Isaiah 44:24-47:15

New International Version

I am the Lord,
    the Maker of all things,
    who stretches out the heavens,^(D)
    who spreads out the earth^(E) by myself,
²⁵ who foils^(F) the signs of false prophets
    and makes fools of diviners,^(G)
who overthrows the learning of the wise^(H)
    and turns it into nonsense,^(I)
26 who carries out the words^(J) of his servants
    and fulfills^(K) the predictions of his messengers,

who says of Jerusalem,^(L) ‘It shall be inhabited,’
    of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’
    and of their ruins,^(M) ‘I will restore them,’^(N)
27 who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry,
    and I will dry up^(O) your streams,’
²⁸ who says of Cyrus,^(P) ‘He is my shepherd
    and will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem,^(Q) “Let it be rebuilt,”
    and of the temple,^(R) “Let its foundations^(S) be laid.”’

45 “This is what the Lord says to his anointed,^(T)
    to Cyrus,^(U) whose right hand I take hold^(V) of
to subdue nations^(W) before him
    and to strip kings of their armor,
to open doors before him
    so that gates will not be shut:
² I will go before you^(X)
    and will level^(Y) the mountains^[a];
I will break down gates^(Z) of bronze
    and cut through bars of iron.^(AA)
3 I will give you hidden treasures,^(AB)
    riches stored in secret places,^(AC)
so that you may know^(AD) that I am the Lord,
    the God of Israel, who summons you by name.^(AE)
4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,^(AF)
    of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
    and bestow on you a title of honor,
    though you do not acknowledge^(AG) me.
⁵ I am the Lord, and there is no other;^(AH)
    apart from me there is no God.^(AI)
I will strengthen you,^(AJ)
    though you have not acknowledged me,
⁶ so that from the rising of the sun
    to the place of its setting^(AK)
people may know^(AL) there is none besides me.^(AM)
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.
⁷ I form the light and create darkness,^(AN)
    I bring prosperity and create disaster;^(AO)
    I, the Lord, do all these things.

⁸ “You heavens above, rain^(AP) down my righteousness;^(AQ)
    let the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth open wide,
    let salvation^(AR) spring up,
let righteousness flourish with it;
    I, the Lord, have created it.

⁹ “Woe to those who quarrel^(AS) with their Maker,^(AT)
    those who are nothing but potsherds^(AU)
    among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,^(AV)
    ‘What are you making?’^(AW)
Does your work say,
    ‘The potter has no hands’?^(AX)
10 Woe to the one who says to a father,
    ‘What have you begotten?’
or to a mother,
    ‘What have you brought to birth?’

¹¹ “This is what the Lord says—
    the Holy One^(AY) of Israel, and its Maker:^(AZ)
Concerning things to come,
    do you question me about my children,
    or give me orders about the work of my hands?^(BA)
12 It is I who made the earth^(BB)
    and created mankind on it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens;^(BC)
    I marshaled their starry hosts.^(BD)
13 I will raise up Cyrus^[b](BE) in my righteousness:
    I will make all his ways straight.^(BF)
He will rebuild my city^(BG)
    and set my exiles free,
but not for a price or reward,^(BH)
    says the Lord Almighty.”

“The products^(BI) of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,^[c]
    and those tall Sabeans^(BJ)—
they will come over to you^(BK)
    and will be yours;
they will trudge behind you,^(BL)
    coming over to you in chains.^(BM)
They will bow down before you
    and plead^(BN) with you, saying,
‘Surely God is with you,^(BO) and there is no other;
    there is no other god.^(BP)’”

¹⁵ Truly you are a God who has been hiding^(BQ) himself,
    the God and Savior^(BR) of Israel.
¹⁶ All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced;^(BS)
    they will go off into disgrace together.
¹⁷ But Israel will be saved^(BT) by the Lord
    with an everlasting salvation;^(BU)
you will never be put to shame or disgraced,^(BV)
    to ages everlasting.

¹⁸ For this is what the Lord says—
he who created the heavens,
    he is God;
he who fashioned and made the earth,^(BW)
    he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,^(BX)
    but formed it to be inhabited^(BY)—
he says:
“I am the Lord,
    and there is no other.^(BZ)
19 I have not spoken in secret,^(CA)
    from somewhere in a land of darkness;^(CB)
I have not said to Jacob’s descendants,^(CC)
    ‘Seek^(CD) me in vain.’
I, the Lord, speak the truth;
    I declare what is right.^(CE)

²⁰ “Gather together^(CF) and come;
    assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant^(CG) are those who carry^(CH) about idols of wood,
    who pray to gods that cannot save.^(CI)
21 Declare what is to be, present it—
    let them take counsel together.
Who foretold^(CJ) this long ago,
    who declared it from the distant past?^(CK)
Was it not I, the Lord?
    And there is no God apart from me,^(CL)
a righteous God^(CM) and a Savior;^(CN)
    there is none but me.

