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ISAIAH 45
page 643
O mountains and forests and every tree!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob
and is glorified in Israel.
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This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer and Creator:
“I am the Lord, who made all things.
I alone stretched out the heavens.
Who was with me
when I made the earth?
I expose the false prophets as liars
and make fools of fortune-tellers.
I cause the wise to give bad advice,
thus proving them to be fools.
But I carry out the predictions of my
prophets!
By them I say to Jerusalem, ‘People will
live here again,’
and to the towns of Judah, ‘You will be
rebuilt;
I will restore all your ruins!’
When I speak to the rivers and say, ‘Dry up!’
they will be dry.
When I say of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,’
he will certainly do as I say.
He will command, ‘Rebuild Jerusalem’;
he will say, ‘Restore the Temple.’”
Cyrus, the LORD’s Chosen One
1 This is what the Lord says to Cyrus,
his anointed one,
whose right hand he will empower.
Before him, mighty kings will be paralyzed
with fear.
Their fortress gates will be opened,
never to shut again.
2 This is what the Lord says:
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“Open up, O heavens,
and pour out your righteousness.
Let the earth open wide
so salvation and righteousness can
sprout up together.
I, the Lord, created them.
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“What sorrow awaits those who argue
with their Creator.
Does a clay pot argue with its maker?
Does the clay dispute with the one who
shapes it, saying,
‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’
Does the pot exclaim,
‘How clumsy can you be?’
How terrible it would be if a newborn baby
said to its father,
‘Why was I born?’
or if it said to its mother,
‘Why did you make me this way?’”
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“I will go before you, Cyrus,
and level the mountains.*
I will smash down gates of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.
And I will give you treasures hidden in the
darkness—
secret riches.
I will do this so you may know that I am the
Lord,
the God of Israel, the one who calls you
by name.
“And why have I called you for this work?
Why did I call you by name when you did
not know me?
It is for the sake of Jacob my servant,
Israel my chosen one.
I am the Lord;
there is no other God.
I have equipped you for battle,
though you don’t even know me,
so all the world from east to west
will know there is no other God.
45:2 As in Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek version; Masoretic Text
reads the swellings. 45:14 Hebrew Cushites.
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
I create the light and make the darkness.
I send good times and bad times.
I, the Lord, am the one who does these
things.
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This is what the Lord says—
the Holy One of Israel and your Creator:
“Do you question what I do for my children?
Do you give me orders about the work of
my hands?
I am the one who made the earth
and created people to live on it.
With my hands I stretched out the heavens.
All the stars are at my command.
I will raise up Cyrus to fulfill my righteous
purpose,
and I will guide his actions.
He will restore my city and free my captive
people—
without seeking a reward!
I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
have spoken!”
Future Conversion of Gentiles
14 This is what the Lord says:
“You will rule the Egyptians,
the Ethiopians,* and the Sabeans.
They will come to you with all their
merchandise,
and it will all be yours.
They will follow you as prisoners in chains.
They will fall to their knees in front of
you and say,
‘God is with you, and he is the only God.
There is no other.’”
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Truly, O God of Israel, our Savior,
you work in mysterious ways.
All craftsmen who make idols will be
humiliated.
They will all be disgraced together.