Chapter 45

45:1The Lord says this to Cyrus, His anointed,
whose right hand I have grasped
to subdue nations before him,
to disarm kings,
to open the doors before him
and the gates will not be shut:
2"I will go before you
and level the uneven places;
I will shatter the bronze doors
and cut the iron bars in two.
3I will give you the treasures of darkness
and riches from secret places,
so that you may know that I, Yahweh,
the God of Israel call you by your name.
4I call you by your name,
because of Jacob My servant
and Israel My chosen one.
I give a name to you,
though you do not know Me.
5I am Yahweh, and there is no other;
there is no God but Me.
I will strengthen you,
though you do not know Me,
6so that all may know from the rising of the sun to its setting
that there is no one but Me.
I am Yahweh, and there is no other.
7I form light and create darkness,
I make success and create disaster;
I, Yahweh, do all these things.
8"Heavens, sprinkle from above,
and let the skies shower righteousness.
Let the earth open up
so that salvation will sprout
and righteousness will spring up with it.
I, Yahweh, have created it.
9"Woe to the one who argues with his Maker-
one clay pot among many.
Does clay say to the one forming it,
'What are you making?'
Or does your work say,
'He has no hands'?
10How absurd is the one who says to his father,
'What are you fathering?'
or to his mother,
'What are you giving birth to?'"
11This is what the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel and its Maker, says:
"Ask Me what is to happen to My sons,
and instruct Me about the work of My hands.
12I made the earth,
and created man on it.
It was My hands that stretched out the heavens,
and I commanded all their host.
13I have raised him up in righteousness,
and will level all roads for him.
He will rebuild My city,
and set My exiles free,
not for a price or a bribe,"
says the Lord of Hosts.
14This is what the Lord says:
The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush
and the Sabeans, men of stature,
will come over to you
and will be yours;
they will follow 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.
15Yes, You are a God who hides Himself,
God of Israel, Savior.
16All of them are put to shame, even humiliated;
the makers of idols go in humiliation together.
17Israel will be saved by the Lord
with an everlasting salvation;
you will not be put to shame or humiliated
for all eternity.
18For this is what the Lord says-
God is the Creator of the heavens.
He formed the earth and made it.
He established it;
He did not create it to be empty,
but formed it to be inhabited-
"I am Yahweh,
and there is no other.
19I have not spoken in secret,
somewhere in a land of darkness.
I did not say to the descendants of Jacob:
Seek Me in a wasteland.
I, Yahweh, speak truthfully;
I say what is right.
20"Come, gather together,
and draw near, you fugitives of the nations.
Those who carry their wooden idols,
and pray to a god who cannot save,
have no knowledge.
21Speak up and present your case-
yes, let them take counsel together.
Who predicted this long ago?
Who announced it from ancient times?
Was it not I, Yahweh?
There is no other God but Me,
a righteous God and Savior;
there is no one except Me.
22Turn to Me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth.
For I am God,
and there is no other.
23By Myself I have sworn;
Truth has gone from My mouth,
a word that will not be revoked:
Every knee will bow to Me,
every tongue will swear allegiance.
24It will be said to Me: Righteousness and strength
is only in the Lord."
All who are enraged against Him
will come to Him and be put to shame.
25All the descendants of Israel
will be justified and find glory through the Lord.

Chapter 46

46:1Bel crouches; Nebo cowers.
Their idols are consigned to beasts and cattle.
The images you carry are loaded,
as a burden for the weary animal.
2The gods cower; they crouch together;
they are not able to rescue the burden,
but they themselves go into captivity.
3"Listen to Me, house of Jacob,
all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been sustained from the womb,
carried along since birth.
4I will be the same until your old age,
and I will bear you up when you turn gray.
I have made you, and I will carry you;
I will bear and save you.
5"Who will you compare Me or make Me equal to?
Who will you measure Me with,
so that we should be like each other?
6Those who pour out their bags of gold
and weigh out silver on scales-
they hire a goldsmith and he makes it into a god.
Then they kneel and bow down to it.
7They lift it to their shoulder and bear it along;
they set it in its place, and there it stands;
it does not budge from its place.
They cry out to it but it doesn't answer;
it saves no one from his trouble.
8"Remember this and be brave;
take it to heart, you transgressors!
9Remember what happened long ago,
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and no one is like Me.
10I declare the end from the beginning,
and from long ago what is not yet done,
saying: My plan will take place,
and I will do all My will.
11I call a bird of prey from the east,
a man for My purpose from a far country.
Yes, I have spoken; so I will also bring it about.
I have planned it; I will also do it.
12Listen to me, you hardhearted,
far removed from justice:
13I am bringing My justice near;
it is not far away,
and My salvation will not delay.
I will put salvation in Zion,
My splendor in Israel.