1 The LORD says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held to subdue nations before him and strip kings of their armour, to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut: 2 “I will go before you and make the rough places smooth. I will break the doors of bronze in pieces and cut apart the bars of iron. 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that it is I, the LORD, who calls you by your name, even the God of Israel. 4 For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel my chosen, I have called you by your name. I have given you a title, though you have not known me. 5 I am the LORD, and there is no one else. Besides me, there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not known me, 6 that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is no one besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no one else. 7 I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create calamity. I am the LORD, who does all these things. 8 Rain, you heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open, that it may produce salvation, and let it cause righteousness to spring up with it. I, the LORD, have created it. 9 Woe to him who strives with his Maker— a clay pot amongst the clay pots of the earth! Shall the clay ask him who fashions it, ‘What are you making?’ or your work, ‘He has no hands’? 10 Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What have you become the father of?’ or to a mother, ‘What have you given birth to?’” 11 The LORD, the Holy One of Israel and his Maker says: “You ask me about the things that are to come, concerning my sons, and you command me concerning the work of my hands! 12 I have made the earth, and created man on it. I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens. I have commanded all their army. 13 I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will make all his ways straight. He shall build my city, and he shall let my exiles go free, not for price nor reward,” says the LORD of Armies. 14 The LORD says: “The labour of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and the Sabeans, men of stature, will come over to you, and they will be yours. They will go after you. They shall come over in chains. They will bow down to you. They will make supplication to you: ‘Surely God is in you; and there is no one else. There is no other god. 15 Most certainly you are a God who has hidden yourself, God of Israel, the Saviour.’” 16 They will be disappointed, yes, confounded, all of them. Those who are makers of idols will go into confusion together. 17 Israel will be saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation. You will not be disappointed nor confounded to ages everlasting. 18 For the LORD who created the heavens, the God who formed the earth and made it, who established it and didn’t create it a waste, who formed it to be inhabited says: “I am the LORD. There is no other. 19 I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness. I didn’t say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I, the LORD, speak righteousness. I declare things that are right. 20 “Assemble yourselves and come. Draw near together, you who have escaped from the nations. Those have no knowledge who carry the wood of their engraved image, and pray to a god that can’t save. 21 Declare and present it. Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has shown this from ancient time? Who has declared it of old? Haven’t I, the LORD? There is no other God besides me, a just God and a Saviour. There is no one besides me. 22 “Look to me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. 23 I have sworn by myself. The word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and will not be revoked, that to me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath. 24 They will say of me, ‘There is righteousness and strength only in the LORD.’” Even to him will men come. All those who raged against him will be disappointed. 25 All the offspring of Israel will be justified in the LORD, and will rejoice!
Isaiah · World English Bible British Edition (with Deuterocanon)
Isaiah 45 World English Bible British Edition (with Deuterocanon)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- "World English Bible" is a trademark of eBible.org; the text is shown unaltered.
Cross references (25)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Jeremiah 51:20–24; Isaiah 42:6; Isaiah 44:28; Psalm 73:23; Isaiah 41:13
- 2 Isaiah 40:4; Isaiah 42:16; Luke 3:5; Psalm 107:16; Jeremiah 51:30
- 3 Isaiah 48:15; Isaiah 43:1; Exodus 33:17; Exodus 33:12; Ezra 1:2
- 4 Isaiah 41:8–9; Acts 17:23; Exodus 19:5–6; Isaiah 44:1; Romans 11:7
- 5 Isaiah 44:8; Isaiah 44:6; Isaiah 46:9; Joel 2:27; 1 Kings 8:60
- 6 Malachi 1:11; Isaiah 37:20; Isaiah 45:5; Psalm 46:10; Ezekiel 38:23
- 7 Ecclesiastes 7:13–14; Amos 3:6; Psalm 75:7; Job 2:10; Isaiah 31:2
- 8 Hosea 10:12; Isaiah 61:11; Psalm 72:6; 1 Corinthians 3:6–9; Isaiah 44:3
- 9 Romans 9:20–21; Isaiah 64:8; Isaiah 10:15; Jeremiah 18:6; Isaiah 29:16
- 10 Malachi 1:6; Deuteronomy 27:16; Hebrews 12:9
- 11 Jeremiah 33:3; Isaiah 48:17; Mark 11:24; Ezekiel 36:37; Ephesians 2:10
- 12 Isaiah 42:5; Isaiah 44:24; Jeremiah 27:5; Genesis 2:1; Nehemiah 9:6
- 13 Isaiah 41:2; Isaiah 13:17; Isaiah 41:25; Isaiah 49:25; 2 Chronicles 36:22–23
- 14 Isaiah 49:23; 1 Corinthians 14:25; Jeremiah 16:19; Acts 10:25–26; Isaiah 61:5–6
- 15 Isaiah 8:17; Psalm 44:24; Isaiah 57:17; Isaiah 46:13; Psalm 77:19
- 16 Isaiah 44:9; Isaiah 44:11; Isaiah 42:17; Jeremiah 2:26–27; Isaiah 41:19
- 17 Romans 10:11; Psalm 25:3; Isaiah 54:4; 1 Peter 2:6; Joel 2:26–27
- 18 Psalm 115:16; Jeremiah 10:12; Isaiah 42:5; Isaiah 45:12; Genesis 1:2
- 19 Isaiah 48:16; Amos 5:4; Numbers 23:19–20; Jeremiah 29:13–14; Proverbs 30:5
- 20 Isaiah 43:9; Isaiah 44:17–20; Jeremiah 10:5; Isaiah 4:2; Isaiah 46:1
- 21 Isaiah 45:5; Isaiah 46:9–10; Isaiah 43:11; Titus 2:13–14; Isaiah 43:9
- 22 John 6:40; Micah 7:7; Hebrews 12:2; Numbers 21:8–9; Zechariah 12:10
- 23 Philippians 2:10; Romans 14:10–12; Isaiah 55:11; Hebrews 6:13–18; Deuteronomy 6:13
- 24 Isaiah 41:11; Philippians 4:13; Isaiah 54:17; 2 Timothy 4:17–18; John 12:32
- 25 Isaiah 41:16; Galatians 3:27–29; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Romans 8:30; Romans 9:6–8
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
And this is what has been spoken by the prophet, "I am a jealous God, making peace, and creating evil things;" thus making peace and friendship with those who repent and turn to Him, and bringing [them to] unity, but preparing for the impenitent, those who shun the light, eternal fire and outer darkness, which are evils indeed to those …
Wherefore He says to it by Isaiah, "I am the Lord that formed thee." It is indeed descended from heaven from its commencement, since its citizens during the course of this world grow by the grace of God, which cometh down from above through the laver of regeneration in the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
And again, "I," saith He, "make peace, and create evils:" For neither in this place doth He speak of wickedness, but of famines, and pestilences, things accounted evil by most men: the generality being wont to call these things evil.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
If thou findest fault with Him who saith, I am God that make peace, and create evil, explain how Jesus saith, I came not to send peace but a sword.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)