Isaiah 44:28–45:13

28 who says of Cyrus,t ‘He is my shepherd

and will accomplish all that I please;

he will say of Jerusalem,u “Let it be rebuilt,”

and of the temple,v “Let its foundationsw be laid.” ’

45 “This is what the Lord says to his anointed,x

to Cyrus,y whose right hand I take holdz of

to subdue nationsa 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 youb

and will levelc the mountainsa;

I will break down gatesd of bronze

and cut through bars of iron.e

3 I will give you hidden treasures,f

riches stored in secret places,g

so that you may knowh that I am the Lord,

the God of Israel, who summons you by name.i

4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,j

of Israel my chosen,

I summon you by name

and bestow on you a title of honor,

though you do not acknowledgek me.

5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;l

apart from me there is no God.m

I will strengthen you,n

though you have not acknowledged me,

6 so that from the rising of the sun

to the place of its settingo

people may knowp there is none besides me.q

I am the Lord, and there is no other.

7 I form the light and create darkness,r

I bring prosperity and create disaster;s

I, the Lord, do all these things.

8 “You heavens above, raint down my righteousness;u

let the clouds shower it down.

Let the earth open wide,

let salvationv spring up,

let righteousness flourish with it;

I, the Lord, have created it.

9 “Woe to those who quarrelw with their Maker,x

those who are nothing but potsherdsy

among the potsherds on the ground.

Does the clay say to the potter,z

‘What are you making?’a

Does your work say,

‘The potter has no hands’?b

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 Onec of Israel, and its Maker:d

Concerning things to come,

do you question me about my children,

or give me orders about the work of my hands?e

12 It is I who made the earthf

and created mankind on it.

My own hands stretched out the heavens;g

I marshaled their starry hosts.h

13 I will raise up Cyrusb i in my righteousness:

I will make all his ways straight.j

He will rebuild my cityk

and set my exiles free,

but not for a price or reward,l

says the Lord Almighty.”