²² “Turn^(CO) to me and be saved,^(CP)
    all you ends of the earth;^(CQ)
    for I am God, and there is no other.^(CR)
23 By myself I have sworn,^(CS)
    my mouth has uttered in all integrity^(CT)
    a word that will not be revoked:^(CU)
Before me every knee will bow;^(CV)
    by me every tongue will swear.^(CW)
24 They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone
    are deliverance^(CX) and strength.^(CY)’”
All who have raged against him
    will come to him and be put to shame.^(CZ)
25 But all the descendants^(DA) of Israel
    will find deliverance^(DB) in the Lord
    and will make their boast in him.^(DC)

³ “Listen^(DH) to me, you descendants of Jacob,
    all the remnant^(DI) of the people of Israel,
you whom I have upheld since your birth,^(DJ)
    and have carried^(DK) since you were born.^(DL)
4 Even to your old age and gray hairs^(DM)
    I am he,^(DN) I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
    I will sustain^(DO) you and I will rescue you.

⁵ “With whom will you compare me or count me equal?
    To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?^(DP)
6 Some pour out gold from their bags
    and weigh out silver on the scales;
they hire a goldsmith^(DQ) to make it into a god,
    and they bow down and worship it.^(DR)
7 They lift it to their shoulders and carry^(DS) it;
    they set it up in its place, and there it stands.
    From that spot it cannot move.^(DT)
Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer;^(DU)
    it cannot save^(DV) them from their troubles.

⁸ “Remember^(DW) this, keep it in mind,
    take it to heart, you rebels.^(DX)
9 Remember the former things,^(DY) those of long ago;^(DZ)
    I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me.^(EA)
10 I make known the end from the beginning,^(EB)
    from ancient times,^(EC) what is still to come.^(ED)
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,^(EE)
    and I will do all that I please.’
¹¹ From the east I summon^(EF) a bird of prey;^(EG)
    from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about;
    what I have planned,^(EH) that I will do.^(EI)
12 Listen^(EJ) to me, you stubborn-hearted,^(EK)
    you who are now far from my righteousness.^(EL)
13 I am bringing my righteousness^(EM) near,
    it is not far away;
    and my salvation^(EN) will not be delayed.
I will grant salvation to Zion,^(EO)
    my splendor^(EP) to Israel.

⁴ Our Redeemer^(FC)—the Lord Almighty^(FD) is his name^(FE)—
    is the Holy One^(FF) of Israel.

⁵ “Sit in silence,^(FG) go into darkness,^(FH)
    queen city of the Babylonians;^(FI)
no more will you be called
    queen^(FJ) of kingdoms.^(FK)
6 I was angry^(FL) with my people
    and desecrated my inheritance;^(FM)
I gave them into your hand,^(FN)
    and you showed them no mercy.^(FO)
Even on the aged
    you laid a very heavy yoke.
⁷ You said, ‘I am forever^(FP)—
    the eternal queen!’^(FQ)
But you did not consider these things
    or reflect^(FR) on what might happen.^(FS)

⁸ “Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure,
    lounging in your security^(FT)
and saying to yourself,
    ‘I am, and there is none besides me.^(FU)
I will never be a widow^(FV)
    or suffer the loss of children.’
⁹ Both of these will overtake you
    in a moment,^(FW) on a single day:
    loss of children^(FX) and widowhood.^(FY)
They will come upon you in full measure,
    in spite of your many sorceries^(FZ)
    and all your potent spells.^(GA)
10 You have trusted^(GB) in your wickedness
    and have said, ‘No one sees me.’^(GC)
Your wisdom^(GD) and knowledge mislead^(GE) you
    when you say to yourself,
    ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’
¹¹ Disaster^(GF) will come upon you,
    and you will not know how to conjure it away.
A calamity will fall upon you
    that you cannot ward off with a ransom;
a catastrophe you cannot foresee
    will suddenly^(GG) come upon you.

¹² “Keep on, then, with your magic spells
    and with your many sorceries,^(GH)
    which you have labored at since childhood.
Perhaps you will succeed,
    perhaps you will cause terror.
¹³ All the counsel you have received has only worn you out!^(GI)
    Let your astrologers^(GJ) come forward,
those stargazers who make predictions month by month,
    let them save^(GK) you from what is coming upon you.
¹⁴ Surely they are like stubble;^(GL)
    the fire^(GM) will burn them up.
They cannot even save themselves
    from the power of the flame.^(GN)
These are not coals for warmth;
    this is not a fire to sit by.
¹⁵ That is all they are to you—
    these you have dealt with
    and labored^(GO) with since childhood.
All of them go on in their error;
    there is not one that can save^(GP) you.