Isaiah 45
1 Thus sayeth the Lord vnto Cyrus his anointed, whose right hand I haue holden to subdue nations before him: therefore will I weaken the loynes of Kings and open the doores before him, and the gates shall not be shut:
Cyrus is the one whom Yahweh has appointed [to be the emperor of Persia] and to whom he will give great power [IDM]; Yahweh will enable him to defeat other nations and to take away the power of their kings. He will cause gates of cities to be opened, and no one will ever be able to shut them.
2 I will goe before thee and make the crooked streight: I will breake the brasen doores, and burst the yron barres.
This is what Yahweh says to him: “Cyrus, I will go ahead of you and level the mountains. I will smash down bronze gates and cut through iron bars.
3 And I will giue thee the treasures of darkenesse, and the things hid in secret places, that thou maist know that I am the Lord which call thee by thy name, euen the God of Israel.
I will give you treasures [that people have hidden] in dark secret places [DOU]. I will do that in order that you will know that I am Yahweh, the God to whom the Israelis belong, the God who calls you by your name.
4 For Iaakob my seruants sake, and Israel mine elect, I will euen call thee by thy name and name thee, though thou hast not knowen me.
I have summoned you, calling out your name, for the sake of [the people of] Israel [DOU] whom I have chosen, who serve me. Even though you do not know me, I will give you a title which has great honor.
5 I am the Lord and there is none other: there is no God besides me: I girded thee though thou hast not knowen me,
I am Yahweh, and there is no other God [DOU]. Even though you do not know me, I will give you power
6 That they may knowe from the rising of the sunne and from the West, that there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is none other.
in order that everyone in the world, from the east to the west, will know that there is no other [God]. I am Yahweh, and there is no other [God].
7 I forme the light and create darkenes: I make peace and create euill: I the Lord doe all these things.
I created the light and the darkness. I cause there to be peace and I cause there to be disasters. I, Yahweh, do all those things.”
8 Ye heauens, send the dewe from aboue, and let the cloudes droppe downe righteousnesse: let the earth open, and let saluation and iustice growe foorth: let it bring them foorth together: I the Lord haue created him.
[And Yahweh also says, “I want my] rescue [of my people] [MET] to fall from the sky like rain. Just like the earth opens wide to accept rain, I will rescue/save my people and cause them to be treated justly. I, Yahweh, am the one who will cause both of those things to happen.
9 Woe be vnto him that striueth with his maker, the potsherd with the potsherds of the earth: shall the clay say to him that facioneth it, What makest thou? or thy worke, It hath none hands?
Terrible things will happen to those who argue with me, the one who created them. [They are like] [MET] a clay pot and [I am like] the one who made it; so they certainly cannot [RHQ] criticize me. A lump of clay certainly cannot [RHQ] argue with the one who shapes it [to form a pot], saying, ‘Why are you making me like this?’ The pot cannot say ‘[You have no skill, because] what you made has no handles!’
10 Woe vnto him that sayeth to his father, What hast thou begotten? or to his mother, What hast thou brought foorth?
And it would be terrible if an unborn baby would say to its father, ‘Why are you [RHQ] causing me to be born?’ or if it said to its mother, ‘The result of your labor pains will be useless?’”
11 Thus saith the Lord, the holy one of Israel, and his maker, Aske me of things to come concerning my sonnes, and concerning the workes of mine hands: commande you me.
Yahweh, the Holy One of the Israeli people, the one who created Israel, says this to them: “(Why do you ask questions about [what I do for you], my children?/You should not ask questions about [what I do for you], my children.) [RHQ] (Why do you tell me about the work that I should do?/You should not tell me about the work that I should do.) [RHQ]
12 I haue made the earth, and created man vpon it: I, whose hands haue spred out the heauens, I haue euen commanded all their armie.
I am the one who created the earth and created people to live on it. I stretched out the sky with my hands, and I put the stars in their places.
13 I haue raised him vp in righteousnesse, and I will direct all his wayes: he shall build my citie, and he shall let goe my captiues, not for price nor rewarde, saith the Lord of hostes.
And I will appoint Cyrus to do things that are right/just, and I will enable him to do all those things easily [MET]. His [workers] will rebuild my city, and he will free my people who have been (exiled/forced to leave their country). And he will do it without my rewarding/paying him! [Those things will surely happen because] I, the Commander of the armies of angels, have said it.
