Isaiah 44:28–45:13

He says to Cyrus, “My shepherd—

everything I want, you’ll do it.”

He says to Jerusalem, “Be built,”

and to the Temple, “Be established.”

The God Who Forms Light and Darkness

^1–745God’s Message to his anointed,

to Cyrus, whom he took by the hand

To give the task of taming the nations,

of terrifying their kings—

He gave him free rein,

no restrictions:

“I’ll go ahead of you,

clearing and paving the road.

I’ll break down bronze city gates,

smash padlocks, kick down barred entrances.

I’ll lead you to buried treasures,

secret caches of valuables—

Confirmations that it is, in fact, I, God,

the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.

It’s because of my dear servant Jacob,

Israel my chosen,

That I’ve singled you out, called you by name,

and given you this privileged work.

And you don’t even know me!

I am God, the only God there is.

Besides me there are no real gods.

I’m the one who armed you for this work,

though you don’t even know me,

So that everyone, from east to west, will know

that I have no god-rivals.

I am God, the only God there is.

I form light and create darkness,

I make harmonies and create discords.

I, God, do all these things.

^8–10“Open up, heavens, and rain.

Clouds, pour out buckets of my goodness!

Loosen up, earth, and bloom salvation;

sprout right living.

I, God, generate all this.

But doom to you who fight your Maker—

you’re a pot at odds with the potter!

Does clay talk back to the potter:

‘What are you doing? What clumsy fingers!’

Would a sperm say to a father,

‘Who gave you permission to use me to make a baby?’

Or a fetus to a mother,

‘Why have you cooped me up in this belly?’ ”

^11–13Thus God, The Holy of Israel, Israel’s Maker, says:

“Do you question who or what I’m making?

Are you telling me what I can or cannot do?

I made earth,

and I created man and woman to live on it.

I handcrafted the skies

and direct all the constellations in their turnings.

And now I’ve got Cyrus on the move.

I’ve rolled out the red carpet before him.

He will build my city.

He will bring home my exiles.

I didn’t hire him to do this. I told him.

I, God-of-the-Angel-Armies.”