New Living Translation

New King James Version

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

Cyrus, God’s Instrument

“Thus says the Lord to His anointed,
To Cyrus, whose right hand I have [a]held —
To subdue nations before him
And loose the armor of kings,
To open before him the double doors,
So that the gates will 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 you
And[b] make the [c]crooked places straight;
I will break in pieces the gates of bronze
And cut 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

I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden riches of secret places,
That you may know that I, the Lord,
Who call you by your 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 My elect,
I have even called you by your name;
I have named you, though you have not known 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 the Lord, and there is no other;
There is no God besides Me.
I will gird you, though you have 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 to its setting
That there is none besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other;

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

I form the light and create darkness,
I make peace and create calamity;
I, the Lord, 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

“Rain down, you heavens, from above,
And let the skies pour down righteousness;
Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation,
And let righteousness spring up together.
I, the Lord, 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 to him who strives with his Maker!
Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth!
Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’
Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has 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 to him who says to his father, ‘What are you begetting?’
Or to the woman, ‘What have you 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 says the Lord,
The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker:
“Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons;
And concerning the work of My hands, you command 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

I have made the earth,
And created man on it.
I — My hands — stretched out the heavens,
And all their host I have 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

I have raised him up in righteousness,
And I will [d]direct all his ways;
He shall build My city
And let My exiles go free,
Not for price nor reward,”
Says the Lord 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, the Only Savior

Thus says the Lord:
“The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush
And of the Sabeans, men of stature,
Shall come over to you, and they shall be yours;
They shall walk behind you,
They shall come over in chains;
And they shall bow down to you.
They will make supplication to you, saying, ‘Surely God is in you,
And there is no other;
There is no other God.’ ”

15

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

15

Truly You are God, who hide Yourself,
O God of Israel, the Savior!

16

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

16

They shall be ashamed
And also disgraced, all of them;
They shall go in confusion together,
Who are 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

But Israel shall be saved by the Lord
With an everlasting salvation;
You shall not be ashamed or disgraced
Forever and ever.

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 says the Lord,
Who created the heavens,
Who is God,
Who formed the earth and made it,
Who has established it,
Who did not create it [e]in vain,
Who formed it to be inhabited:
“I am the Lord, and there is no other.

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 did not say to the seed of Jacob,
‘Seek Me [f]in vain’;
I, the Lord, speak righteousness,
I declare things that 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

“Assemble yourselves and come;
Draw near together,
You who have escaped from the nations.
They have no knowledge,
Who carry the wood of their carved image,
And pray to 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

Tell and bring forth your case;
Yes, let them take counsel together.
Who has declared this from ancient time?
Who has told it from that time?
Have not I, the Lord?
And there is no other God besides Me,
A just God and a Savior;
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 to Me, and be saved,
All you ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.

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 has gone out of My mouth in righteousness,
And shall not return,
That to Me every knee shall bow,
Every tongue shall take an oath.

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

He shall say,
[g]‘Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength.
To Him men shall come,
And all shall be ashamed
Who are incensed against Him.

25

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

25

In the Lord all the descendants of Israel
Shall be justified, and shall glory.’ ”

Parallel

New Living Translation

New King James Version

Isaiah 45

Isaiah 45