Isaiah 44–45

Spiritual Blessing

44“And now listen, Jacob My servant,

Israel whom I have chosen. ^w

²This is the word of the Lord

your Maker who formed you from the womb;

He ^xwill help you:

Do not fear; Jacob is My servant;

I have chosen Jeshurun. ^yz

³For I will pour water on the thirsty land

and streams on the dry ground;

I will pour out My Spirit ^aon your descendants

and My blessing on your offspring.

⁴They will sprout among ^bthe grass

like poplars by flowing streams.

⁵This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;

another will call himself by the name of Jacob;

still another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’

and name himself by the name of Israel.”

No God Other Than Yahweh

⁶This is what the Lord, the King of Israel and its Redeemer, ^cthe Lord of Hosts, says:

I am the first and I am the last. ^d

There is no God but Me. ^e

⁷Who, like Me, can announce the future?

Let him say so and make a case before Me, ^f

since I have established an ancient people.

Let these gods declare ^gthe coming things,

and what will take place.

⁸Do not be startled or afraid.

Have I not told you and declared it long ago?

You are my witnesses! ^h

Is there any God but Me? ⁱ

There is no other Rock; ^jI do not know any.

⁹All who make idols are nothing,

and what they treasure does not profit.

Their witnesses do not see or know anything,

so they will be put to shame. ^k

¹⁰Who makes a god or casts a metal image

for no profit? ^l

¹¹Look, all its worshipers will be put to shame,

and the craftsmen are humans.

They all will assemble and stand;

they all will be startled and put to shame.

¹²The ironworker labors over the coals,

shapes the idol with hammers,

and works it with his strong arm.

Also he grows hungry and his strength fails;

he doesn’t drink water and is faint.

¹³The woodworker stretches out a measuring line,

he outlines it with a stylus;

he shapes it with chisels

and outlines it with a compass.

He makes it according to a human likeness, ^m

like a beautiful person,

to dwell in a temple.

¹⁴He cuts down ⁿcedars for his use,

or he takes a cypress or an oak.

He lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest.

He plants a laurel, and the rain makes it grow.

¹⁵It serves as fuel for man.

He takes some of it and warms himself;

also he kindles a fire and bakes bread;

he even makes it into a god and worships it;

he makes an idol from it and bows down to it.

¹⁶He burns half of it in a fire,

and he roasts meat on that half.

He eats the roast and is satisfied.

He warms himself and says, “Ah!

I am warm, I see the blaze.”

¹⁷He makes a god or his idol with the rest of it.

He bows down to it and worships;

He prays to it, ^o“Save me, for you are my god.”

¹⁸Such people ^pdo not comprehend

and cannot understand,

for He has shut their eyes ^qso they cannot see,

and their minds so they cannot understand.

¹⁹No one reflects,

no one has the perception or insight to say,

“I burned half of it in the fire,

I also baked bread on its coals,

I roasted meat and ate.

I will make something detestable ^rwith the rest of it,

and I will bow down to a block of wood.”

²⁰He feeds on ^sashes.

His deceived mind has led him astray,

and he cannot deliver himself,

or say, “Isn’t there a lie in my right hand?” ^t

²¹Remember these things, Jacob,

and Israel, for you are My servant;

I formed you, you are My servant;

Israel, you will never be forgotten by Me. ^uv

²²I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud, ^w

and your sins like a mist.

Return to Me, ^x

for I have redeemed you. ^y

²³Rejoice, heavens, ^zfor the Lord has acted;

shout, depths of the earth.

Break out into singing, mountains,

forest, and every tree in it.

For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,

and glorifies Himself through Israel. ^a

Restoration of Israel through Cyrus

²⁴This is what the Lord, your Redeemer ^bwho formed you from the womb, ^csays:

I am Yahweh, who made everything;

who stretched out the heavens by Myself; ^d

who alone spread out the earth;

²⁵who destroys the omens of the false prophets

and makes fools of diviners;

who confounds the wise

and makes their knowledge foolishness; ^e

²⁶who confirms the message of His servant

and fulfills the counsel of His messengers;

who says to Jerusalem, “She will be inhabited,”

and to the cities of Judah, “They will be rebuilt,”

and I will restore her ruins;

²⁷who says to the depths of the sea, “Be dry,”

and I will dry up your rivers;

²⁸who says to Cyrus, ^f“My shepherd,

he will fulfill all My pleasure” ^g

and says to Jerusalem, “She will be rebuilt,” ^h

and of the temple, “Its foundation will be laid.”

