Isaiah 45:14–25

¹⁴The Lord says to Israel,

“The wealth of Egypt and Ethiopia^v will be yours,

and the tall men of Seba will be your slaves;

they will follow you in chains.

They will bow down to you and confess,

‘God is with you—he alone is God.

¹⁵The God of Israel, who saves his people,

is a God who conceals himself.

¹⁶Those who make idols will all be ashamed;

all of them will be disgraced.

¹⁷But Israel is saved by the Lord,

and her victory lasts for ever;

her people will never be disgraced.’ ”

¹⁸The Lord created the heavens—

he is the one who is God!

He formed and made the earth—

he made it firm and lasting.

He did not make it a desolate waste,

but a place for people to live in.

It is he who says, “I am the Lord,

and there is no other god.

¹⁹I have not spoken in secret

or kept my purpose hidden.

I did not require the people of Israel

to look for me in a desolate waste.

I am the Lord, and I speak the truth;

I make known what is right.”

The of the World and the Idols of Babylon

²⁰The Lord says,

“Come together, people of the nations,

all who survive the fall of the empire;

present yourselves for the trial!

The people who parade with their idols of wood

and pray to gods that cannot save them—

those people know nothing at all!

²¹Come and present your case in court;

let the defendants consult one another.

Who predicted long ago what would happen?

Was it not I, the Lord, the God who saves his people?

There is no other god.

²²“Turn to me now and be saved,

people all over the world!

I am the only God there is.

^23*My promise is true,

and it will not be changed.

I solemnly promise by all that I am:

Everyone will come and kneel before me

and vow to be loyal to me.

²⁴“They will say that only through me

are victory and strength to be found;

but all who hate me will suffer disgrace.

²⁵I, the Lord, will rescue all the descendants of Jacob,

and they will give me praise.