Isaiah 45
1 Thus says YHWH to his anointed, to Koresh, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him, and strip kings of their armor; to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut:
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.
2 "I will go before you, and make the mountains level. I will break the doors of bronze in pieces, and cut apart the bars of iron.
I will go ahead of you and level the mountains. I will break down bronze gates and cut through iron bars.
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that it is I, YHWH, who call you by your name, even the God of Israel.
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.
4 For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel my chosen, I have called you by your name. I have surnamed you, though you have not known me.
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.
5 I am YHWH, and there is no other. Besides me, there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not known me;
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,
6 that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none besides me. I am YHWH, and there is no one else.
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.
7 I form the light, and create darkness. I make peace, and create calamity. I am YHWH, who does all these things.
I create light, and I make darkness, I bring peace and I bring about disaster. I am the Lord and I do all this.
8 Distil, you heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open, that it may bring forth salvation, and let it cause righteousness to spring up with it. I, YHWH, have created it.
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.
9 Woe to him who strives with his Maker, a clay pot among the clay pots of the earth. Shall the clay ask him who fashions it, 'What are you making?' or your work, 'He has no hands?'
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!”
10 Woe to him who says to a father, 'What have you become the father of?' or to a mother, 'To what have you given birth?'"
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?”!
11 Thus says YHWH, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: "You ask me about the things that are to come, concerning my sons, and you command me concerning the work of my hands.
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?
12 I have made the earth, and created man on it. I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens; and I have commanded all their army.
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.
13 I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will make straight all his ways. He shall build my city, and he shall let my exiles go free, not for price nor reward," says YHWH of hosts.
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.
14 Thus says YHWH: "The labor of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you, and they shall be yours. They will go after you. They shall come over in chains; and they will bow down to you. They will make petition to you: 'Surely God is in you; and there is no other. There is no other god.
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.’”
15 Most certainly you are a God who hid yourself, God of Israel, the Savior.'"
Yet you are a God who hides himself, God of Israel, Savior.
16 They will be disappointed, yes, confounded, all of them. Those who are makers of idols will go into confusion together.
Everyone who makes idols are ashamed and humiliated, all of them are disgraced.
17 Israel will be saved by YHWH with an everlasting salvation. You will not be disappointed nor confounded to ages everlasting.
But Israel will be saved by the Lord with a salvation that lasts forever. You will never be ashamed or disgraced for all eternity.
18 For thus says YHWH who created the heavens, the God who formed the earth and made it, who established it and did not create it a waste, who formed it to be inhabited: "I am YHWH, and there is no other.
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.
19 I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness. I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, 'Seek me in vain.' I, YHWH, speak righteousness. I declare things that are right.
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.
20 Assemble yourselves and come. Draw near together, you who have escaped from the nations. Those have no knowledge who carry the wood of their engraved image, and pray to a god that can't save.
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?
21 Declare and bring it forth. Yes, let them take counsel together. Who announced this from long ago, has told it from then? Was it not I, YHWH? And there is no other God besides me, a just God and a Savior; there is no one besides me.
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.
22 Look to me, and be saved, every part of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.
Everyone on earth, come to me and be saved, for I am God and there is no God apart from me.
23 By myself have I sworn, the word is gone forth from my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear to God.
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.
24 Only in YHWH, it is said of me, is righteousness and strength; even to him shall men come; and all those who were incensed against him shall be disappointed.
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.
25 In YHWH shall all the descendants of Israel be justified, and shall glory.
But in the Lord all the descendants of Israel will be made right, and they will glory in him.