14 Thus sayth the Lord, The labour of Egypt, and the marchandise of Ethiopia, and of the Sabeans, men of stature shall come vnto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall follow thee, and shall goe in chaines: they shall fall downe before thee, and make supplication vnto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee, and there is none other God besides.
And this is [also] what [I], Yahweh, say [to you, my people]: ‘You will rule the people of Egypt and Ethiopia, and the tall people of Seba [in Arabia] will become your slaves. They will come to you bringing all the things that they sell, and it will all be yours. [As prisoners], they will have chains on their arms as they follow you. They will prostrate themselves in front of you and say, “God is with/helping you and he is the only God; there is no other God.” '”
15 Verely thou, O God, hidest thy selfe, O God, the Sauiour of Israel.
God, although we cannot see you, you are the one to whom [we] Israeli people belong, the one who saves us.
16 All they shalbe ashamed and also confounded: they shall goe to confusion together, that are the makers of images.
All those who make idols will be humiliated. They will all be disgraced together.
17 But Israel shall be saued in the Lord, with an euerlasting saluation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded worlde without ende.
But you, Yahweh, will rescue [us, your] Israeli people, and we will be free forever. Never again will we again be humiliated and disgraced.
18 For thus saith the Lord (that created heauen, God himselfe, that formed the earth, and made it: he that prepared it, he created it not in vaine: he formed it to be inhabited) I am the Lord, and there is none other.
Yahweh is God; he is the one who created the sky and created and formed the earth. He did not want it to remain with nothing living on it; he wanted people to live on it. [He says], “I am Yahweh; there is no other [God].
19 I haue not spoken in secrete, neither in a place of darkenes in the earth: I saide not in vaine vnto the seede of Iaakob, Seeke you me: I the Lord doe speake righteousnesse, and declare righteous things.
[What I proclaimed], I did not speak secretly or [hide what I was saying by speaking] in a dark place. When I spoke to the descendants of Jacob, I did not tell them ‘It will be useless for you to (seek for/pray to) me!’ I, Yahweh, speak [only] what is true and what is right.
20 Assemble your selues, and come: drawe neere together, ye abiect of the Gentiles: they haue no knowledge, that set vp the wood of their idole, and pray vnto a god, that cannot saue them.
You people who are still alive after experiencing great disasters, should come and gather together [and listen to this]: The people who carry around their wooden idols and pray to them are foolish, because those idols cannot rescue them!
21 Tell ye and bring them, and let them take counsell together, who hath declared this from the beginning? or hath tolde it of olde? Haue not I the Lord? and there is none other God beside me, a iust God, and a Sauiour: there is none beside me.
Talk among yourselves, and decide what you will say to prove that [your praying to idols is good]. [And when you do that, I will ask you], ‘Who predicted long ago [what has now happened]? Did any idol tell you [that those things would happen] [RHQ]?’ No, it was [RHQ] only I, Yahweh, who told you, because I am the only God; there is no other God. I am a God who acts righteously and saves people; there is no other one [who does these things].
22 Looke vnto me, and ye shall be saued: all the endes of the earth shall be saued: for I am God, and there is none other.
Everyone in the world should ask me to save them, because I am the only God who can do that; there is no other one.
23 I haue sworne by my selfe: the worde is gone out of my mouth in righteousnesse, and shall not returne, That euery knee shall bowe vnto me, and euery tongue shall sweare by me.
I have solemnly declared, using my own name; I [SYN] have spoken what is true, and I will never change what I have said: [Some day], everyone [SYN] will bow in front of me, and they will all solemnly promise to be loyal to me.
24 Surely he shall say, In the Lord haue I righteousnesse and strength: he shall come vnto him, and all that prouoke him, shall be ashamed.
They will declare, ‘Yahweh is the one who enables us to live righteously and to be strong.’” And all those who have been angry at him will come to him, and they will be ashamed [for having been angry with him].
25 The whole seede of Israel shall be iustified, and glorie in the Lord.
Yahweh is the only one who will enable [us] Israeli people in the future to defeat our enemies, [and then] we will boast about what he [has done for us].
