Read the Bible

Cyrus to Lead

¹ This is what the Lord says to Cyrus, whom He has chosen, whose right hand He has held, "I send him to put nations under his power, and to take away the power of kings. And I will open doors in front of him so that gates will not be shut. ² I will go before you and make the hard places smooth. I will break the brass doors to pieces, and cut through their iron gates. ³ I will give you riches hidden in the darkness and things of great worth that are hidden in secret places. Then you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by name. ⁴ For the good of Jacob My servant and Israel My chosen one, I called you by your name. I gave you a name of honor, when you had not known Me. ⁵ I am the Lord, and there is no other. There is no God besides Me. I will give you strength, even though you have not known Me. ⁶ Then men may know from sunrise to sunset that there is no God besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. ⁷ I make light and I make darkness. I bring good and I make trouble. I am the Lord Who does all these things.

⁸ "Send down, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds pour down what is right and good. Let the earth open up and bring the fruit of saving power. And let what is right and good grow with it. I the Lord have made it.

⁹ "It is bad for the one who works against His Maker. He is just a clay pot among the other pots of earth. Will the clay say to the pot-maker, ‘What are you doing?' or, your work say, ‘He has no hands'? ¹⁰ It is bad for him who says to his father, ‘To what are you giving life?' or to a woman, ‘To what are you giving birth?'"

¹¹ The Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, says, "Will you ask Me about the things to come for My children? Will you tell Me about the work of My hands? ¹² I made the earth, and made man upon it. I spread out the heavens with My hands, and put all the stars in their places. ¹³ I have sent Cyrus to do what is right and good. And I will make all his ways smooth. He will build My city and without any money will set My people free who were taken away," says the Lord of All.

¹⁴ The Lord says, "The riches of Egypt and the good things of Cush and the tall Sabeans will come over to you and be yours. They will walk behind you in chains and bow down to you. They will beg you, saying, ‘For sure God is with you, and there is no other God. There is none other.'" ¹⁵ It is true that You are a God Who hides Himself, O God of Israel, the One Who saves! ¹⁶ All of them will be put to shame and troubled. Those who make false gods will go away together in shame. ¹⁷ Israel has been saved forever by the Lord. You will never be put to shame for all time.

¹⁸ This is what the Lord Who made the heavens, the God Who planned and made the earth, and everything in it and did not make it a waste place, but made it a place for people to live in, says, "I am the Lord, and there is no other. ¹⁹ I have not spoken in secret in some dark land. I did not say to the children of Jacob, ‘Look for Me for nothing.' I the Lord speak the truth. I say what is right.

²⁰ "Gather together and come. Come near together, you who are left of the nations. They have no learning, who carry around their false god made of wood and pray to a god who cannot save. ²¹ Make your need known. Yes, let them talk it over together. Who said this would happen from long ago? Who has been saying it for a long time? Is it not I, the Lord? There is no other God besides Me, a God Who is right and good, a God Who saves. There is none except Me. ²² Look to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth. For I am God, and there is no other. ²³ By Myself I have sworn. The Word has gone out from My mouth in truth, and will not turn back: ‘Every knee will bow down before Me. And every tongue will say that I am God.' ²⁴ They will say of Me, ‘Strength and what is right and good are only found in the Lord.' Men will come to Him, and all who were angry at Him will be put to shame. ²⁵ In the Lord all the children of Israel will be made right, and will give praise."