Persian Cyrus Oracle
1 Thus says Yahweh to his Anointed One,
to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have taken hold of,
to subdue nations before him,
and to loose the loins of kings,
to open the doors before him,
and gates that will not be shut.
2 "I will go before you,
and level the mountains,
and shatter the gates of bronze,
and cut through the bars of iron."
3 "And I have given you treasures of darkness,
hidden riches from secret places,
so that you shall know that I am Yahweh,
who calls you by your name,
the God of Israel.
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen one,
I have called you by name,
I entitle you,
though you have not known me."
5 "I am Yahweh, and there is no other,
besides me there is no god.
I gird you,
though you have not known me,
6 so that they may know
from the rising of the sun,
and from its setting,
that there is none besides me."
"I am Yahweh, and there is no other,
7 forming light, and creating darkness,
making peace, and creating calamity,
I am Yahweh, doing all of these."
(paragraph)
8 "Drop down, O heavens, from above,
and let clouds pour down righteousness.
Let the earth open up and be fruitful,
let salvation and righteousness spring up together.
I, Yahweh, have created it."
9 Woe to him who strives with his Maker,
a potsherd from the potsherds of the ground.
Shall the clay say to its maker,
"What are you making?"
or your work,
"He has no hands?"
10 Woe to him who says to his father,
"What are you conceiving?"
or to his mother,
"What are you bearing?"
(paragraph)
11 Thus says Yahweh,
the Holy One of Israel,
and his Maker,
"Question me about things to come,
my sons,
and command me about the work of my hand.
12 I made the earth,
and I myself created the man upon it.
My hands stretched out the heavens,
and I commanded all their host."
13 "I have awakened him in righteousness,
and I will direct all his ways.
He will rebuild my city,
and send forth my exiles,
not for a price,
and not for a reward,"
says Yahweh of Hosts.
14 Thus says Yahweh,
"The labor of Egypt,
and the merchandise of Ethiopia,
and the Sabeans, men of stature,
they will come over to you,
and they will be yours,
they will come after you,
they will come over in chains."
"And they will fall down before you,
they will make supplications before you.
'Surely God is in you,
and there is no other besides God.
15 Surely you are a god that hides himself,
the God of Israel Saves!"
16 "All of them will be ashamed and confounded,
the makers of idols will go to confusion together.
17 Israel shall be saved,
in Yahweh is everlasting salvation.
You shall not be ashamed,
and you shall not be confounded,
until the end of the everlasting age."
18 For thus says Yahweh,
Creator of the heavens himself,
God the Former of the earth,
and the Maker himself,
"He established it,
he did not create it in vain,
he formed it to be inhabited."
"I am Yahweh, and there is no other.
19 I have not spoken in secret,
in a dark place of the earth.
I have not said to the seed of Jacob,
'Seek me in vain.'
I, Yahweh, speak righteousness,
I declare things that are upright."
20 "Assemble yourselves and come.
Draw near together,
you who escaped the nations that do not know,
who set up the wood of their idol,
who pray to a god that cannot save.
21 Tell them and gather them near,
and let them take counsel together."
"Who declared this long ago,
and from then foretold it?
Was it not me, Yahweh?
And there is no other God besides me,
the Righteous God,
and there is no Savior besides me."
22 "Turn to me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth,
for I am God and there is no other.
23 By myself I have sworn,
the word of righteousness goes forth from my mouth,
and it will not return.
For unto me every knee shall bow,
and every tongue shall swear."
24 "Only in Yahweh,"
it is said of me,
"are righteousness and strength.
He will come unto him,
but all who are angry at him
will be ashamed."
25 In Yahweh they will be righteous,
and all the seed of Israel will praise.