Isaiah 45
45
Chapter 45
1The 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.
2I 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. #45:2 See Psalms 107:16.
3I 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.
4I 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.
5I 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.
6Then 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.
7I make light and I also make darkness.
I make peace as well as trouble.
I am the Lord.
I do all these things.
8Let 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.’
9It 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!’
10It 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?’
11The 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
12It 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.
13Now 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.
14This 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.” ’
15Yes, you are a God who hides yourself!
You are Israel's God, our Saviour!
16People who make idols will all become ashamed.
People will insult them as they leave together.
17The 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.
18The 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.
19I 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.
20So 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.
21Now 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.
22So 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.
23This 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.
24They 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.
25The Lord will bring justice
for all the descendants of Israel.
They will say that the Lord is great!
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Isaiah 45: EASY
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Isaiah 45
45
Cyrus Obeys the Lord's Commands
1The Lord said to Cyrus, his chosen one:
I have taken hold
of your right hand
to help you capture nations
and remove kings from power.
City gates will open for you;
not one will stay closed.
2As I lead you,
I will level mountains#45.2 mountains: The Dead Sea Scrolls and one ancient translation; the Standard Hebrew Text “rising waves.”
and break the iron bars
on bronze gates of cities.
3I will give you treasures
hidden in dark
and secret places.
Then you will know that I,
the Lord God of Israel,
have called you by name.
4Cyrus, you don't even know me!
But I have called you by name
and highly honored you#45.4 But … you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
because of Israel,
my chosen servant.
5Only I am the Lord!
There are no other gods.
I have made you strong,
though you don't know me.
6Now everyone from east to west
will learn that I am the Lord.
No other gods are real.
7I create light and darkness,
happiness and sorrow.
I, the Lord, do all this.
8Tell the heavens
to send down justice
like showers of rain.
Prepare the earth
for my saving power
to sprout and produce justice
that I, the Lord, create.#45.8 Prepare … create: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
The Lord's Mighty Power
The Lord said:
9 #
Is 29.16; Ro 9.20. Israel, you have no right
to argue with your Creator.
You are merely a clay pot
shaped by a potter.
The clay doesn't ask,
“Why did you make me this way?
Where are the handles?”
10Children don't have the right
to demand of their parents,
“What have you done
to make us what we are?”
11I am the Lord, the Creator,
the holy God of Israel.
Do you dare question me
about my own nation
or about what I have done?
12I created the world
and covered it with people;
I stretched out the sky
and filled it with stars.
13I have done the right thing
by placing Cyrus in power,
and I will make the roads easy
for him to follow.
I am the Lord All-Powerful!
Cyrus will rebuild my city
and set my people free
without being paid a thing.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
The Lord Alone Can Save
14My people, I, the Lord, promise
that the riches of Egypt
and the treasures of Ethiopia#45.14 Ethiopia: See the note at 11.11.
will belong to you.
You will force into slavery
those tall people of Seba.#45.14 Seba: See the note at 43.3.
They will bow down and say,
“The only true God is with you;
there are no other gods.”
15People of Israel,
your God is a mystery,
though he alone can save.
16Anyone who makes idols
will be confused
and terribly disgraced.
17But Israel, I, the Lord,
will always keep you safe
and free from shame.
Everyone Is Invited
18The Lord alone is God!
He created the heavens
and made a world
where people can live,
instead of creating
an empty desert.
The Lord alone is God;
there are no others.
19The Lord did not speak
in a dark secret place
or command Jacob's descendants
to search for him in vain.
The Lord speaks the truth,
and this is what he says
20to every survivor
from every nation:
“Gather around me!
Learn how senseless it is
to worship wooden idols
or pray to helpless gods.
21“Why don't you get together
and meet me in court?
Didn't I tell you long ago
what would happen?
I am the only God!
There are no others.
I bring about justice,
and have the power to save.
22“I invite the whole world
to turn to me and be saved.
I alone am God!
No others are real.
23 #
Ro 14.11; Phil 2.10,11. I have made a solemn promise,
one that won't be broken:
Everyone will bow down
and worship me.
24They will admit that I alone
can bring about justice.
Everyone who is angry with me
will be terribly ashamed
and will turn to me.
25I, the Lord, will give
victory and great honor
to the people of Israel.”
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