1 ARST Cyrus is the one whom Yahweh has appointed to be the emperor of Persia and to whom he will give great power; Yahweh will enable him to defeat other nations and to take away the power of their kings. He will cause gates of cities to be opened, and no one will ever be able to shut them. BSB BSB: This is what the LORD says to Cyrus His anointed, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him, to disarm kings, to open the doors before him, so that the gates will not be shut:
2 ARST This is what Yahweh says to him:“Cyrus, I will go ahead of you and level the mountains. I will smash down bronze gates and cut through their iron bars. BSB BSB: “I will go before you and level the mountains; I will break down the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.
3 ARST I will give you treasures that people have hidden in dark secret places. I will do that in order that you will know that I am Yahweh, the God to whom the Israelites belong, the God who calls you by your name. BSB BSB: I will give you the treasures of darkness and the riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by name.
4 ARST I have summoned you, calling out your name, for the sake of the people of Israel whom I have chosen, who serve me. Even though you do not know me, I will give you a title that has great honor. BSB BSB: For the sake of Jacob My servant and Israel My chosen one, I call you by name; I have given you a title of honor, though you have not known Me.
6 ARST in order that everyone in the world, from the east to the west, will know that there is no other God. I am Yahweh, and there is no other God. BSB BSB: so that all may know, from where the sun rises to where it sets, that there is none but Me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.
7 ARST I created the light and the darkness. I cause there to be peace and I cause there to be disasters. I, Yahweh, do all those things.” BSB BSB: I form the light and create the darkness; I bring prosperity and create calamity. I, the LORD, do all these things.
8 ARST Yahweh also says,“Just like the rain falls on the earth to help it, I will help my people and rescue them; I will cause them to be treated justly. I, Yahweh, am the one who will cause both of those things to happen. BSB BSB: Drip down, O heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open up that salvation may sprout and righteousness spring up with it; I, the LORD, have created it.
9 ARST Terrible things will happen to those who argue with me, because I am the one who created them. They are like clay pots who are arguing with the Potter who made them; they are just like every other clay pot that is made, and yet they argue with the One who made them and formed them out of the clay. Can a lump of clay say to the potter who made him,‘Why are you making me like this?’ The clay pot cannot say‘What do you think you are doing, making me this way?” or“You have no skill and your clay pots are not worth anything!” BSB BSB: Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker—one clay pot among many. Does the clay ask the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘He has no hands’?
10 ARST And it would be terrible if an unborn baby would say to its father,‘Why are you causing me to be born?’ or if it said to its mother,‘The result of your labor pains will be useless.’” BSB BSB: Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What have you begotten?’ or to his mother, ‘What have you brought forth?’”
11 ARST Yahweh, the Holy One of the Israelite people, the one who created Israel, says this to them:“Why do you ask questions about what I do for you, my children? Why do you instruct me about the work that I should do? BSB BSB: Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: “Concerning things to come, do you question Me about My sons, or instruct Me in the work of My hands?
12 ARST I am the one who created the earth and created people to live on it. I stretched out the sky with my hands, and I put the stars in their places. BSB BSB: It is I who made the earth and created man upon it. It was My hands that stretched out the heavens, and I ordained all their host.
13 ARST And I have made Cyrus to desire to do things that are right, and I will enable him to do all those things easily. No one will be able to stop him. His workers will rebuild my city, and he will free my people who have been exiled. And he will do it without my rewarding him!” This is what Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, says. BSB BSB: I will raise up Cyrus in righteousness, and I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild My city and set My exiles free, but not for payment or reward, says the LORD of Hosts.”
14 ARST And this is also what I, Yahweh, say to you, my people:“You will rule the people of Egypt and Ethiopia, and the tall people of Seba will become your slaves. They will come to you bringing all the things that they sell, and it will all be yours. They will have chains on their arms as they follow you. They will bow down in front of you and say,‘God is with you and he is the only God; there is no other God.’” BSB BSB: This is what the LORD says: “The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, along with the Sabeans, men of stature, will come over to you and will be yours; they will trudge behind you; they will come over in chains and bow down to you. They will confess to you: ‘God is indeed with you, and there is no other; there is no other God.’”
16 ARST All those who make idols will be humiliated. They will all be disgraced together. BSB BSB: They will all be put to shame and humiliated; the makers of idols will depart together in disgrace.
17 ARST But you, Yahweh, will rescue us, your Israelite people, and we will be free forever. Never again, during all the future, will we again be humiliated and disgraced. BSB BSB: But Israel will be saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation; you will not be put to shame or humiliated, to ages everlasting.
19 ARST What I proclaimed, I did not speak secretly; I did not hide what I was saying by speaking in a dark place. When I spoke to the descendants of Jacob, I did not tell them‘It will be useless for you to seek for me!’ I, Yahweh, speak only what is true and what is right. BSB BSB: I have not spoken in secret, from a place in a land of darkness. I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in a wasteland.’ I, the LORD, speak the truth; I say what is right.
20 ARST You people who are still alive after experiencing great disasters, should come and gather together and listen to this: The people who carry around their wooden idols and pray to them are foolish, because those idols cannot rescue them! BSB BSB: Come, gather together, and draw near, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry idols of wood and pray to a god that cannot save.
21 ARST Talk among yourselves and decide what you will say to prove that you should pray to idols. And when you do that, I will ask you,‘Who predicted long ago what has now happened? Did any idol tell you that those things would happen?’ No, it was only I, Yahweh, who told you, because I am the only God; there is no other God. I am a God who acts righteously and saves people; there is no other one who does these things. BSB BSB: Speak up and present your case—yes, let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago? Who announced it from ancient times? Was it not I, the LORD? There is no other God but Me, a righteous God and Savior; there is none but Me.
23 ARST I have solemnly declared, using my own name; I have spoken what is true, and I will never change what I have said: Some day, everyone will bow in front of me, and they will all solemnly promise to be loyal to me. BSB BSB: By Myself I have sworn; truth has gone out from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow before Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.
24 ARST They will declare,‘Yahweh is the one who enables us to live righteously and to be strong.’” And all those who have been angry at Yahweh will come to him, and they will be ashamed that they were angry with him. BSB BSB: Surely they will say of Me, ‘In the LORD alone are righteousness and strength.’” All who rage against Him will come to Him and be put to shame.
25 ARST Yahweh is the only one who will enable us Israelite people in all future times to defeat our enemies, and then we will boast about what he has done for us. BSB BSB: In the LORD all descendants of Israel will be justified and will exult.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.