Place Your Confidence in the Lord! – Isaiah 45:1-19
45 This is what Jehovah says to his anointed one, to Cyrus, the one whose right hand I hold in order to subdue nations before him—indeed, I will strip kings of their armor—and open doors before him—indeed, the gates shall not be shut: (2) I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. (3) I will give you the treasures hidden in darkness and riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, Jehovah, the God of Israel, who has summoned you by name. (4) For my servant Jacob’s sake and for the sake of Israel my chosen one, I have summoned you by name; I have bestowed upon you a title of honor, even though you do not know me.
(5) I am Jehovah, and there is none other; there is no other God besides me. I will strengthen you, even though you have not known me; (6) so that from the place where the sun rises to the place where it sets men may know that there is no God besides me. I am Jehovah, and there is none other. (7) I form the light and I create darkness; I make peace and I create calamity. I am Jehovah, the one who does all these things. (8) You heavens above, rain down righteousness, and let the clouds pour down righteousness. Let the earth open wide, so that salvation may spring up, and let righteousness grow with it. I, Jehovah, have created it.
(9) Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker!—he who is nothing more than a potsherd among the potsherds scattered on the ground! Will the clay say to the potter, What are you making? or will the thing you are making say, He has no hands? (10) Woe to him who says to his father, What have you begotten? or who says to his mother, To what have you given birth?
(11) This is what Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel and his Maker, says: Ask me about things that are yet to happen, things concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands; command me to tell you. (12) I have made the earth and created man to live upon it. I stretched out the heavens with my own hands; and I have appointed all their starry hosts. (13) By my righteousness I have raised up Cyrus, and I will make all his ways smooth. He will build my city and he shall release my exiles, for neither fee nor reward, declares Jehovah of hosts.
(14) This is what Jehovah says, The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Ethiopia will be given to you, and the tall Sabeans will come over to you and will be yours—they will trudge behind you, coming over to you in chains. They will bow down before you and plead with you for mercy, confessing, Surely God is with you, and there is none other; there is no other God.
(15) Truly, you are a God who hides himself, O God of Israel, our Savior. (16) They will be put to shame, all of them will be humiliated; all those who are the makers of idols will depart together in disgrace. (17) But Israel will be saved by Jehovah with an everlasting salvation—you will never be put to shame nor humiliated for all eternity! (18) This is what Jehovah declares, the one who created the heavens, the God who formed the earth and made it, the one who established it and did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited, I am Jehovah, and there is none other. (19) I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness. I have not said to Jacob’s descendants, Seek me in vain. I, Jehovah, speak the truth; I declare things that are right.
Now proceed to the next section of this study, entitled, Exploring the Passage.
