451 Thus says Yahweh to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him, and strip kings of their armor; to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut: 2 “I will go before you,
and make the rough places smooth.
I will break the doors of brass in pieces,
and cut apart the bars of iron. 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness,
and hidden riches of secret places,
that you may know that it is I, Yahweh, who call you by your name,
even the God of Israel. 4 For Jacob my servant’s sake,
and Israel my chosen,
I have called you by your name.
I have surnamed you,
though you have not known me.
5 I am Yahweh, and there is none else.
Besides me, there is no God.
I will strengthen [1] you,
though you have not known me; 6 that they may know from the rising of the sun,
and from the west,
that there is none besides me.
I am Yahweh, and there is no one else. 7 I form the light,
and create darkness.
I make peace,
and create calamity.
I am Yahweh,
who does all these things.
8 Distil, you heavens, from above,
and let the skies pour down righteousness.
Let the earth open, that it may bring forth salvation,
and let it cause righteousness to spring up with it.
I, Yahweh, have created it. 9 Woe to him who strives with his Maker—
a clay pot among the clay pots of the earth!
Shall the clay ask him who fashions it, ‘What are you making?’
or your work, ‘He has no hands?’ 10 Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What have you become the father of?’
or to a mother, ‘To what have you given birth?’”
11 Thus says Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel,
and his Maker:
“You ask me about the things that are to come, concerning my sons,
and you command me concerning the work of my hands! 12 I have made the earth, and created man on it.
I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens;
and I have commanded all their army. 13 I have raised him up in righteousness,
and I will make straight all his ways.
He shall build my city,
and he shall let my exiles go free,
not for price nor reward,” says Yahweh of Armies. 14 Thus says Yahweh: “The labor of Egypt,
and the merchandise of Ethiopia,
and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you,
and they shall be yours.
They will go after you.
They shall come over in chains;
and they will bow down to you.
They will make supplication to you:
‘Surely God is in you; and there is none else.
There is no other god. 15 Most certainly you are a God who hid yourself,
God of Israel, the Savior.’” 16 They will be disappointed,
yes, confounded, all of them.
Those who are makers of idols will go into confusion together. 17 Israel will be saved by Yahweh with an everlasting salvation.
You will not be disappointed nor confounded to ages everlasting. 18 For thus says Yahweh who created the heavens,
the God who formed the earth and made it,
who established it and didn’t create it a waste,
who formed it to be inhabited:
“I am Yahweh;
and there is no other. 19 I have not spoken in secret,
in a place of the land of darkness.
I didn’t say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’
I, Yahweh, speak righteousness.
I declare things that are right.
20 “Assemble yourselves and come.
Draw near together, you who have escaped from the nations.
Those have no knowledge who carry the wood of their engraved image,
and pray to a god that can’t save. 21 Declare and present it.
Yes, let them take counsel together.
Who has shown this from ancient time?
Who has declared it of old?
Haven’t I, Yahweh?
There is no other God besides me, a just God and a Savior;
There is no one besides me. 22 “Look to me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth;
for I am God, and there is no other. 23 By myself have I sworn, the word has gone forth from my mouth in righteousness, and will not return, that to me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. 24 They will say of me, ‘There is righteousness and strength only in Yahweh.’”
Even to him shall men come; and all those who were incensed against him shall be disappointed. 25 In Yahweh shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.
461 Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; their idols are on the animals, and on the livestock: the things that you carried about are made a load, a burden to the weary animal. 2 They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity. 3 “Listen to me, house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, that have been borne by me from their birth, that have been carried from the womb; 4 and even to old age I am he, and even to gray hairs will I carry you. I have made, and I will bear; yes, I will carry, and will deliver.
5 “To whom will you liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like? 6 Some pour out gold from the bag, and weigh silver in the balance. They hire a goldsmith, and he makes it a god. They fall down—yes, they worship. 7 They bear it on the shoulder, they carry it, and set it in its place, and it stands, from its place it shall not move: yes, one may cry to it, yet it can not answer, nor save him out of his trouble. 8 “Remember this, and show yourselves men; bring it again to mind, you transgressors. 9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me; 10 declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done; saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure; 11 calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country; yes, I have spoken, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed, I will also do it. 12 Listen to me, you stout-hearted, who are far from righteousness: 13 I bring near my righteousness, it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not wait; and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.
31 Therefore, when we couldn’t stand it any longer, we thought it good to be left behind at Athens alone, 2 and sent Timothy, our brother and God’s servant in the Good News of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith; 3 that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you know that we are appointed to this task. 4 For most certainly, when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we are to suffer affliction, even as it happened, and you know. 5 For this cause I also, when I couldn’t stand it any longer, sent that I might know your faith, for fear that by any means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor would have been in vain.
6 But when Timothy came just now to us from you, and brought us glad news of your faith and love, and that you have good memories of us always, longing to see us, even as we also long to see you; 7 for this cause, brothers, we were comforted over you in all our distress and affliction through your faith. 8 For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord. 9 For what thanksgiving can we render again to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sakes before our God; 10 night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face, and may perfect that which is lacking in your faith?
11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you; 12 and the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we also do toward you, 13 to the end he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
