1. Thus says the Lord to his anointed, Cyrus,whose right hand I grasp,Subduing nations before him,stripping kings of their strength,Opening doors before him,leaving the gates unbarred:
2. I will go before youand level the mountains;Bronze doors I will shatter,iron bars I will snap.
3. I will give you treasures of darkness,riches hidden away,That you may know I am the Lord,the God of Israel, who calls you by name.
4. For the sake of Jacob, my servant,of Israel my chosen one,I have called you by name,giving you a title, though you do not know me.
5. I am the Lord, there is no other,there is no God besides me.It is I who arm you, though you do not know me,
6. so that all may know, from the rising of the sunto its setting, that there is none besides me.I am the Lord, there is no other.
7. I form the light, and create the darkness,I make weal and create woe;I, the Lord, do all these things.
8. Let justice descend, you heavens, like dew from above,like gentle rain let the clouds drop it down.Let the earth open and salvation bud forth;let righteousness spring up with them!I, the Lord, have created this.
9. Woe to anyone who contends with their Maker;a potsherd among potsherds of the earth!Shall the clay say to the potter, “What are you doing?”or, “What you are making has no handles”?
10. Woe to anyone who asks a father, “What are you begetting?”or a woman, “What are you giving birth to?”
11. Thus says the Lord,the Holy One of Israel, his maker:Do you question me about my children,tell me how to treat the work of my hands?