Isaiah 44:28–45:13

²⁸Who says of ^dCyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,

And he shall perform all My pleasure,

Saying to Jerusalem, ^e“You shall be built,”

And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’

Cyrus, God’s Instrument

45“Thus says the Lord to His anointed,

To ^aCyrus, whose ^bright hand I have ¹held—

^cTo subdue nations before him

And ^dloose the armor of kings,

To open before him the double doors,

So that the gates will not be shut:

²‘I will go before you

^eAnd ²make the ³crooked places straight;

^fI will break in pieces the gates of bronze

And cut the bars of iron.

³I will give you the treasures of darkness

And hidden riches of secret places,

^gThat you may know that I, the Lord,

Who ^hcall you by your name,

Am the God of Israel.

⁴For ⁱJacob My servant’s sake,

And Israel My elect,

I have even called you by your name;

I have named you, though you have not known Me.

⁵I ^jam the Lord, and ^kthere is no other;

There is no God besides Me.

^lI will gird you, though you have not known Me, ^6mThat they may ⁿknow from the rising of the sun to its setting

That there is none besides Me.

I am the Lord, and there is no other;

⁷I form the light and create darkness,

I make peace and ^ocreate calamity;

I, the Lord, do all these things.’

⁸“Rain ^pdown, you heavens, from above,

And let the skies pour down righteousness;

Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation,

And let righteousness spring up together.

I, the Lord, have created it.

⁹“Woe to him who strives with ^qhis Maker!

Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth!

^rShall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’

Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’?

¹⁰Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What are you begetting?’

Or to the woman, ‘What have you brought forth?’ ”

¹¹Thus says the Lord,

The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker:

^s“Ask Me of things to come concerning ^tMy sons;

And concerning ^uthe work of My hands, you command Me.

^12vI have made the earth,

And ^wcreated man on it.

I—My hands—stretched out the heavens,

And ^xall their host I have commanded.

^13yI have raised him up in righteousness,

And I will ⁴direct all his ways;

He shall ^zbuild My city

And let My exiles go free,

^aNot for price nor reward,”

Says the Lord of hosts.