Isaiah 45

God Uses Cyrus

1Thus says the Lord to 1Cyrus His anointed, Whom I have taken by the right 2hand, To 3subdue nations before him And 4to 5loose the loins of kings; To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:2“I will go before you and 6make the 7rough places smooth; I will 8shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron 9bars.3I will give you the 1011treasures of darkness And hidden wealth of secret places, So that you may know that it is I, The Lord, the God of Israel, who 12calls you by your name.4For the sake of 13Jacob My servant, And Israel My chosen one, I have also 14called you by your name; I have given you a title of honor Though you have 15not known Me.5I am the Lord, and 16there is no other; 17Besides Me there is no God. I will 1819gird you, though you have not known Me;6That 2021men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is 22no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other,7The One 23forming light and 24creating darkness, Causing 25well-being and 26creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these.

God’s Supreme Power

8“27Drip down, O heavens, from above, And let the clouds pour down righteousness; Let the 28earth open up and salvation bear fruit, 29And righteousness spring up with it. I, the Lord, have created it.

9“Woe to the one who 30quarrels with his 31Maker-- An earthenware vessel 32among the vessels of earth! Will the 33clay say to the 34potter, ‘What are you doing?’ Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’?10Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’ Or to a woman, ‘To what are you 35giving birth?’”

11Thus says the 36Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his 3738Maker: “3940Ask Me about the things to come 41concerning My 42sons, And you shall commit to Me 43the work of My hands.12It is I who 44made the earth, and created man upon it. I 45stretched out the heavens with My hands And I 46ordained 47all their host.13I have aroused him in 48righteousness And I will 49make all his ways smooth; He will 50build My city and will let My exiles go 51free, Without any payment or reward,” says the Lord of hosts.

14Thus says the Lord, “The 52products of 53Egypt and the merchandise of 5455Cush And the Sabeans, men of stature, Will 56come over to you and will be yours; They will walk behind you, they will come over in 57chains And will 58bow down to you; They will make supplication to you: ‘59Surely, 60God is 61with you, and 62there is none else, No other God.’”15Truly, You are a God who 63hides Himself, O God of Israel, 64Savior!16They will be 65put to shame and even humiliated, all of them; The 66manufacturers of idols will go away together in humiliation.17Israel has been saved by the Lord With an 67everlasting salvation; You 68will not be put to shame or humiliated To all eternity.

18For thus says the Lord, who 69created the heavens (He is the God who 70formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it 71a 72waste place, but formed it to be 73inhabited), “I am the Lord, and 74there is none else.1975I have not spoken in secret, In 76some dark land; I did not say to the 7778offspring of Jacob, ‘79Seek Me in 80a waste place’; I, the Lord, 81speak righteousness, 82Declaring things that are upright.

20“83Gather yourselves and come; Draw near together, you fugitives of the nations; 84They have no knowledge, Who 85carry about 86their wooden idol And 87pray to a god who cannot save.2188Declare and set forth your case; Indeed, let them consult together. 89Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the Lord? And there is 90no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a 91Savior; There is none except Me.2292Turn to Me and 93be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other.2394I have sworn by Myself, The 95word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me 96every knee will bow, every tongue will 97swear allegiance.24They will say of Me, ‘Only 98in the Lord are righteousness and strength.’ Men will come to Him, And 99all who were angry at Him will be put to shame.25In the Lord all the offspring of Israel Will be 100justified and will 101glory.”