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 honoured 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 of 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:
9Israel, you have no right#Is 29.16; Ro 9.20.
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.
23I have made a solemn promise,#Ro 14.11; Phil 2.10,11.
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 honour
to the people of Israel.”
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Isaiah 45: CEVUK
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
Isaiah 45
45
God Calls Cyrus
(2 Chronicles 36:22–23; Ezra 1:1–4)
1This is what the Lord says to Cyrus His anointed,
whose right hand I have grasped
to subdue nations before him,
to disarm kings,
to open the doors before him,
so that the gates will not be shut:
2“I will go before you
and level the mountains;#45:2 DSS and LXX; MT level the terrain
I will break down the gates of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron.
3I will give you the treasures of darkness
and the riches hidden in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, who calls you by name.
4For the sake of Jacob My servant
and Israel My chosen one,
I call you by name;
I have given you a title of honor,
though you have not known Me.
5I am the Lord, and there is no other;
there is no God but Me.
I will equip you for battle,
though you have not known Me,
6so that all may know,
from where the sun rises to where it sets,
that there is none but Me;
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
7I form the light and create the darkness;
I bring prosperity and create calamity.
I, the Lord, do all these things.
8Drip down, O heavens, from above,
and let the skies pour down righteousness.
Let the earth open up that salvation may sprout
and righteousness spring up with it;
I, the Lord, have created it.
9Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker—
one clay pot among many.
Does the clay ask the potter,
‘What are you making?’#45:9 Cited in Romans 9:20
Does your work say,
‘He has no hands’?
10Woe to him who says to his father,
‘What have you begotten?’
or to his mother,
‘What have you brought forth?’”
11Thus says the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker:
“How dare you question Me about My sons,
or instruct Me in the work of My hands?
12It is I who made the earth
and created man upon it.
It was My hands that stretched out the heavens,
and I ordained all their host.
13I will raise up Cyrus in righteousness,
and I will make all his ways straight.
He will rebuild My city
and set My exiles free,
but not for payment or reward,
says the Lord of Hosts.”
14This is what the Lord says:
“The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,#45:14 That is, the upper Nile region
along with the Sabeans, men of stature,
will come over to you
and will be yours;
they will trudge behind you;
they will come over in chains and bow down to you.
They will confess to you:
‘God is indeed with you, and there is no other;
there is no other God.’”
15Truly You are a God who hides Himself,
O God of Israel, the Savior.
16They will all be put to shame and humiliated;
the makers of idols will depart together in disgrace.
17But Israel will be saved by the Lord
with an everlasting salvation;
you will not be put to shame or humiliated,
to ages everlasting.
18For thus says the Lord,
who created the heavens—He is God;
He formed the earth and fashioned it;
He established it;
He did not create it to be empty,
but formed it to be inhabited:
“I am the Lord,
and there is no other.
19I have not spoken in secret,
from a place in a land of darkness.
I did not say to the descendants of Jacob,
‘Seek Me in a wasteland.’
I, the Lord, speak the truth;
I say what is right.
20Come, gather together, and draw near,
you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant are those who carry idols of wood
and pray to a god that cannot save.
21Speak up and present your case—
yes, let them take counsel together.
Who foretold this long ago?
Who announced it from ancient times?
Was it not I, the Lord?
There is no other God but Me,
a righteous God and Savior;
there is none but Me.
22Turn to Me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth;
for I am God,
and there is no other.
23By Myself I have sworn;
truth has gone out from My mouth,
a word that will not be revoked:
Every knee will bow before Me,
every tongue will swear allegiance.#45:23 Literally every tongue will swear; LXX every tongue will swear by God; cited in Romans 14:11
24Surely they will say of Me,
‘In the Lord alone are righteousness and strength.’”
All who rage against Him
will come to Him and be put to shame.
25In the Lord all descendants of Israel
will be justified and will exult.
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The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. This text of God's Word has been dedicated to the public domain.