Isaiah 45
45:1 This is what the
to Cyrus, whose right hand I hold2
in order to subdue nations before him,
and disarm kings,3
to open doors before him,
so gates remain unclosed:
and level mountains.4
Bronze doors I will shatter
and iron bars5 I will hack through.
45:3 I will give you hidden treasures,6
riches stashed away in secret places,
so you may recognize that I am the
the one who calls you by name, the God of Israel.
45:4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
Israel, my chosen one,
I call you by name
and give you a title of respect, even though you do not recognize7 me.
45:5 I am the
there is no God but me.
I arm you for battle,9 even though you do not recognize10 me.
45:6 I do this11 so people12 will recognize from east to west
that there is no God but me;
I am the
45:7 I am13 the one who forms light
and creates darkness;14
the one who brings about peace
and creates calamity.15
I am the
45:8 O sky, rain down from above!
Let the clouds send down showers16 of deliverance!
Let the earth absorb it17 so salvation may grow,18
and deliverance may sprout up19 along with it.
I, the
The Lord Gives a Warning
45:9 One who argues with his creator is in grave danger,21
one who is like a mere22 shard among the other shards on the ground!
The clay should not say to the potter,23
“What in the world24 are you doing?
Your work lacks skill!”25
45:10 Danger awaits one who says26 to his father,
“What in the world27 are you fathering?”
and to his mother,
“What in the world are you bringing forth?”28
45:11 This is what the
the Holy One of Israel,29 the one who formed him,
concerning things to come:30
“How dare you question me31 about my children!
How dare you tell me what to do with32 the work of my own hands!
I created the people who live33 on it.
It was me – my hands34 stretched out the sky,35
I give orders to all the heavenly lights.36
45:13 It is me – I stir him up and commission him;37
I will make all his ways level.
He will rebuild my city;
he will send my exiled people home,
but not for a price or a bribe,”
says the
The Lord is the Nations’ Only Hope
45:14 This is what the
“The profit38 of Egypt and the revenue39 of Ethiopia,
along with the Sabeans, those tall men,
will be brought to you40 and become yours.
They will walk behind you, coming along in chains.41
They will bow down to you
and pray to you:42
‘Truly God is with43 you; he has no peer;44
there is no other God!’”
45:15 Yes, you are a God who keeps hidden,
O God of Israel, deliverer!
45:16 They will all be ashamed and embarrassed;
those who fashion idols will all be humiliated.45
45:17 Israel will be delivered once and for all by the
you will never again be ashamed or humiliated.47
45:18 For this is what the
the one who created the sky –
he is the true God,48
the one who formed the earth and made it;
he established it,
he did not create it without order,49
he formed it to be inhabited –
“I am the
45:19 I have not spoken in secret,
in some hidden place.50
I did not tell Jacob’s descendants,
‘Seek me in vain!’51
I am the
the one who speaks honestly,
who makes reliable announcements.52
45:20 Gather together and come!
Approach together, you refugees from the nations!
Those who carry wooden idols know nothing,
those who pray to a god that cannot deliver.
45:21 Tell me! Present the evidence!53
Let them consult with one another!
Who predicted this in the past?
Who announced it beforehand?
Was it not I, the
I have no peer, there is no God but me,
a God who vindicates and delivers;54
there is none but me.
45:22 Turn to me so you can be delivered,55
all you who live in the earth’s remote regions!
For I am God, and I have no peer.
45:23 I solemnly make this oath56 –
what I say is true and reliable:57
‘Surely every knee will bow to me,
every tongue will solemnly affirm;58
“Yes, the
All who are angry at him will cower before him.60
45:25 All the descendants of Israel will be vindicated by the
and will boast in him.61