Isaiah Chapter 45
Cyrus, Yahveh’s Chosen One
45:1This is what Yahveh says to Cyrus his anointed
whose right hand he’ll empower
to subdue nations and dethrone kings,
to open fortress gates so they won’t be shut:
2 “I’ll go ahead of you to level out the mountains,
shatter bronze gates, and cut through their iron bars.
3 I’ll give you treasures stored in the dark
and wealth hidden in secret places,
so you’ll know it’s me,
Yahveh God of Israel, who calls you by name.
4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,
Israel my chosen one,
I’ve called you by name
and given you an honorable title
even though you didn’t know me.
Is 45:1-4
5 I’m Yahveh; there’s no other;
there’s no God but me.
I’ll arm you for war though you don’t know who I am,
6 so people from sunrise to sunset
can know there’s no God but me.
I’m Yahveh; there’s no other,
7 Yahveh that creates light and makes darkness,
that sends peace and brings catastrophe—
I’m Yahveh that does all of that.
Is 45:5-7
8 “Sky, shower from above;
clouds, rain down goodness;
ground, open up so salvation can sprout
and goodness can spring up from you.
I’m Yahveh your creator.
Is 45:8
9 “Misfortune awaits the ones that fuss at their Maker
like a clay pot fussing at a potter!
Will a pot say to a potter, ‘What are you doing?’
or ‘What you’re making doesn’t have any handles’?
10 Misfortune awaits the baby that says to its father,
‘Why did you beget me?’
or its mother, ‘Why did you have me?’”
Is 45:9-10
11 Yahveh, the Holy One of Israel and your Maker, says
“Will you question me about my children
or tell me how to do my work?
12 I’m the One that made the world and created people in it;
I stretched out the sky and hung the stars there.
13 I’ll stir up Cyrus for my righteous purposes
and smooth his paths;
he’ll rebuild my city and free my exiles
without payment or reward.”
Is 45:11-13
Yahveh, the Only Savior
14 Yahveh says,
“Egyptians, Nubians, and Sabeans—men of stature—
will come in chains and fall down in front of you;
their wealth and merchandise will be yours.
They’ll say to you,
‘God is with you for sure;
there’s nobody else, no other God.’”
15 Truly you’re a God that works in mysterious ways,
God of Israel, Savior!
16 They’ll be disgraced who manufacture idols;
they’ll go away together in humiliation.
17 Yahveh will deliver Israel permanently;
Israel won’t ever be put to shame.
Is 45:14-17
18 Yahveh says—who created the sky,
who made the earth and shaped it,
who didn’t make it waste and void,
but shaped it to be lived in—
“I’m Yahveh; there’s no other.
19 I haven’t spoken secretly in some dark corner;
I didn’t tell Jacob’s descendants
to look for me in a desolate place;
I’m straightforward
and declare what makes sense.
Is 45:18-19
20 “Get together and return;
come near together, refugees from the nations around.
They don’t know what they’re doing
who carry around wooden idols
and pray to gods that can’t save.
21 Consult together and set forth your case.
Who predicted those things from of old?
What idol has proclaimed it for so long?
Am I not the One, Yahveh?
There’s no God but me,
an upright God and Savior;
there’s none but me.
22 Turn to me and be saved, people everywhere,
because I’m God, there’s no other.
Is 45:20-22
23 I’ve sworn by myself;
I won’t take back the reliable message,
the message that every knee will bow to me
and every tongue will swear allegiance.
24 They’ll say about me,
‘Godliness and strength are only in Yahveh.’
People will come to me;
everyone that’s been mad at me will be put to shame.”
25 Israel’s offspring will be justified
and honored in Yahveh.
Is 45:23-25