Isaiah 45

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.

The Lord, the Only Savior

¹⁴Thus says the Lord:

^b“The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush

And of the Sabeans, men of stature,

Shall come over to you, and they shall be yours;

They shall walk behind you,

They shall come over ^cin chains;

And they shall bow down to you.

They will make supplication to you, saying, ^d‘Surely God is in you,

And there is no other;

^eThere is no other God.’ ”

¹⁵Truly You are God, ^fwho hide Yourself,

O God of Israel, the Savior!

¹⁶They shall be ^gashamed

And also disgraced, all of them;

They shall go in confusion together,

Who are makers of idols.

^17hBut Israel shall be saved by the Lord

With an ⁱeverlasting salvation;

You shall not be ashamed or ^jdisgraced

Forever and ever.

¹⁸For thus says the Lord,

^kWho created the heavens,

Who is God,

Who formed the earth and made it,

Who has established it,

Who did not create it ⁵in vain,

Who formed it to be ^linhabited:

^m“I am the Lord, and there is no other.

¹⁹I have not spoken in ⁿsecret,

In a dark place of the earth;

I did not say to the seed of Jacob,

‘Seek Me ⁶in vain’;

^oI, the Lord, speak righteousness,

I declare things that are right.

²⁰“Assemble yourselves and come;

Draw near together,

You who have escaped from the nations.

^pThey have no knowledge,

Who carry the wood of their carved image,

And pray to a god that cannot save.

²¹Tell and bring forth your case;

Yes, let them take counsel together.

^qWho has declared this from ancient time?

Who has told it from that time?

Have not I, the Lord?

^rAnd there is no other God besides Me,

A just God and a Savior;

There is none besides Me.

²²“Look to Me, and be saved,

^sAll you ends of the earth!

For I am God, and there is no other.

^23tI have sworn by Myself;

The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness,

And shall not return,

That to Me every ^uknee shall bow,

^vEvery tongue shall take an oath.

²⁴He shall say,

⁷‘Surely in the Lord I have ^wrighteousness and strength.

To Him men shall come,

And ^xall shall be ashamed

Who are incensed against Him.

^25yIn the Lord all the descendants of Israel

Shall be justified, and ^zshall glory.’ ”