New Living Translation

Darby Bible Translation

Cyrus, the LORD’s Chosen One

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.

1

God Calls Cyrus

Thus saith Jehovah to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him -- and I will loose the loins of kings; to open before him the two-leaved doors, and the gates shall not be shut:

2

This is what the LORD says:
“I will go before you, Cyrus,
and level the mountains.a
I will smash down gates of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.

2

I will go before thee, and make the elevated places plain; I will break in pieces the brazen doors, and cut asunder the bars of iron;

3

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.

3

and I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places; that thou mayest know that I, Jehovah, who call thee by name, [am] the God of Israel.

4

“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.

4

For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have called thee by thy name; I surnamed thee, though thou didst not know me;

5

I am the LORD;
there is no other God.
I have equipped you for battle,
though you don’t even know me,

5

I [am] Jehovah, and there is none else; there is no God beside me: I girded thee, and thou hast not known me;

6

so all the world from east to west
will know there is no other God.
I am the LORD, and there is no other.

6

-- that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the going down, that there is none beside me. I [am] Jehovah, and there is none else;

7

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.

7

forming the light and creating darkness, making peace and creating evil: I, Jehovah, do all these things.

8

“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.

8

Drop down, [ye] heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness; let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and with it let righteousness spring up. I, Jehovah, have created it.

9

“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?’

9

Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let a potsherd [strive] with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that formeth it, What makest thou? Or thy work, He hath no hands?

10

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?’”

10

Woe unto him that saith unto [his] father, What begettest thou? Or to [his] mother, What hast thou brought forth?

11

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?

11

Thus saith Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: Ask me of the things to come; concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands, command ye me.

12

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.

12

It is I that have made the earth, and created man upon it; it is I, my hands, that have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.

13

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!”

13

It is I that have raised him up in righteousness, and I will make all his ways straight: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith Jehovah of hosts.

14

Future Conversion of Gentiles

This is what the LORD says:
“You will rule the Egyptians,
the Ethiopians,b 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.’”

14

The Lord will Save

Thus saith Jehovah: The wealth of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall walk after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall bow down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, [saying,] Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, no other God. ...

15

Truly, O God of Israel, our Savior,
you work in mysterious ways.

15

Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour. ...

16

All craftsmen who make idols will be humiliated.
They will all be disgraced together.

16

They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them; they shall go away in confusion together, the makers of idols.

17

But the LORD will save the people of Israel
with eternal salvation.
Throughout everlasting ages,
they will never again be humiliated and disgraced.

17

Israel shall be saved by Jehovah with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded, unto the ages of ages.

18

For the LORD is God,
and he created the heavens and earth
and put everything in place.
He made the world to be lived in,
not to be a place of empty chaos.
“I am the LORD,” he says,
“and there is no other.

18

For thus saith Jehovah who created the heavens, God himself who formed the earth and made it, he who established it, -- not as waste did he create it: he formed it to be inhabited: -- I [am] Jehovah, and there is none else.

19

I publicly proclaim bold promises.
I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner.
I would not have told the people of Israelc to seek me
if I could not be found.
I, the LORD, speak only what is true
and declare only what is right.

19

I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth; I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek me in vain: I [am] Jehovah, speaking righteousness, declaring things which are right.

20

“Gather together and come,
you fugitives from surrounding nations.
What fools they are who carry around their wooden idols
and pray to gods that cannot save!

20

Gather yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations. They have no knowledge that carry the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save.

21

Consult together, argue your case.
Get together and decide what to say.
Who made these things known so long ago?
What idol ever told you they would happen?
Was it not I, the LORD?
For there is no other God but me,
a righteous God and Savior.
There is none but me.

21

Declare and bring [them] near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath caused this to be heard from ancient time? [who] hath declared it long ago? Is it not I, Jehovah? And there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour, there is none besides me.

22

Let all the world look to me for salvation!
For I am God; there is no other.

22

Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I [am] God, and there is none else.

23

I have sworn by my own name;
I have spoken the truth,
and I will never go back on my word:
Every knee will bend to me,
and every tongue will declare allegiance to me.d”

23

I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth [in] righteousness and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

24

The people will declare,
“The LORD is the source of all my righteousness and strength.”
And all who were angry with him
will come to him and be ashamed.

24

Only in Jehovah, shall one say, have I righteousness and strength. To him shall [men] come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.

25

In the LORD all the generations of Israel will be justified,
and in him they will boast.

25

In Jehovah shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.

Parallel

New Living Translation

Darby Bible Translation

Isaiah 45

Isaiah 45