God Calls Cyrus
(2 Chronicles 36:22–23; Ezra 1:1–4)

1Thus says YHWH to His anointed, to Cyrus,

of whose right hand I have taken hold

to subdue nations before his face;

and I will open the loins of kings—

to open doors before his face,

so that the gates will not be shut:

2“I will go before you,

and I will level the mountains;†

the gates of bronze I will break apart,

and the bars of iron I will cut through.

3And I will give to you the treasures of darkness,

and hidden riches of secret places,

so that you may know that I am YHWH,

the One calling you by your name, the God of Israel,

4for the sake of My servant Jacob,

and Israel My chosen one—

and I have called you by your name;

I give you a name,

though you have not known Me.

5I am YHWH, and there is no other;

besides Me there are no gods.

I will gird you,

though you have not known Me,

6so that they may know,

from the rising of the sun and from the west,

that there is none besides Me.

I am YHWH, and there is no other—

7forming the light and creating darkness,

making peace and creating calamity—

I am YHWH, the One doing all these things!

8Rain down, O heavens, from above,

and let the skies pour down righteousness;

let the earth open up, and let sprout up salvation and righteousness—

let it spring up together!

I, YHWH, have created it.

9Woe to the one striving with the One having formed him—

a potsherd among the potsherds of the earth!

Shall the clay say to the one fashioning it,

‘What are you doing?’†’

Or ‘Your work

has no hands unto it!’?

10Woe to the one saying to his father,

‘What are you begetting?

Or to a woman,

‘What have you brought forth?”

11Thus says YHWH,

the Holy One of Israel, and the One having made him:

“Will you ask Me of things to come?

About My sons and about the work of My hands,

will you⁺ command Me?

12I have made the earth,

and I have created man on it;

My hands have stretched out the heavens,

and all their host I have commanded!

13I have stirred him up in righteousness,

and all his ways I will make straight;

he will build My city,

and My captive ones he will send out,

not for a price and not for a bribe,

says YHWH of Hosts.”

14Thus says YHWH:

“The labor of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,†

and of the Sabeans—men of stature—

to you they will pass over,

and unto you they will be.

Behind you they will walk,

in chains they will pass by, and to you they will bow down,

to you they will plead:

‘Surely God is with you, and there is no other—

only God!’”

15Truly You are God, the hidden One,

O God of Israel, the One saving!

16They have been put to shame and also disgraced—all of them;

together they will go forth in disgrace, the makers of idols.

17Israel has been saved by YHWH,

a salvation everlasting!

You⁺ will not be put to shame and not disgraced,

even to ages—everlasting!

18For thus says YHWH,

the One creating the heavens—He is God—

the One forming the earth and making it—

He has established it;

not as a void did He create it;

to be inhabited He formed it:

“I am YHWH,

and there is no other.

19I have not spoken in secret,

in a dark place of the land;

I have not said to the seed of Jacob,

‘Seek Me in vain!’

I am YHWH, the One speaking righteousness,

declaring uprightness.

20Assemble yourselves and come, draw near together,

O fugitives of the nations!

They do not know it, those carrying the wood of their idol

and praying to a god that cannot save.

21Declare it and approach,

even let them take counsel together:

Who has reported this from of old,

from that time having declared it?

Is it not I, YHWH?

And there is no other God besides Me,

and a righteous God bringing salvation

there is none besides Me.

22Turn to Me and be saved,

all the ends of the earth!

For I am God,

and there is no other.

23By Myself I have sworn,

righteousness has gone forth from My mouth,

a word that not will turn back;

indeed, before Me every knee will bow,

every tongue will swear.†

24‘Only in YHWH—of Me He said—

are righteousness and strength!’”

They will come to Him and will be ashamed,

all those raging against Him.

25In YHWH all the seed of Israel

will be justified and will glory.