| Isaiah
(Yeshayahu) 45
"This is what the LORD says to his anointed,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to
subdue nations before him and to strip kings
of their armor, to open doors before him
so that gates will not be shut: I will go before
you and will level the mountains; I will break
down gates of bronze and cut through bars of
iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness,
riches stored in secret places, so that you
may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel,
who summons you by name. For the sake of Jacob
my servant, of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name and bestow on you a title
of honor, though you do not acknowledge me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart
from me there is no God. I will strengthen you,
though you have not acknowledged me, so that
from the rising of the sun to the place of its
setting men may know there is none besides me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form
the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity
and create disaster;
I, the LORD, do all these things.
"You
heavens above, rain down righteousness; let
the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring
up, let righteousness grow with it;
I, the LORD, have created it.
"Woe
to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who
is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the
ground. Does the clay say to the potter, 'What
are you making?'
Does your work say, 'He has no hands'? Woe to
him who says to his father, 'What have you begotten?'
or to his mother, 'What have you brought to
birth?'
"This
is what the LORD says- the Holy One of Israel,
and its Maker: Concerning things to come, do
you question me about my children, or give me
orders about the work of my hands? It is I who
made the earth and created mankind upon it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled
their starry hosts.
I
will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will
make all his ways straight. He will rebuild
my city and set my exiles free, but not for
a price or reward, says the LORD Almighty."
This
is what the LORD says: "The
products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,
and those tall Sabeans- they will come over
to you and will be yours; they will trudge behind
you, coming over to you in chains. They will
bow down before you and plead with you, saying,
'Surely God is with you, and there is no other;
there is no other god.' "
Truly
you are a God who hides himself, O God and Savior
of Israel. All the makers of idols will be put
to shame and disgraced; they will go off into
disgrace together. But Israel will be saved
by the LORD with an everlasting salvation; you
will never be put to shame or disgraced, to
ages everlasting.
For
this is what the LORD says- he who created the
heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made
the earth, he founded it; he did not create
it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited-
he says: "I am the LORD, and there is no
other. I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere
in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob's
descendants, 'Seek me in vain.' I, the LORD,
speak the truth; I declare what is right.
"Gather
together and come; assemble, you fugitives from
the nations. Ignorant are those who carry about
idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot
save. Declare what is to be, present it- let
them take counsel together. Who foretold this
long ago, who declared it from the distant past?
Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no God
apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior;
there is none but me.
"Turn
to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth;
for I am God, and there is no other. By myself
I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity
a word that will not be revoked: Before me every
knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear.
They will say of me, 'In the LORD alone are
righteousness and strength.' " All who
have raged against him will come to him and
be put to shame. But in the LORD all the descendants
of Israel will be found righteous and will exult.
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