225 lines
4.4 KiB
Markdown
225 lines
4.4 KiB
Markdown
Cyrus, the LORD's Chosen One
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# Chapter 45
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1. This is what the LORD says to Cyrus, his anointed one,
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whose right hand he will empower.
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Before him, mighty kings will be paralyzed with fear.
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Their fortress gates will be opened,
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never to shut again.
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2. This is what the LORD says:
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"I will go before you, Cyrus,
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and level the mountains.
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I will smash down gates of bronze
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and cut through bars of iron.
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3. And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness--
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secret riches.
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I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD,
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the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.
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4. "And why have I called you for this work?
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Why did I call you by name when you did not know me?
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It is for the sake of Jacob my servant,
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Israel my chosen one.
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5. I am the LORD;
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there is no other God.
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I have equipped you for battle,
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though you don't even know me,
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6. so all the world from east to west
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will know
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there is no other God.
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I am the LORD, and there is no other.
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7. I create the light and make the darkness.
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I send good times and bad times.
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I, the LORD, am the one who does these things.
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8. "Open up, O heavens,
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and pour out your righteousness.
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Let the earth open wide
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so salvation and righteousness can sprout up together.
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I, the LORD, created them.
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9. "What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator.
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Does a clay pot argue with its maker?
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Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying,
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'Stop, you're doing it wrong!'
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Does the pot exclaim,
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'How clumsy can you be?'
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10. How terrible it would be if a newborn baby said to its father,
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'Why was I born?'
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or if it said to its mother,
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'Why did you make me this way?'"
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11. This is what the LORD says--
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the Holy One of Israel and your Creator:
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"Do you question what I do for my children?
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Do you give me orders about the work of my hands?
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12. I am the one who made the earth
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and created people to live on it.
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With my hands I stretched out the heavens.
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All the stars are at my command.
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13. I will raise up Cyrus to fulfill my righteous purpose,
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and I will guide his actions.
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He will restore my city and free my captive people--
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without seeking a reward!
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I, the LORD of Heaven's Armies, have spoken!"
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Future Conversion of Gentiles
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14. This is what the LORD says:
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"You will rule the Egyptians,
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the Ethiopians, and the Sabeans.
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They will come to you with all their merchandise,
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and it will all be yours.
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They will follow you as prisoners in chains.
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They will fall to their knees in front of you and say,
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'God is with you, and he is the only God.
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There is no other.'"
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15. Truly, O God of Israel, our Savior,
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you work in mysterious ways.
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16. All craftsmen who make idols will be humiliated.
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They will all be disgraced together.
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17. But the LORD will save the people of Israel
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with eternal salvation.
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Throughout everlasting ages,
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they will never again be humiliated and disgraced.
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18. For the LORD is God,
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and he created the heavens and earth
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and put everything in place.
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He made the world to be lived in,
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not to be a place of empty chaos.
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"I am the LORD," he says,
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"and there is no other.
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19. I publicly proclaim bold promises.
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I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner.
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I would not have told the people of Israel to seek me
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if I could not be found.
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I, the LORD, speak only what is true
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and declare only what is right.
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20. "Gather together and come,
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you fugitives from surrounding nations.
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What fools they are who carry around their wooden idols
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and pray to gods that cannot save!
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21. Consult together, argue your case.
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Get together and decide what to say.
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Who made these things known so long ago?
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What idol ever told you they would happen?
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Was it not I, the LORD?
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For there is no other God but me,
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a righteous God and Savior.
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There is none but me.
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22. Let all the world look to me for salvation!
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For I am God; there is no other.
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23. I have sworn by my own name;
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I have spoken the truth,
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and I will never go back on my word:
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Every knee will bend to me,
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and every tongue will declare allegiance to me."
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24. The people will declare,
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"The LORD is the source of all my righteousness and strength."
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And all who were angry with him
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will come to him and be ashamed.
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25. In the LORD all the generations of Israel will be justified,
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and in him they will boast.
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