Isaiah 45
1 This is what the Lord says to Cyrus, the one he has anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to direct him to defeat nations and to make kings weak, to open doors before him and gates that will not be shut.
Thus saith Jehovah to his anointed, To Cyrus, whom I hold by his right hand, To subdue nations before him, And ungird the loins of kings; To open before him the two-leaved gates, And the doors shall not be shut.
2 I will go ahead of you and level the mountains. I will break down bronze gates and cut through iron bars.
I will go before thee, And make the high places plain; I will break in pieces the gates of brass, And cut in sunder the bars of iron.
3 I will give you hidden treasure, treasure concealed in secret places, so that you can know for sure that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.
I will give thee the treasures of darkness, And hidden riches of secret places, That thou mayst know that I am Jehovah Who calleth thee by name, the God of Israel.
4 I call you by name and I have given you a title of honor, for the sake of Jacob my servant, and Israel the one I chose, even though you don't know me.
For the sake of Jacob, my servant, And Israel, my chosen, I have called thee by thy name; I have spoken to thee as a friend, though thou hast not known me.
5 I am the Lord, there is no God apart from me. Apart from me there is no God. I will make you strong, even though you don't know me,
I am Jehovah, and none else; There is no God besides me; I have girded thee, though thou hast not known me.
6 so that everyone, from the east to the west, will know that there is no God apart from me, that I am the Lord, and there is none apart from me.
That men may know from the rising of the sun, And from the West, that there is none besides me; I am Jehovah, and none else.
7 I create light, and I make darkness, I bring peace and I bring about disaster. I am the Lord and I do all this.
I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I, Jehovah, do all these things.
8 Let the rain fall from the sky above, let goodness fall from the clouds, let the earth open up to receive goodness and salvation so they can grow together. I, the Lord, created them.
Pour forth, ye heavens, from above; Ye clouds, shower down prosperity! Let the earth open, and bring forth salvation; Yea, let righteousness spring up together! I, Jehovah, create it.
9 What trouble people face when they fight with their Creator—they're just pots among all the other pots on earth! Does the clay tell the potter who is shaping it, “What are you doing?” or “What you're making is so bad it's like you have no hands!”
Woe to him that contendeth with his Maker! A potsherd of the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? Or thy work say of thee, He hath no hands?
10 How bad it would be if you said to your father, “Why did you have me?” or to your mother, “Why was I ever born?”!
Woe to him that saith to his father, Why dost thou beget? Or to his mother, Why dost thou bring forth?
11 This is what the Lord says, the Holy One of Israel, your Creator: You can ask me about things to come. But are you going to lecture me about my children and what I do?
Thus saith Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask of me concerning things to come; My children, the work of my hands, leave them to me!
12 I'm the one who made the earth, and I created human beings to live there. It was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I ordered all the stars to come into being.
I made the earth, And created man upon it; My hands spread out the heavens, And all their host did I arrange.
13 Because I do what's right, I will encourage him and smooth out all the roads he takes. He will rebuild my city and will set my exiles free without being paid or bribed to do so, says the Lord Almighty.
I have raised him up for salvation, And I will make all his ways plain; He shall build my city, and release my captives, Not for price, and not for ransom, Saith Jehovah of hosts.
14 This is what the Lord says: “The productive Egyptians and the Ethiopian traders, as well as the tall Sabean people, will come over to you and will belong to you. They will walk behind you in chains and bow down to you, pleading with you, saying, ‘God is certainly with you, and there is no other God besides him.’”
Thus saith Jehovah: The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of the Ethiopians and Sabeans, men of stature, Shall come over to thee, and be thine; They shall follow thee; in chains shall they pass along; They shall fall down to thee, and make supplication to thee: “In thee alone is God, and there is none else; There is no other God.”
15 Yet you are a God who hides himself, God of Israel, Savior.
Truly thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the saviour!
16 Everyone who makes idols are ashamed and humiliated, all of them are disgraced.
They shall all be ashamed and confounded, They shall go to confusion together, That are makers of idols.
17 But Israel will be saved by the Lord with a salvation that lasts forever. You will never be ashamed or disgraced for all eternity.
But Israel shall be saved by Jehovah with an everlasting salvation; Ye shall never be ashamed, nor confounded.
18 For this is what the Lord says, the God who created the heavens, who formed and made the earth, he founded it. He didn't make it to be left empty, but formed it to be inhabited. He is the one who says, I am the Lord, and there is no God apart from me.
For thus saith Jehovah, who created the heavens; The God that formed the earth and made it; he that made it firm; He created it not in vain; he formed it to be inhabited: I am Jehovah, and none else.
19 I haven't been talking in secret in an obscure place. I didn't tell the descendants of Jacob: Look for me in a place where no one can be found. I, the Lord, tell the truth—I say what's right.
I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth; I have not said to the race of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain! I, Jehovah, speak truth; I declare that which is right.
20 Gather yourselves together, and come, come close, you refugees of the nations. Aren't they stupid, these people who carry around their wooden idols, and who pray to a god that can't save them?
Assemble yourselves and come; Gather yourselves together, ye that are escaped of the nations! They are without understanding, who carry about with them the wood of their graven image, And pray to a god that cannot save.
21 Discuss this together, and then speak up, present your case. Who predicted this long ago? Who said what would happen in the future back in the past? Wasn't that me, the Lord? There is no other God except me, no other God who does what is right, and who saves. There is no God apart from me.
Proclaim ye, and bring them near, And let them take counsel together: Who hath made this known from ancient time? Who hath declared it of old? Is it not I, Jehovah, besides whom there is no God? A God that uttereth truth, and giveth salvation; there is none besides me.
22 Everyone on earth, come to me and be saved, for I am God and there is no God apart from me.
Look to me, and be saved, all ye ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is none else.
23 I have sworn by my own self, I have spoken what is right, and I won't ever go back on it. Everyone shall bow before me; everyone shall acknowledge me.
By myself have I sworn, The truth hath gone from my mouth, The word, that shall not return, That to me every knee shall bow, That to me every tongue shall swear.
24 They will say about me, “Salvation and strength can only be found in the Lord.” Everyone who has fought against him will come to him and will be ashamed.
“Only in Jehovah,” shall men say, “Is salvation and strength; To him shall come and be put to shame, All that are incensed against him.”
25 But in the Lord all the descendants of Israel will be made right, and they will glory in him.
Through Jehovah shall all the race of Israel be delivered, And in him shall they glory.
