Isaiah 44:24-Isaiah 45:13 - Jerusalem Restored Through Cyrus

²⁴ I am Jehovah, your savior. I am the one who created you. I am Jehovah, the Creator of all things. I alone stretched out the heavens! No one helped me when I made the earth (I was by myself) (Who was with me?). ²⁵ I make fools of fortunetellers and frustrate the predictions of astrologers. The words of the wise I refute and show that their wisdom is foolishness. ²⁶ I make the word of my servant come true. I accomplish the purpose of my messengers. I say of Jerusalem, 'She will be inhabited!' And I say to the cities of Judah, 'You will be rebuilt! I will make your ruins raise up.' ²⁷ I say to the watery deep: 'Be a waste and I will dry up your rivers!' ²⁸ I say 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.'

¹ This is WHAT JEHOVAH SAYS ABOUT CYRUS, his anointed one: I have held him by his right hand so he could conquer the nations ahead of him; that he could strip kings of their power, and open doors ahead of him so that the gates would not be shut. ² I will go ahead of you, Cyrus. I will smooth out the rough places. I will break down the copper doors and cut through the iron bars. ³ I will give you treasures from dark places and hidden stockpiles. You will know that I, Jehovah the God of Israel, have called you by name. ⁴ For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen one, I have called you by name. I have given you a title of honor, although you do not know me. ⁵ I AM JEHOVAH AND THERE IS NO OTHER. THERE IS NO OTHER GOD BESIDES ME. I will strengthen you, although you do not know me. ⁶ From the east to the west (sunrise to sunset) people will know that there is no God except me. I am Jehovah, and there is no other. ⁷ I make light and create darkness. I make blessings and create disasters. I, Jehovah, do all these things.

⁸ Rain down from above, you heavens, and pour down righteousness, you skies. Let the earth open. Let salvation and righteousness sprout. Let them spring up for I Jehovah have created them.

⁹ Does a clay pot dare argue with its maker, a pot that is like all the others? Does the clay ask the potter what he is doing? Does the pot complain that its maker has no skill? ¹⁰ Do we dare say to our parents: 'Why did you make me like this?' ¹¹ Jehovah, the Holy God of Israel, the one who shapes the future says: You have no right to question me about my children or to tell me what I ought to do! ¹² I am the one who made the earth. I created human beings to live there. With my power I stretched out the heavens. I control the sun, the moon, and the stars. ¹³ I have stirred Cyrus to action to fulfill my purpose and put things right. I will straighten out every road that he travels. He will rebuild my city, Jerusalem, and set my captive people free. No one has hired him or bribed him to do this. Jehovah of Hosts has spoken.