Isaiah 45:1-4

Contemporary English Version

Cyrus Obeys the Lord's Commands

45 The Lord said to Cyrus, his chosen one:

I have taken hold
    of your right hand
to help you capture nations
    and remove kings from power.
City gates will open for you;
    not one will stay closed.
²As I lead you,
    I will level mountains^[a]
and break the iron bars
    on bronze gates of cities.

³I will give you treasures
hidden in dark
    and secret places.
Then you will know that I,
the Lord God of Israel,
    have called you by name.
⁴Cyrus, you don't even know me!
But I have called you by name
    and highly honored you^[b]
because of Israel,
    my chosen servant.

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Footnotes

45.2 mountains: The Dead Sea Scrolls and one ancient translation; the Standard Hebrew Text “rising waves.”
45.4 But … you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.