Isa 45 | ESV | STEP | Thus says the Lord to his anointed , to Cyrus , whose right hand I have grasped , to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings , to open doors before him that gates may not be closed :

1 Thus says the Lord to ^ahis anointed, to Cyrus,
^bwhose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
and ^cto loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him
that gates may not be closed:
2 “I will go before you
and ^dlevel the exalted places, ^{▼▼Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint level the mountains}
^fI will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron,
3 ^gI will give you the treasures of darkness
and the hoards in secret places,
that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
the God of Israel, ^hwho call you by your name.
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen,
ⁱI call you by your name,
^jI name you, though you do not know me.
5 ^kI am the Lord, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God;
^lI equip you, though you do not know me,
6 ^mthat people may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is none besides me;
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
7 I form light and create darkness,
I make well-being and ⁿcreate calamity;
I am the Lord, who does all these things.
8 ^o“Shower, O heavens, from above,
and ^plet the clouds rain down righteousness;
let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit;
let the earth cause them both to sprout;
I the Lord have created it.
9 ^q“Woe to him who strives with him who formed him,
a pot among earthen pots!
^rDoes the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’
or ‘Your work has no handles’?
10 Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’
or to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?’”
11 Thus says ^sthe Lord,
the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him:
^t“Ask me of things to come;
will you command me ^uconcerning my children and ^vthe work of my hands? ^{▼▼A slight emendation yields will you question me about my children, or command me concerning the work of my hands?}
12 ^xI made the earth
and created man on it;
it was my hands ^ythat stretched out the heavens,
and ^zI commanded all their host.
13 ^aaI have stirred him up in righteousness,
^aband I will make all his ways level;
^ache shall build my city
^adand set my exiles free,
not for price or reward,”
says the Lord of hosts.

The Lord, the Only Savior

14 Thus says the Lord:
^ae“The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,
and the Sabeans, men of stature,
shall come over to you ^afand be yours;
they shall follow you;
they shall come over in chains and bow down to you.
They will plead with you, saying:
‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other,
no god besides him.’”
15 ^agTruly, you are a God who hides himself,
O God of Israel, the Savior.
16 ^ahAll of them are put to shame and confounded;
the makers of idols go in confusion together.
17 But Israel is saved by the Lord
with everlasting salvation;
^aiyou shall not be put to shame or confounded
to all eternity.
18 ^ajFor thus says the Lord,
who created the heavens
(he is God!),
who formed the earth and made it
(he established it;
he ^akdid not create it empty,
^alhe formed it to be inhabited!):
“I am the Lord, and there is no other.
19 ^amI did not speak in secret,
in a land of darkness;
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,
^an‘Seek me in vain.’ ^{▼▼Hebrew in emptiness}
I the Lord speak ^apthe truth;
I declare what is right.
20 ^aq“Assemble yourselves and come;
draw near together,
you survivors of the nations!
^arThey have no knowledge
who ^ascarry about their wooden idols,
^atand keep on praying to a god
that cannot save.
21 ^auDeclare and present your case;
let them take counsel together!
Who told this long ago?
Who declared it of old?
Was it not I, the Lord?
And there is no other god besides me,
a righteous God ^avand a Savior;
there is none besides me.
22 “Turn to me and be saved,
^awall the ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.
23 ^axBy myself I have sworn;
from my mouth has gone out in ^ayrighteousness
a word that shall not return:
^az‘To me every knee shall bow,
every tongue shall swear allegiance.’ ^{▼▼Septuagint every tongue shall confess to God}
24 ^bb“Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me,
are righteousness and ^bcstrength;
to him shall come and be ashamed
^bdall who were incensed against him.
25 In the Lord all the offspring of Israel
shall be justified and shall glory.”