(A)I am the Lord, and there is no other,
    besides me there is no God;
    (B)I equip you, though you do not know me,
(C)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.
I form light and create darkness;
    I make well-being and (D)create calamity;
    I am the Lord, who does all these things.

(E)“Shower, O heavens, from above,
    and (F)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.

(G)“Woe to him who strives with him who formed him,
    a pot among earthen pots!
(H)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 (I)the Lord,
    the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him:
(J)“Ask me of things to come;
    will you command me (K)concerning my children and (L)the work of my hands?[a]
12 (M)I made the earth
    and created man on it;
it was my hands (N)that stretched out the heavens,
    and (O)I commanded all their host.
13 (P)I have stirred him up in righteousness,
    (Q)and I will make all his ways level;
(R)he shall build my city
    (S)and set my exiles free,
not for price or reward,”
    says the Lord of hosts.

The Lord, the Only Savior

14 Thus says the Lord:
(T)“The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,
    and the Sabeans, men of stature,
shall come over to you (U)and be yours;
    they shall follow you;
    they shall come over in chains and bow down to you.
They will plead with you, saying:
    ‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other,
    no god besides him.’”

15 (V)Truly, you are a God who hides himself,
    O God of Israel, the Savior.
16 (W)All of them are put to shame and confounded;
    the makers of idols go in confusion together.
17 But Israel is saved by the Lord
    with everlasting salvation;
(X)you shall not be put to shame or confounded
    to all eternity.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 45:11 A slight emendation yields will you question me about my children, or command me concerning the work of my hands?

I am the Lord, and there is no other;(A)
    apart from me there is no God.(B)
I will strengthen you,(C)
    though you have not acknowledged me,
so that from the rising of the sun
    to the place of its setting(D)
people may know(E) there is none besides me.(F)
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.
I form the light and create darkness,(G)
    I bring prosperity and create disaster;(H)
    I, the Lord, do all these things.

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

“Woe to those who quarrel(L) with their Maker,(M)
    those who are nothing but potsherds(N)
    among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,(O)
    ‘What are you making?’(P)
Does your work say,
    ‘The potter has no hands’?(Q)
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(R) of Israel, and its Maker:(S)
Concerning things to come,
    do you question me about my children,
    or give me orders about the work of my hands?(T)
12 It is I who made the earth(U)
    and created mankind on it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens;(V)
    I marshaled their starry hosts.(W)
13 I will raise up Cyrus[a](X) in my righteousness:
    I will make all his ways straight.(Y)
He will rebuild my city(Z)
    and set my exiles free,
but not for a price or reward,(AA)
    says the Lord Almighty.”

14 This is what the Lord says:

“The products(AB) of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,[b]
    and those tall Sabeans(AC)
they will come over to you(AD)
    and will be yours;
they will trudge behind you,(AE)
    coming over to you in chains.(AF)
They will bow down before you
    and plead(AG) with you, saying,
‘Surely God is with you,(AH) and there is no other;
    there is no other god.(AI)’”

15 Truly you are a God who has been hiding(AJ) himself,
    the God and Savior(AK) of Israel.
16 All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced;(AL)
    they will go off into disgrace together.
17 But Israel will be saved(AM) by the Lord
    with an everlasting salvation;(AN)
you will never be put to shame or disgraced,(AO)
    to ages everlasting.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 45:13 Hebrew him
  2. Isaiah 45:14 That is, the upper Nile region