Cyrus, God's Instrument

Isaiah 45

1 Thus says the Lord to p his anointed, to Cyrus,
q whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
and r to loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him
that gates may not be closed:
 2 "I will go before you
and s level the exalted places, 1
t I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron,
 3 u I will give you the treasures of darkness
and the hoards in secret places,
that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
the God of Israel, v who call you by your name.
 4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen,
v I call you by your name,
w I name you, though you do not know me.
 5 x I am the Lord, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God;
y I equip you, though you do not know me,
 6 z that people may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is none besides me;
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
 7 I form light and create darkness,
I make well-being and a create calamity,
I am the Lord, who does all these things.

8 b "Shower, O heavens, from above,
and c let the clouds rain down righteousness;
let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit;
let the earth cause them both to sprout;
I the Lord have created it.

9 d "Woe to him who strives with him who formed him,
a pot among earthen pots!
e Does the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you making?'
or 'Your work has no handles'?
 10 Woe to him who says to a father, 'What are you begetting?'
or to a woman, 'With what are you in labor?'"

11 Thus says f the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him:
g "Ask me of things to come;
will you command me h concerning my children and i the work of my hands? 2
12 j I made the earth
and created man on it;
it was my hands k that stretched out the heavens,
and l I commanded all their host.
 13 m I have stirred him up in righteousness,
n and I will make all his ways level;
o he shall build my city
p and set my exiles free,
not for price or reward,"
says the Lord of hosts.

  1. Cross References
    Isaiah 44:28
    Who says of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose'; saying of Jerusalem, 'She shall be built,' and of the temple, 'Your foundation shall be laid.'
  2. Cross References
    Isaiah 41:13
    For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the one who helps you.
  3. Cross References
    Job 12:21
    He pours contempt on princes and loosens the belt of the strong.
    Isaiah 45:5
    I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me.
    Isaiah 22:21
    And I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
  4. Cross References
    Isaiah 40:4
    Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.
  5. Cross References
    Psalms 107:16
    For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron.
  6. Cross References
    Jeremiah 50:37
    A sword against her horses and against her chariots, and against all the foreign troops in her midst, that they may become women! A sword against all her treasures, that they may be plundered!
    Jeremiah 51:13
    O you who dwell by many waters, rich in treasures, your end has come; the thread of your life is cut.
  7. Cross References
    Isaiah 43:1
    But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
  8. Cross References
    Isaiah 45:3
    I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
  9. Cross References
    Isaiah 62:2
    The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give.
  10. Cross References
    Isaiah 44:8
    Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.
  11. Cross References
    Job 12:21
    He pours contempt on princes and loosens the belt of the strong.
    Isaiah 22:21
    And I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
  12. Cross References
    Isaiah 37:20
    So now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.
    Malachi 1:11
    For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.
  13. Cross References
    Isaiah 41:23
    Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; do good, or do harm, that we may be dismayed and terrified.
    Amos 3:6
    Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?
  14. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 32:2
    May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb.
  15. Cross References
    Psalms 85:11
    Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky.
    Hosea 10:12
    Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.
  16. Cross References
    Ecclesiastes 6:10
    Whatever has come to be has already been named, and it is known what man is, and that he is not able to dispute with one stronger than he.
    Isaiah 10:15
    Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it? As if a rod should wield him who lifts it, or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!
  17. Cross References
    Isaiah 64:8
    But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.
    Romans 9:20
    But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?
  18. Cross References
    Ezekiel 39:7
    And my holy name I will make known in the midst of my people Israel, and I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.
  19. Cross References
    Isaiah 41:23
    Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; do good, or do harm, that we may be dismayed and terrified.
  20. Cross References
    Jeremiah 31:9
    With weeping they shall come, and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble, for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
  21. Cross References
    Isaiah 29:23
    For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst, they will sanctify my name; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
    Isaiah 64:8
    But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.
  22. Cross References
    Jeremiah 27:5
    It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me.
  23. Cross References
    Isaiah 42:5
    Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it:
    Isaiah 44:24
    Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: "I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself.
  24. Cross References
    Genesis 2:1
    Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
  25. Cross References
    Isaiah 41:2
    Who stirred up one from the east whom victory meets at every step? He gives up nations before him, so that he tramples kings underfoot; he makes them like dust with his sword, like driven stubble with his bow.
  26. Cross References
    Isaiah 45:2
    I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.
  27. Cross References
    Isaiah 44:28
    Who says of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose'; saying of Jerusalem, 'She shall be built,' and of the temple, 'Your foundation shall be laid.
  28. Cross References
    Isaiah 49:25
    For thus says the Lord : "Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the tyrant be rescued, for I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children.
    Isaiah 51:14
    He who is bowed down shall speedily be released; he shall not die and go down to the pit, neither shall his bread be lacking.
    Isaiah 52:3
    For thus says the Lord : "You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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