Isaiah
Chapter 45
1 God says to his chosen one, Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to defeat nations for him; and I will weaken kings, to open gates with two parts for him; and the gates will not be closed.
2 I will go ahead of you and make the twisted paths straight. I will break the bronze gates into pieces and cut through the iron bars.
3 I will give you treasures from dark places and hidden wealth from secret spots so you can know that I, God, who calls you by name, am the God of Israel.
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob and my chosen Israel, I have called you by name and given you a special title, even though you do not know me.
5 I am God, and there is no other; there is no other God besides me. I gave you strength, even though you did not know me.
6 So that people can understand from where the sun rises to where it sets that there is no one except me. I am God, and there is no one else.
7 I create light and make darkness; I bring peace and create trouble; I, God, do all these things.
8 Heavens above, open up and let the skies rain down goodness; let the earth split open and salvation grow, with goodness rising up at the same time; I, God, have made this happen.
9 How terrible for someone who argues with their Creator! Let a broken piece of pottery argue with other broken pieces on the ground. Can the clay question the one shaping it, saying, “What are you making?” or criticize the work, saying, “You have no hands”?
10 How terrible for someone who asks their father, “What are you fathering?” or asks a woman, “What are you giving birth to?”
11 God, the Holy One of Israel, your Creator, says, “Ask me about the future of my children, and tell me what to do with what I have made.”
12 I made the earth and created people on it. I stretched out the sky with my own hands, and I command all the stars.
13 I have brought him up to be good, and I will guide all he does: he will build my city, and he will release my prisoners, not for money or a gift, says God.
14 God says, “Egypt’s work and Ethiopia’s trade, and the tall Sabean people, will come to you and belong to you. They will follow you, coming in chains. They will bow down to you and beg you, saying, ‘Truly, God is with you; there is no other, there is no other god.’”
15 Truly, you are a God who hides yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior.
16 They will all feel shame and be embarrassed together; those who make idols will be completely confused.
17 Israel will be saved by God with eternal salvation; you will never be ashamed or confused forever.
18 God, who made the heavens, says: I formed the earth and created it to last. I did not make it for nothing; I made it to be lived in. I am God, and there is no one else.
19 I have not spoken in secret or in hidden places on earth. I did not tell Jacob’s descendants to look for me without finding me. I, God, speak what is right and announce what is true.
20 Gather and come close, you who have survived from other countries. Those who make idols from wood have no understanding, and they pray to a god who cannot rescue them.
21 Tell others and bring them close; yes, let them plan together: who announced this long ago? who spoke of it back then? It was I, God, wasn’t it? There is no other God besides me; a fair God and a Savior; there is no one else.
22 Turn to me and be saved, all you people of the earth, because I am God, and there is no other.
23 I have promised by myself, the word has left my mouth in truth and won’t come back, that to me every knee will bend, every tongue will promise.
24 Someone will definitely say, “I find righteousness and strength in God.” People will come to him, and all who are angry with him will be embarrassed.
25 All of Israel’s descendants will be made right with God and will take pride in Him.