Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him and strip kings of their robes, to open doors before him— and the gates shall not be closed:

I will go before you and level the mountains, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron,

I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord , the God of Israel, who call you by your name.

For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I surname you, though you do not know me.

I am the Lord , and there is no other; besides me there is no god. I arm you, though you do not know me,

so 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 other.

I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe; I the Lord do all these things.

Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the skies rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation may spring up, and let it cause righteousness to sprout up also; I the Lord have created it.

Woe to you who strive with your Maker, earthen vessels with the potter! Does the clay say to the one who fashions it, “What are you making”? or “Your work has no handles”?

Woe to anyone who says to a father, “What are you begetting?” or to a woman, “With what are you in labor?”

Thus says the Lord , the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Will you question me about my children, or command me concerning the work of my hands?

I made the earth, and created humankind upon it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host.

I have aroused Cyrus in righteousness, and I will make all his paths straight; he shall build my city and set my exiles free, not for price or reward, says the Lord of hosts.

Thus says the Lord : The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and the Sabeans, tall of stature, shall come over to you and be yours, they shall follow you; they shall come over in chains and bow down to you. They will make supplication to you, saying, “God is with you alone, and there is no other; there is no god besides him.”

Truly, you are a God who hides himself, O God of Israel, the Savior.

All of them are put to shame and confounded, the makers of idols go in confusion together.

But Israel is saved by the Lord with everlasting salvation; you shall not be put to shame or confounded to all eternity.

For thus says the Lord , who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it a chaos, he formed it to be inhabited!): I am the Lord , and there is no other.

I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, “Seek me in chaos.” I the Lord speak the truth, I declare what is right.
Idols Cannot Save Babylon

Assemble yourselves and come together, draw near, you survivors of the nations! They have no knowledge— those who carry about their wooden idols, and keep on praying to a god that cannot save.

Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the Lord ? There is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is no one besides me.

Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.

By myself I have sworn, from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness a word that shall not return: “To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”

Only in the Lord , it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength; all who were incensed against him shall come to him and be ashamed.

In the Lord all the offspring of Israel shall triumph and glory.

The Righteousness of God's Judgment

I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask, to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that did not call on my name.

I held out my hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices;

a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and offering incense on bricks;

who sit inside tombs, and spend the night in secret places; who eat swine's flesh, with broth of abominable things in their vessels;

who say, “Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am too holy for you.” These are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire that burns all day long.

See, it is written before me: I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will indeed repay into their laps

their iniquities and their ancestors' iniquities together, says the Lord ; because they offered incense on the mountains and reviled me on the hills, I will measure into their laps full payment for their actions.

Thus says the Lord : As the wine is found in the cluster, and they say, “Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it,” so I will do for my servants' sake, and not destroy them all.

I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah inheritors of my mountains; my chosen shall inherit it, and my servants shall settle there.

Sharon shall become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down, for my people who have sought me.

But you who forsake the Lord , who forget my holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune and fill cups of mixed wine for Destiny;

I will destine you to the sword, and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter; because, when I called, you did not answer, when I spoke, you did not listen, but you did what was evil in my sight, and chose what I did not delight in.

Therefore thus says the Lord God : My servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame;

my servants shall sing for gladness of heart, but you shall cry out for pain of heart, and shall wail for anguish of spirit.

You shall leave your name to my chosen to use as a curse, and the Lord God will put you to death; but to his servants he will give a different name.

Then whoever invokes a blessing in the land shall bless by the God of faithfulness, and whoever takes an oath in the land shall swear by the God of faithfulness; because the former troubles are forgotten and are hidden from my sight.
The Glorious New Creation

For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.

But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight.

I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress.

No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.

They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord — and their descendants as well.

Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear.

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent—its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.