Isaías 45

Cyrus, God’s Instrument

1 Thus says the Lord to *[ch. 44:28] his anointed, to Cyrus,

*[ch. 41:13] whose right hand I have grasped,

to subdue nations before him

and *Job 12:21;[ver. 5;ch. 22:21]to loose the belts of kings,

to open doors before him

that gates may not be closed:

2 "I will go before you

and *ch. 40:4level the exalted places,*45:2 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint level the mountains

*Ps. 107:16I will break in pieces the doors of bronze

and cut through the bars of iron,

3 *[Jer. 50:37;51:13] I will give you the treasures of darkness

and the hoards in secret places,

that you may know that it is I, the Lord,

the God of Israel, *ch. 43:1who call you by your name.

4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,

and Israel my chosen,

*[See ver. 3above] I call you by your name,

*[ch. 62:2]I name you, though you do not know me.

5 *See ch. 44:8I am the Lord, and there is no other,

besides me there is no God;

*[Job 12:21;ch. 22:21]I equip you, though you do not know me,

6 *[ch. 37:20;Mal. 1:11]that people may know, from the rising of the sun

and from the west, that there is none besides me;

I am the Lord, and there is no other.

7 I form light and create darkness;

I make well-being and *[ch. 41:23;Amos 3:6]create calamity;

I am the Lord, who does all these things.

8 *[Deut. 32:2] "Shower, O heavens, from above,

and *Ps. 85:11;[Hos. 10:12]let the clouds rain down righteousness;

let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit;

let the earth cause them both to sprout;

I the Lord have created it.

9 *[Eccles. 6:10]; See ch. 10:15"Woe to him who strives with him who formed him,

a pot among earthen pots!

*ch. 64:8;Cited Rom. 9:20Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’

or ‘Your work has no handles’?

10 Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’

or to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?’"

11 Thus says *Ezek. 39:7the Lord,

the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him:

*[ch. 41:23] "Ask me of things to come;

will you command me *[Jer. 31:9] concerning my children and *ch. 29:23;64:8the work of my hands?*45:11 A slight emendation yields will you question me about my children, or command me concerning the work of my hands?

12 *Jer. 27:5I made the earth

and created man on it;

it was my hands *ch. 42:5;44:24that stretched out the heavens,

and *Gen. 2:1I commanded all their host.

13 *ch. 41:2I have stirred him up in righteousness,

*[ver. 2] and I will make all his ways level;

*See ch. 44:28he shall build my city

*ch. 49:25;51:14;52:3and set my exiles free,

not for price or reward,"

says the Lord of hosts.

The Lord, the Only Savior

14 Thus says the Lord:

*[ch. 43:3] "The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,

and the Sabeans, men of stature,

shall come over to you *ch. 14:2and be yours;

they shall follow you;

they shall come over in chains and bow down to you.

They will plead with you, saying:

‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other,

no god besides him.’"

15 *ch. 57:17Truly, you are a God who hides himself,

O God of Israel, the Savior.

16 *See ch. 42:17All of them are put to shame and confounded;

the makers of idols go in confusion together.

17 But Israel is saved by the Lord

with everlasting salvation;

*ch. 54:4you shall not be put to shame or confounded

to all eternity.

18 *ch. 42:5For thus says the Lord,

who created the heavens

(he is God!),

who formed the earth and made it

(he established it;

he *[Gen. 1:2] did not create it empty,

*[Ps. 115:16]he formed it to be inhabited!):

"I am the Lord, and there is no other.

19 *ch. 48:16;[Deut. 30:11] I did not speak in secret,

in a land of darkness;

I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,

*Jer. 29:13,14‘Seek me in vain.’*45:19 Hebrew in emptiness

I the Lord speak *ver. 23the truth;

I declare what is right.

20 *[ch. 41:1] "Assemble yourselves and come;

draw near together,

you survivors of the nations!

*[ch. 44:18,19;48:5-7] They have no knowledge

who *ch. 46:1,7;Jer. 10:5carry about their wooden idols,

*[ch. 44:17]and keep on praying to a god

that cannot save.

21 *[ch. 41:22,26;43:9] Declare and present your case;

let them take counsel together!

Who told this long ago?

Who declared it of old?

Was it not I, the Lord?

And there is no other god besides me,

a righteous God *[ch. 43:11]and a Savior;

there is none besides me.

22 "Turn to me and be saved,

*ch. 11:12;43:5,6all the ends of the earth!

For I am God, and there is no other.

23 *See Gen. 22:16By myself I have sworn;

from my mouth has gone out in *ver. 19righteousness

a word that shall not return:

*Cited Rom. 14:11;[Phil. 2:10]‘To me every knee shall bow,

every tongue shall swear allegiance.’*45:23 Septuagint every tongue shall confess to God

24 *[ch. 26:4;44:8] "Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me,

are righteousness and *[ch. 26:4;44:8] strength;

to him shall come and be ashamed

*[ch. 41:11]all who were incensed against him.

25 In the Lord all the offspring of Israel

shall be justified and shall glory."