Isaiah 45:1-13

God Uses Cyrus

1This is what the Lord says to Cyrus His anointed,

Whom I have taken by the right hand,

To subdue nations before him

And to undo the weapons belt on the waist of kings;

To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:

2“I will go before you and make the rough places smooth;

I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars.

3“I will give you the treasures of darkness

And hidden wealth of secret places,

So that you may know that it is I,

The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.

4“For the sake of Jacob My servant,

And Israel My chosen one,

I have also called you by your name;

I have given you a title of honor

Though you have not known Me.

5“I am the Lord, and there is no one else;

There is no God except Me.

I will arm you, though you have not known Me,

6So that people may know from the rising to the setting of the sun

That there is no one besides Me.

I am the Lord, and there is no one else,

7The One forming light and creating darkness,

Causing well-being and creating disaster;

I am the Lord who does all these things.

God’s Supreme Power

8“Drip down, heavens, from above,

And let the clouds pour down righteousness;

Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit,

And righteousness sprout with it.

I, the Lord, have created it.

9“Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker—

A piece of pottery among the other earthenware pottery pieces!

Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’

Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’?

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

Or to a woman, ‘To what are you giving birth?’ ”

¹¹This is what the Lord says, the Holy One of Israel and his Maker:

“Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons,

And you shall commit to Me the work of My hands.

12“It is I who made the earth, and created mankind upon it.

I stretched out the heavens with My hands,

And I ordained all their lights.

13“I have stirred him in righteousness,

And I will make all his ways smooth.

He will build My city and let My exiles go free,

Without any payment or reward,” says the Lord of armies.