45The Lord says this to Cyrus, His anointed, ⁱ

whose right hand I have grasped ^j

to subdue nations before him,

to disarm ^kkings, ^l

to open the doors before him

and the gates will not be shut:

²“I will go before you

and level the uneven places; ^mn

I will shatter the bronze doors

and cut the iron bars in two. ^o

³I will give you the treasures of darkness

and riches from secret places, ^p

so that you may know that I, Yahweh,

the God of Israel call you by your name. ^q

⁴I call you by your name,

because of Jacob My servant ^r

and Israel My chosen one.

I give a name to you,

though you do not know Me.

⁵I am Yahweh, and there is no other; ^s

there is no God but Me. ^t

I will strengthen ^uyou,

though you do not know Me,

⁶so that all may know from the rising of the sun to its setting

that there is no one but Me. ^v

I am Yahweh, and there is no other.

⁷I form light and create darkness, ^w

I make success and create disaster; ^x

I, Yahweh, do all these things.

⁸“Heavens, sprinkle from above,

and let the skies shower righteousness. ^y

Let the earth open up

so that salvation will sprout

and righteousness will spring up with it. ^z

I, Yahweh, have created it.

⁹“Woe to the one who argues with his Maker—

one clay pot among many. ^a

Does clay say to the one forming it,

‘What are you making?’ ^b

Or does your work say,

‘He has no hands’? ^c

¹⁰How absurd is the one who says to his father,

‘What are you fathering?’

or to his mother,

‘What are you giving birth to?’ ”

¹¹This is what the Lord,

the Holy One of Israel ^dand its Maker, says:

“Ask Me what is to happen to ^eMy sons, ^f

and instruct Me about the work of My hands. ^g

¹²I made the earth,

and created man on it.

It was My hands that stretched out the heavens, ^h

and I commanded all their host.

¹³I have raised him up in righteousness, ⁱ

and will level all roads for him.

He will rebuild My city, ^j

and set My exiles free, ^k

not for a price or a bribe,”

says the Lord of Hosts.

God Alone is the Savior

¹⁴This is what the Lord says:

The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush

and the Sabeans, men of stature, ^l

will come over to you ^m

and will be yours;

they will follow you,

they will come over in chains

and bow down to you.

They will confess ⁿto you:

God is indeed with you, ^oand there is no other;

there is no other God.

¹⁵Yes, You are a God who hides Himself, ^p

God of Israel, Savior. ^q

¹⁶All of them are put to shame, even humiliated; ^r

the makers of idols go in humiliation together.

¹⁷Israel will be saved by the Lord

with an everlasting salvation;

you will not be put to shame or humiliated

for all eternity. ^s

¹⁸For this is what the Lord says—

God is the Creator of the heavens.

He formed the earth and made it.

He established it;

He did not create it to be empty,

but formed it to be inhabited ^t—

“I am Yahweh,

and there is no other.

¹⁹I have not spoken in secret, ^u

somewhere in a land of darkness.

I did not say to the descendants of Jacob:

Seek Me in a wasteland. ^v

I, Yahweh, speak truthfully; ^w

I say what is right.

²⁰“Come, gather together,

and draw near, you fugitives of the nations.

Those who carry their wooden idols,

and pray to a god who cannot save, ^x

have no knowledge. ^y

²¹Speak up and present your case ^za—

yes, let them take counsel together.

Who predicted this long ago?

Who announced it from ancient times?

Was it not I, Yahweh?

There is no other God but Me,

a righteous God and Savior; ^b

there is no one except Me. ^c

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; ^d

Truth has gone from My mouth, ^e

a word that will not be revoked:

Every knee will bow ^fto Me,

every tongue will swear allegiance.

²⁴It will be said to Me: Righteousness and strength

is only in the Lord.”

All who are enraged against Him

will come to Him and be put to shame. ^g

²⁵All the descendants of Israel

will be justified and find glory through the Lord.