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.

3 I 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.

4 For 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.

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

There is no God besides Me.

lI will gird you, though you have not known Me, 6 mThat 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;

7 I 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’?

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

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

11 Thus 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.

12 vI have made the earth,

And wcreated man on it.

I—My hands—stretched out the heavens,

And xall their host I have commanded.

13 yI 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

14 Thus 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.’ ”

15 Truly You are God, fwho hide Yourself,

O God of Israel, the Savior!

16 They shall be gashamed

And also disgraced, all of them;

They shall go in confusion together,

Who are makers of idols.

17 hBut Israel shall be saved by the Lord

With an ieverlasting salvation;

You shall not be ashamed or jdisgraced

Forever and ever.

18 For 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.

19 I 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.

21 Tell 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.

23 tI 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.

24 He 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.

25 yIn the Lord all the descendants of Israel

Shall be justified, and zshall glory.’ ”