Isaiah 45

1 This is what the LORD says to Cyrus His anointed, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him, to disarm kings, to open the doors before him, so that the gates will not be shut:

2 “I will go before you and level the mountains; I will break down the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.

3 I will give you the treasures of darkness and the riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by name.

4 For the sake of Jacob My servant and Israel My chosen one, I call you by name; I have given you a title of honor, though you have not known Me.

5 I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God but Me. I will equip you for battle, though you have not known Me,

6 so that all may know, from where the sun rises to where it sets, that there is none but Me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.

7 I form the light and create the darkness; I bring prosperity and create calamity. I, the LORD, do all these things.

8 Drip down, O heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open up that salvation may sprout and righteousness spring up with it; I, the LORD, have created it.

9 Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker—one clay pot among many. Does the clay ask the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘He has no hands’?

10 Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What have you begotten?’ or to his mother, ‘What have you brought forth?’”

11 Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: “Concerning things to come, do you question Me about My sons, or instruct Me in the work of My hands?

12 It is I who made the earth and created man upon it. It was My hands that stretched out the heavens, and I ordained all their host.

13 I will raise up Cyrus in righteousness, and I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild My city and set My exiles free, but not for payment or reward, says the LORD of Hosts.”

14 This is what the LORD says: “The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, along with the Sabeans, men of stature, will come over to you and will be yours; they will trudge behind you; they will come over in chains and bow down to you. They will confess to you: ‘God is indeed with you, and there is no other; there is no other God.’”

15 Truly You are a God who hides Himself, O God of Israel, the Savior.

16 They will all be put to shame and humiliated; the makers of idols will depart together in disgrace.

17 But Israel will be saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation; you will not be put to shame or humiliated, to ages everlasting.

18 For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens—He is God; He formed the earth and fashioned it; He established it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.

19 I have not spoken in secret, from a place in a land of darkness. I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in a wasteland.’ I, the LORD, speak the truth; I say what is right.

20 Come, gather together, and draw near, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry idols of wood and pray to a god that cannot save.

21 Speak up and present your case—yes, let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago? Who announced it from ancient times? Was it not I, the LORD? There is no other God but Me, a righteous God and Savior; there is none but Me.

22 Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.

23 By Myself I have sworn; truth has gone out from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow before Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.

24 Surely they will say of Me, ‘In the LORD alone are righteousness and strength.’” All who rage against Him will come to Him and be put to shame.

25 In the LORD all descendants of Israel will be justified and will exult.

1 ¶ Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;

2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:

3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call [thee] by thy name, [am] the God of Israel.

4 For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.

5 ¶ I [am] the LORD, and [there is] none else, [there is] no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:

6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that [there is] none beside me. I [am] the LORD, and [there is] none else.

7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these [things].

8 Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it.

9 Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! [Let] the potsherd [strive] with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?

10 Woe unto him that saith unto [his] father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth?

11 ¶ Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.

12 I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, [even] my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.

13 I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts.

14 Thus saith the LORD, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, [saying], Surely God [is] in thee; and [there is] none else, [there is] no God.

15 Verily thou [art] a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.

16 They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together [that are] makers of idols.

17 [But] Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.

18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I [am] the LORD; and [there is] none else.

19 I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

20 ¶ Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye [that are] escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god [that] cannot save.

21 Tell ye, and bring [them] near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? [who] hath told it from that time? [have] not I the LORD? and [there is] no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; [there is] none beside me.

22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I [am] God, and [there is] none else.

23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth [in] righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

24 Surely, shall [one] say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: [even] to him shall [men] come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.

25 In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.

1 Thus saith the LORD unto his anointed, Cyrus, whom I will take by his right hand, to subdue the heathen before him, and to cut off the sword from kings; that the doors may be opened before him, and the gates not shut:

2 I will go before thee, and level the humps; I will break the doors of brass, and break the bars of iron.

2 Yea, they fall and bow down all, and cannot bear away the burden, but their souls must go into prison.

3 And I will give thee the secret treasures, and the hidden treasures, that thou mayest know that I the LORD God of Israel have called thee by thy name.

4 For Jacob my servant's sake, and for Israel my chosen. Yea, I called thee by thy name, and called thee, when thou knewest me not yet.

5 I am the LORD, and there is none else: there is no God without me. I have equipped thee, when thou knewest me not,

6 That they may know both the rising of the sun, and the going down of the sun, that there is nothing beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none more,

7 Who maketh light, and maketh darkness: who giveth peace, and maketh evil. I am the LORD, which doeth all these things.

8 Drop, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, and bring forth salvation; and let righteousness increase with it. I, the LORD, create it.

9 Woe unto him that contendeth with his maker, even the potsherd with the potter of the clay. If the clay also saith unto his potter, What doest thou? Thou proveest not thy hands by thy work?

10 Woe unto him that saith unto his father, Why hast thou begotten me? and to his wife: Why hast thou conceived?

11 Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and their Master; Ask of me the signs; direct my children, and the work of my hands, unto me.

12 I have made the earth, and created man upon it. It is I whose hands have stretched out the heavens, and have commanded all his host.

13 I have raised him up in righteousness, and all his ways will I make even. He shall build my city, and let my captives go, not for money, nor for gifts, saith the LORD of hosts.

14 Thus saith the LORD; The trades of the Egyptians, and the trades of the Moors, and the long men of Sheba, shall yield themselves unto thee, and be thine own; they shall follow thee; they shall go in bonds, and shall fall down before thee, and make supplication unto thee: for with thee is God, and there is no more God.

15 Verily thou art a hidden God, O God of Israel, the Saviour.

16 But the idolaters must all stand with shame and scorn, and go down ashamed together.

17 And Israel shall be redeemed by the LORD unto an everlasting redemption, and shall not be put to shame, nor made a mockery of for ever and ever.

18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens, the God that prepared the earth, and made it, and fashioned it, and made it not to be empty, but prepared it to be inhabited; I am the LORD, and there is none else.

19 I have not spoken in secret in the dark place of the earth. I have not said in vain unto the seed of Jacob, Seek me. For I am the LORD that speaketh of righteousness, and declare that which is right.

20 Let the mighty men of the heathen be gathered together, and come together, which know not any thing, and bear themselves with the graven images of their idols, and make supplication unto God, who is not able to help.

21 Proclaim, and make yourselves known; take counsel together. Who hath spoken these things of old, and proclaimed them of old? Have not I, the LORD, done it? And there is no other God without me, a righteous God and Saviour; and there is none without me.

22 Turn ye unto me, and ye shall be saved, even to the end of the world. For I am God, and no other.

23 I swear by myself, and a word of righteousness proceedeth out of my mouth, and it shall stand: every knee shall bow unto me, and every tongue shall swear.

24 Saying, In the LORD have I righteousness and strength. Such also shall come unto him: but all they that resist him shall be put to shame.

25 For in the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory in him. Ch. 46. v. 1. Bel is bowed down, Nebo is fallen, their idols are given to beasts and cattle, that they may be weary with your burden.