1Thus says the Lord to his anointed,* Cyrus,

whose right hand I grasp,

Subduing nations before him,

stripping kings of their strength,

Opening doors before him,

leaving the gates unbarred:

2I will go before you

and level the mountains;

Bronze doors* I will shatter,

iron bars I will snap.a

3I will give you treasures of darkness,

riches hidden away,

That you may know I am the Lord,

the God of Israel, who calls you by name.

4For the sake of Jacob, my servant,

of Israel my chosen one,

I have called you by name,

giving you a title, though you do not know me.b

5I am the Lord, there is no other,

there is no God besides me.

It is I who arm you, though you do not know me,

6so that all may know, from the rising of the sun

to its setting, that there is none besides me.*

I am the Lord, there is no other.

7I form the light, and create the darkness,

I make weal and create woe;*

I, the Lord, do all these things.

8Let justice descend, you heavens, like dew from above,

like gentle rain let the clouds drop it down.

Let the earth open and salvation bud forth;

let righteousness spring up with them!*

I, the Lord, have created this.c

9Woe to anyone who contends with their Maker;d

a potsherd among potsherds of the earth!*

Shall the clay say to the potter, “What are you doing?”

or, “What you are making has no handles”?

10Woe to anyone who asks a father, “What are you begetting?”

or a woman, “What are you giving birth to?”

11Thus says the Lord,

the Holy One of Israel, his maker:

Do you question me about my children,

tell me how to treat the work of my hands?

12It was I who made the earth

and created the people upon it;

It was my hands that stretched out the heavens;

I gave the order to all their host.

13It was I who stirred him* up for justice;

all his ways I make level.

He shall rebuild my city

and let my exiles go free

Without price or payment,

says the Lord of hosts.

14Thus says the Lord:

The earnings of Egypt, the gain of Ethiopia,

and the Sabeans,* tall of stature,

Shall come over to you and belong to you;

they shall follow you, coming in chains.

Before you they shall bow down,

saying in prayer:

“With you alone is God; and there is none other,

no other god!e

15Truly with you God is hidden,*

the God of Israel, the savior!f

16They are put to shame and disgrace, all of them;

they go in disgrace who carve images.

17Israel has been saved by the Lord,

saved forever!

You shall never be put to shame or disgrace

in any future age.”

18For thus says the Lord,

The creator of the heavens,

who is God,

The designer and maker of the earth

who established it,

Not as an empty waste* did he create it,

but designing it to be lived in:

I am the Lord, and there is no other.

19I have not spoken in secret

from some place in the land of darkness,

I have not said to the descendants of Jacob,

“Look for me in an empty waste.”

I, the Lord, promise justice,

I declare what is right.

20Come and assemble, gather together,

you fugitives from among the nations!

They are without knowledge who bear wooden idols*

and pray to gods that cannot save.

21Come close and declare;

let them take counsel together:

Who announced this from the beginning,

declared it from of old?

Was it not I, the Lord,

besides whom there is no other God?

There is no just and saving God but me.

22Turn to me and be safe,

all you ends of the earth,

for I am God; there is no other!

23By myself I swear,

uttering my just decree,

a word that will not return:

To me every knee shall bend;

by me every tongue shall swear,g

24Saying, “Only in the Lord

are just deeds and power.

Before him in shame shall come

all who vent their anger against him.

25In the Lord all the descendants of Israel

shall have vindication and glory.”