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Isaiah Chapter 45 (JPS)

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Isaiah Chapter 45 (JPS)
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1 Thus saith HaShem to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him, and to loose the loins of kings; to open the doors before him, and that the gates may not be shut:

2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the doors of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron;

3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I am HaShem, who call thee by thy name, even the G-d of Israel.

4 For the sake of Jacob My servant, and Israel Mine elect, I have called thee by thy name, I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known Me.

5 I am HaShem, and there is none else, beside Me there is no G-d; I have girded thee, though thou hast not known Me;

6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me; I am HaShem; and there is none else;

7 I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I am HaShem, that doeth all these things.

8 Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness; let the earth open, that they may bring forth salvation, and let her cause righteousness to spring up together; I HaShem have created it.

9 Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker, as a potsherd with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him that fashioned it: 'What makest thou?' Or: 'Thy work, it hath no hands'?

10 Woe unto him that saith unto his father. 'Wherefore begettest thou?' Or to a woman: 'Wherefore travailest thou?'

11 Thus saith HaShem, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: Ask Me of the things that are to come; concerning My sons, and concerning the work of My hands, command ye Me.

12 I, even I, have made the earth, and created man upon it; I, even My hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.

13 I have roused him up in victory, and I make level all his ways; he shall build My city, and he shall let Mine exiles go free, not for price nor reward, saith HaShem of hosts.

14 Thus saith HaShem: the labour of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine; they shall go after thee, in chains they shall come over; and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee: Surely G-d is in thee, and there is none else, there is no other G-d.

15 Verily Thou art a G-d that hidest Thyself, O G-d of Israel, the Saviour.

16 They shall be ashamed, yea, confounded, all of them; they shall go in confusion together that are makers of idols.

17 O Israel, that art saved by HaShem with an everlasting salvation; ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.

18 For thus saith HaShem that created the heavens, He is G-d; that formed the earth and made it, He established it, He created it not a waste, He formed it to be inhabited: I am HaShem, and there is none else.

19 I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness; I said not unto the seed of Jacob: 'Seek ye Me in vain'; I HaShem speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

20 Assemble yourselves and come, draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations; they have no knowledge that carry the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save.

21 Declare ye, and bring them near, yea, let them take counsel together: Who hath announced this from ancient time, and declared it of old? Have not I HaShem? And there is no G-d else beside Me, a just G-d and a Saviour; there is none beside Me.

22 Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am G-d, and there is none else.

23 By Myself have I sworn, the word is gone forth from My mouth in righteousness, and shall not come back, that unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

24 Only in HaShem, shall one say of Me, is victory and strength; even to Him shall men come in confusion, all they that were incensed against Him.

25 In HaShem shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Isaiah 45 about?
It opens with God naming and anointing Cyrus, a foreign king, as his instrument to free Israel and open gates before him (v.1), then repeats 'I am the LORD, and there is none else' (vv.5-6), closing with a promise Israel will be saved and 'not ashamed nor confounded' (v.17), a phrase echoed at Romans 10:11.
What does Isaiah 45:1 say about Cyrus?
It calls Cyrus God's 'anointed,' whose right hand God has held 'to subdue nations before him' and open two-leaved gates that would not be shut - a striking detail since Cyrus was a pagan king, not an Israelite.
What does the potter and clay image mean in Isaiah 45?
Verse 9 warns, 'Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker...Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou?' - rebuking anyone who questions God's right to shape events, including his choice of Cyrus.

Today's Verse

but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and he hath made known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these:

Daniel 2:28 | ASV

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