Cyrus, God's Instrument
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"Thus says the LORD to His anointed,
To a Cyrus, whose b right hand I have held -
c To subdue nations before him
And d loose the armor of kings,
To open before him the double doors,
So that the gates will not be shut:
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'I will go before you
e And make the crooked places straight;
f I will break in pieces the gates of bronze
And cut the bars of iron.
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I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden riches of secret places,
g That you may know that I, the LORD,
Who h call you by your name,
Am the God of Israel.
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For i Jacob My servant's sake,
And Israel My elect,
I have even called you by your name;
I have named you, though you have not known Me.
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I j am the LORD, and k there is no other;
There is no God besides Me.
l I will gird you, though you have not known Me,
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m That they may n know from the rising of the sun to its setting
That there is none besides Me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other;
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I form the light and create darkness,
I make peace and o create calamity;
I, the LORD, do all these things.'
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"Rain p down, you heavens, from above,
And let the skies pour down righteousness;
Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation,
And let righteousness spring up together.
I, the LORD, have created it.
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"Woe to him who strives with q his Maker!
Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth!
r Shall the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you making?'
Or shall your handiwork say, 'He has no hands'?
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Woe to him who says to his father, 'What are you begetting?'
Or to the woman, 'What have you brought forth?' "
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Thus says the LORD,
The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker:
s "Ask Me of things to come concerning t My sons;
And concerning u the work of My hands, you command Me.
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v I have made the earth,
And w created man on it.
I - My hands - stretched out the heavens,
And x all their host I have commanded.
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y I have raised him up in righteousness,
And I will direct all his ways;
He shall z build My city
And let My exiles go free,
a Not for price nor reward,"
Says the LORD of hosts.
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Cross References
Isaiah 44:28
Who says of Cyrus, ' He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, "You shall be built," And to the temple, "Your foundation shall be laid."
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Cross References
Psalms 73:23
Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand.
Isaiah 41:13
For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.
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Cross References
Daniel 5:30
That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain.
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Cross References
Job 12:21
He pours contempt on princes, And disarms the mighty.
Isaiah 45:5
I am the LORD, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me.
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Cross References
Isaiah 40:4
Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth.
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Cross References
Psalms 107:16
For He has broken the gates of bronze, And cut the bars of iron in two.
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Cross References
Isaiah 41:23
Show the things that are to come hereafter, That we may know that you are gods; Yes, do good or do evil, That we may be dismayed and see it together.
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Cross References
Exodus 33:12
Then Moses said to the LORD, "See, You say to me, 'Bring up this people.' But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.
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Cross References
Isaiah 44:1
Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant, And Israel whom I have chosen.
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Cross References
Deuteronomy 4:35
To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD Himself is God; there is none other besides Him.
Deuteronomy 32:39
Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.
Isaiah 44:8
Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.'
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Cross References
Isaiah 45:14
Thus says the LORD: "The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush And of the Sabeans, men of stature, Shall come over to you, and they shall be yours; They shall walk behind you, They shall come over in chains; And they shall bow down to you. They will make supplication to you, saying, 'Surely God is in you, And there is no other; There is no other God.'
Isaiah 45:18
For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: "I am the LORD, and there is no other.
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Cross References
Psalms 18:32
It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect.
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Cross References
Psalms 102:15
So the nations shall fear the name of the LORD, And all the kings of the earth Your glory.
Isaiah 37:20
"Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD, You alone."
Malachi 1:11
For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations," Says the LORD of hosts.
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Cross References
Isaiah 11:9
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 52:10
The LORD has made bare His holy arm In the eyes of all the nations; And all the ends of the earth shall see The salvation of our God.
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Cross References
Isaiah 31:2
Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster, And will not call back His words, But will arise against the house of evildoers, And against the help of those who work iniquity.
Isaiah 47:11
Therefore evil shall come upon you; You shall not know from where it arises. And trouble shall fall upon you; You will not be able to put it off. And desolation shall come upon you suddenly, Which you shall not know.
Amos 3:6
If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is calamity in a city, will not the LORD have done it?
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Cross References
Psalms 85:11
Truth shall spring out of the earth, And righteousness shall look down from heaven.
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Cross References
Isaiah 64:8
But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.
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Cross References
Jeremiah 18:6
O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?" says the LORD. "Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!
Romans 9:20
But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?
Romans 9:21
Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?
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Cross References
Isaiah 8:19
And when they say to you, "Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter," should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?
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Cross References
Jeremiah 31:9
They shall come with weeping, And with supplications I will lead them. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters, In a straight way in which they shall not stumble; For I am a Father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn.
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Cross References
Isaiah 29:23
But when he sees his children, The work of My hands, in his midst, They will hallow My name, And hallow the Holy One of Jacob, And fear the God of Israel.
Isaiah 60:21
Also your people shall all be righteous; They shall inherit the land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may be glorified.
Isaiah 64:8
But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.
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Cross References
Isaiah 42:5
Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it:
Jeremiah 27:5
I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me.
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Cross References
Genesis 1:26
Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
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Cross References
Genesis 2:1
Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.
Nehemiah 9:6
You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, The seas and all that is in them, And You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.
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Cross References
Isaiah 41:2
Who raised up one from the east? Who in righteousness called him to His feet? Who gave the nations before him, And made him rule over kings? Who gave them as the dust to his sword, As driven stubble to his bow?
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Cross References
2 Chronicles 36:22
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying.
Isaiah 44:28
Who says of Cyrus, ' He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, "You shall be built," And to the temple, "Your foundation shall be laid.
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Cross References
Romans 3:24
Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.