ) creating darkness,
Causing [ e ] well-being and ( T ) creating disaster;
I am the Lord who does all these things.
8 “ ( U ) Drip down, heavens, from above,
And let the clouds pour down righteousness;
Let the ( V ) earth open up and salvation bear fruit,
( W ) And righteousness sprout with it.
I, the Lord , have created it.
9 “Woe to the one who ( X ) quarrels with [ f ] his Maker—
A piece of pottery [ g ] among the other earthenware pottery pieces!
Will the ( Y ) clay say to the [ h ] potter, ‘What are you doing?’
Or the thing you are making say , ‘He has no hands’?
10 Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you fathering?’
Or to a woman, ‘To what are you [ i ] giving birth?’”
11 This is what the ( Z ) Lord says, the Holy One of Israel and [ j ] his ( AA ) Maker:
“ [ k ] ( AB ) Ask Me about the things to come [ l ] concerning My ( AC ) sons,
And you shall commit to Me ( AD ) the work of My hands.
12 It is I who ( AE ) made the earth, and created mankind upon it.
I ( AF ) stretched out the heavens with My hands,
And I [ m ] ordained ( AG ) all their [ n ] lights.
13 I have stirred him in ( AH ) righteousness,
And I will ( AI ) make all his ways smooth.
He will ( AJ ) build My city and let My exiles go ( AK ) free,
Without any payment or reward,” says the Lord of armies.
14 This is what the Lord says:
“The [ o ] products of ( AL ) Egypt and the merchandise of [ p ] ( AM ) Cush
And the Sabeans, men of stature,
Will ( AN ) come over to you and will be yours;
They will walk behind you, they will come over in ( AO ) chains
And will ( AP ) bow down to you;
They will plead with you:
‘ [ q ] ( AQ ) God certainly is [ r ] with you, and ( AR ) there is no one else,
No other God.’”
15 Truly, You are a God who ( AS ) hides Himself,
God of Israel, ( AT ) Savior!
16 They will be ( AU ) put to shame and even humiliated, all of them;
The ( AV ) manufacturers of idols will go away together in humiliation.
17 Israel has been saved by the Lord
With an ( AW ) everlasting salvation;
You ( AX ) will not be put to shame or humiliated
To all eternity.
18 For this is what the Lord says, He who ( AY ) created the heavens (He is the God who ( AZ ) formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it [ s ] as a ( BA ) waste place, but formed it to be ( BB ) inhabited):
“I am the Lord , and ( BC ) there is no one else.
19 ( BD ) I have not spoken in secret,
In [ t ] some dark land;
I did not say to the [ u ] ( BE ) offspring of Jacob,
‘ ( BF ) Seek Me in [ v ] a wasteland’;
I, the Lord , ( BG ) speak righteousness,
( BH ) Declaring things that are right.
20 “ ( BI ) Gather yourselves and come;
Come together, you survivors of the nations!
( BJ ) They have no knowledge,
Who ( BK ) carry around [ w ] their wooden idol
And ( BL ) pray to a god who cannot save.
21 ( BM ) Declare and present your case ;
Indeed, let them consult together.
( BN ) Who has announced this long ago?
Who has long since declared it?
Is it not I, the Lord ?
And there is ( BO ) no other God besides Me,
A righteous God and a ( BP ) Savior;
There is none except Me.
22 ( BQ ) Turn to Me and ( BR ) be saved, all the ends of the earth;
For I am God, and there is no other.
23 ( BS ) I have sworn by Myself;
The ( BT ) word has gone out from My mouth in righteousness
And will not turn back,
That to Me ( BU ) every knee will bow, every tongue will ( BV ) swear allegiance .
24 They will say of Me, ‘Only ( BW ) in the Lord are righteousness and strength.’
People will come to Him,
And ( BX ) all who were angry at Him will be put to shame.
25 In the Lord all the offspring of Israel
Will be ( BY ) justified and will ( BZ ) boast.”
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:
2 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 )
3 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 )
4 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.
5 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,
6 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.
7 I form the light and create darkness, ( U )
I bring prosperity and create disaster; ( V )
I, the Lord , do all these things.
8 “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.
9 “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 )
