45:1 This is what the LORD says to his chosen¹ one,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I hold,²
in order to subdue nations before him,
and disarm kings,³
to open doors before him,
so gates remain unclosed:
45:2 “I will go before you,
and level mountains.⁴
Bronze doors I will shatter,
and iron bars⁵ I will hack through.
45:3 I will give you hidden treasures,⁶
riches stashed away in secret places,
so you might recognize that I am the LORD,
the one who calls you by name, the God of Israel.
45:4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
Israel, my chosen one,
I call you by name,
and give you a title of respect, even though you do not recognize⁷ me.
45:5 I am the LORD, I have no peer,⁸
there is no God but me;
I arm you for battle,⁹ even though you do not recognize¹⁰ me.
45:6 I do this¹¹ so people¹² will recognize from east to west
that there is no God but me;
I am the LORD, I have no peer.
45:7 I am¹³ the one who forms light,
and creates darkness;¹⁴
the one who brings about peace,
and creates calamity.¹⁵
I am the LORD, who accomplishes all these things.
45:8 O sky, rain down from above!
Let the clouds send down showers¹⁶ of deliverance!
Let the earth absorb it¹⁷ so salvation might grow,¹⁸
and deliverance might sprout up¹⁹ along with it.
I, the LORD, create it.²⁰
The Lord Gives a Warning
45:9 One who argues with his creator is in great danger,²¹
one who is like a mere²² shard among the other shards on the ground!
The clay should not say to the potter,²³
“What in the world²⁴ are you doing?
Your work lacks skill!”²⁵
45:10 Danger awaits one who says²⁶ to his father,
“What in the world²⁷ are you producing?”
and to his mother,
“What in the world²⁸ are you bringing forth?”²⁹
45:11 This is what the LORD says,
the sovereign king of Israel,³⁰ the one who brings the future into being,³¹
“How dare you question me³² about my children!
How dare you tell me what to do with³³ the work of my own hands!
45:12 I made the earth,
I created the people who live³⁴ on it.
It was me³⁵—my hands stretched out the sky,
I give orders to all the heavenly lights.³⁶
45:13 It’s me³⁷—I stir him up and commission him,³⁸
I will make all his ways level.
he will rebuild my city,
he will send my exiled people home,
but not for a price or a bribe,”
says the LORD who leads armies.

The Lord is the Nations’ Only Hope

45:14 This is what the LORD says,
“The profit³⁹ of Egypt and the revenue⁴⁰ of Ethiopia,
along with the Sabeans, those tall men,
will be brought to you⁴¹ and become yours.
They will walk behind you, coming along in chains.⁴²
They will bow down to you,
and pray to you:⁴³
‘Truly God is with⁴⁴ you; he has no peer,⁴⁵
there is no other God.’”
45:15 Yes, you are a God who keeps hidden,
O God of Israel, deliverer!
45:16 They will all be ashamed and embarrassed,
those who fashion idols will all be humiliated.⁴⁶
45:17 Israel will be delivered once and for all by the LORD,⁴⁷
you will never again be ashamed or humiliated.⁴⁸
45:18 For this is what the LORD says,
the one who created the sky—
he is the true God,⁴⁹
the one who formed the earth and made it,
he established it,
he did not create it without order,⁵⁰
he formed it to be inhabited—
“I am the LORD, I have no peer.⁵¹
45:19 I have not spoken in secret,
in some hidden place.⁵²
I did not tell Jacob’s offspring,
‘Seek me in vain.’⁵³
I am the LORD,
the one who speaks honestly,
who makes reliable announcements.⁵⁴
45:20 Gather together and come!
Approach together, you refugees from the nations!
Those who carry wooden idols know nothing,
those who pray to a god that cannot deliver.
45:21 Tell me! Present the evidence!⁵⁵
Let them consult with one another!
Who predicted this in the past?
Who announced it beforehand?
Was it not I, the LORD?
I have no peer,⁵⁶ there is no God but me,
a God who vindicates and delivers,⁵⁷
there is none but me.
45:22 Turn to me so you can be delivered,⁵⁸
all you who live in the earth’s remote regions!
For I am God, and I have no peer.⁵⁹
45:23 I solemnly make this oath,⁶⁰
what I say is true and reliable:⁶¹
‘Surely every knee will bow to me,
every tongue will solemnly affirm,⁶²
45:24 they will say about me,
“Yes, the LORD is a powerful deliverer.”’”⁶³
All who are angry at him will cower before him.⁶⁴
45:25 All the offspring of Israel will be vindicated by the LORD
and boast in him.⁶⁵