Jerusalem to Be Inhabited

       "This is what THE LORD says--
          your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb:

       I AM THE LORD,
       who has made all things,
       who alone stretched out the heavens,
       who spread out the earth by MYSELF,

       who foils the signs of false prophets
          and makes fools of diviners,
       who over throws the learning of the wise
          and turns it into nonsense,
       who carries out the words of HIS servants
          and fulfills the predictions of HIS messengers,

       who says of Jerusalem, 'It shall be inhabited,'
          of the towns of Judah, 'They shall be built,'
          and of their ruins, 'I will restore them,'
       who says to the watery deep, 'Be dry,
          and I will dry up your streams,'
       who says of Cyrus, 'He is MY shepherd
          and will accomplish all that I please;
          he will say of Jerusalem, "Let it be rebuilt,"
          and of the temple, "Let its foundations be laid." '

       "This is what THE LORD says to HIS anointed,
          to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of
       to subdue nations before him
          and to strip kings of their armor,
       to open doors before him
          so that gates will not be shut:
       I will go before you
          and will level the mountains;
       I will break down gates of bronze
          and cut through bars of iron.
       I will give you the treasures of darkness,
          riches stored in secret places,
       so that you may know that I AM THE LORD,
          THE GOD OF ISRAEL, who summons you by name.
       For the sake of Jacob MY servant,
          of Israel MY chosen,
       I summon you by name
          and bestow on you a title of honor,
          though you do not acknowledge ME.
       I AM THE LORD, and there is no other;
          apart from ME there is no god.
       I will strengthen you,
          though you have not acknowledged ME,
       so that from the rising of the sun
          to the place of its setting
       men may know there is none besides ME.
          I AM THE LORD, and there is no other.
       I form the light and create darkness,
          I bring prosperity and create disaster;
          I, THE LORD, do all these things.

       "You heavens above, rain down righteousness;
          let the clouds shower it down.
       Let the earth open wide,
          let salvation spring up,
       let righteousness grow with it;
          I, THE LORD, have created it.

       "Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker,
          to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground.
       Does the clay say to the potter,
          'What are you making?'
       Does your work say,
          'He has no hands'?
       Woe to him who says to his father,
          'What have you begotten?'
       or to his mother,
          'What have you brought to birth?'

       "This is what THE LORD says--
          THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL, and its Maker:
       Concerning things to come,
          do you question ME about MY children,
          or give ME orders about the work of MY hands?
       It is I who made the earth
          and created mankind upon it.
       MY own hands stretched out the heavens;
          I marshaled their starry hosts.
       I will raise up Cyrus in MY righteousness:
          I will make all his ways straight.
       He will rebuild MY city
          and set MY exiles free,
       but not for a price or reward,
          says THE LORD ALMIGHTY."

       This is what THE LORD says:

       "The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,
          and those tall Sabeans--
       they will come over to you
          and will be yours;
       they will trudge behind you,
          coming over to you in chains.
       They will bow down before you
          and plead with you, saying,
       'Surely GOD is with you, and there is no other;
          there is no other god.' "

       Truly you are a GOD who hides HIMSELF,
          O GOD AND SAVIOR OF ISRAEL.
       All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced;
          they will go off into disgrace together.
       But Israel will be saved by THE LORD
          with an everlasting salvation;
       you will never be put to shame or disgraced,
          to ages everlasting.

       For this is what THE LORD says--
       HE who created the heavens,
          HE is GOD;
       HE who fashioned and made the earth,
          HE founded it;
       HE did not create it to be empty,
          but formed it to be inhabited--
       HE says:
       "I AM THE LORD,
          and there is no other.
       I have not spoken in secret,
          from somewhere in a land of darkness;
       I have not said to Jacob's descendants,
          'Seek me in vain.'
       I, THE LORD, speak the truth;
          I declare what is right.

       "Gather together and come;
          assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
       Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood,
          who pray to gods that cannot save.
       Declare what is to be, present it--
          let them take counsel together.
       Who foretold this long ago,
          who declared it from the distant past?
       Was it not I, THE LORD?
          And there is no GOD apart from ME,
       a righteous GOD and a Savior;
          there is none but ME.

       "Turn to ME and be saved,
          all you ends of the earth;
          for I AM GOD, and there is no other.
       By MYSELF I have sworn,
          MY mouth has uttered in all integrity
          a word that will not be revoked:
       Before ME every knee will bow;
          by ME every tongue will swear.
       They will say of ME, 'In THE LORD alone
          are righteousness and strength.' "
       All who have raged against HIM
          will come to HIM and be put to shame.
       But in THE LORD all the descendants of Israel
          will be found righteous and will exult.


The Book of Isaiah: chapter 44, verses 24 - 28 & chapter 45