The Lord Appoints Cyrus
1 The Lord has chosen Cyrus to be king.
He has appointed him to conquer nations;
he sends him to strip kings of their power;
the Lord will open the gates of cities for him.
To Cyrus the Lord says,
2 “I myself will prepare your way,
leveling mountains and hills.
I will break down bronze gates
and smash their iron bars.
3 I will give you treasures from dark, secret places;
then you will know that I am the Lord
and that the God of Israel has called you by name.
4 I appoint you to help my servant Israel,
the people that I have chosen.
I have given you great honor,
although you do not know me.
5 “I am the Lord; there is no other god.
I will give you the strength you need,
although you do not know me.
6 I do this so that everyone
from one end of the world to the other
may know that I am the Lord
and that there is no other god.
7 I create both light and darkness;
I bring both blessing and disaster.
I, the Lord, do all these things.
8 I will send victory from the sky like rain;
the earth will open to receive it
and will blossom with freedom and justice.
I, the Lord, will make this happen.”
The Lord of Creation and History
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 The Lord, 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
and created human beings to live there.
By my power I stretched out the heavens;
I control the sun, the moon, and the stars.
13 I myself 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.”
The Lord Almighty has spoken.
14 The Lord says to Israel,
“The wealth of Egypt and Ethiopia will be yours,
and the tall men of Seba will be your slaves;
they will follow you in chains.
They will bow down to you and confess,
‘God is with you—he alone is God.
15 The God of Israel, who saves his people,
is a God who conceals himself.
16 Those who make idols will all be ashamed;
all of them will be disgraced.
17 But Israel is saved by the Lord,
and her victory lasts forever;
her people will never be disgraced.’”
18 The Lord created the heavens—
he is the one who is God!
He formed and made the earth—
he made it firm and lasting.
He did not make it a desolate waste,
but a place for people to live.
It is he who says, “I am the Lord,
and there is no other god.
19 I have not spoken in secret
or kept my purpose hidden.
I did not require the people of Israel
to look for me in a desolate waste.
I am the Lord, and I speak the truth;
I make known what is right.”
The Lord of the World and the Idols of Babylon
20 The Lord says,
“Come together, people of the nations,
all who survive the fall of the empire;
present yourselves for the trial!
The people who parade with their idols of wood
and pray to gods that cannot save them—
those people know nothing at all!
21 Come and present your case in court;
let the defendants consult one another.
Who predicted long ago what would happen?
Was it not I, the Lord, the God who saves his people?
There is no other god.
22 “Turn to me now and be saved,
people all over the world!
I am the only God there is.
23 My promise is true,
and it will not be changed.
I solemnly promise by all that I am:
Everyone will come and kneel before me
and vow to be loyal to me.
24 “They will say that only through me
are victory and strength to be found;
but all who hate me will suffer disgrace.
25 I, the Lord, will rescue all the descendants of Jacob,
and they will give me praise.
Ndzimu banoshalula Sirasi kusunungula Iziraela
1 “Yahwe banolebeleka ne nzhodziwa wabo Sirasi,
iye wandakabhata nge luboko gwe luji,
kutebamisa zwitjaba mbeli kukwe,
ne kuambula bomambo hazu dzabo,
ne kuzhula mikoba mbeli kukwe,
mazhalilo aatowozhaligwa.
2 Ndowokutungamila,
ndowokolomodza matombo,
ndowovunanya matendele e phangula,
apinda ndivunanya mapangwana e butale.
3 Ndowokupa fumwa ye zhalima,
fumwa inodwa mu magalo akasumbikika,
kuti ndizo uzibe kuti imi ndimi Yahwe, Ndzimu we Iziraela,
iwo unokudana nge zina lilo.
4 Ngekwe nlanda wangu Jakubo,
ngekwa Iziraela iye wandakashalula,
ndokudana nge zina lilo,
ndakakuteta nge kukupa zina, nenguba usingandizibe.
5 Ndimi Yahwe, akuna mmwe usi imi,
kuzhe kwangu akuna ndzimu.
Ndowokupa masimba, nenguba usingandizibe,
6 kuyita kuti kudwa ku bhezhuba kunoti ku golombedzo,
bathu bazibe kuti akuna mmwe kuzhe kwangu,
ndimi Yahwe, akuna mmwe usi imi.
7 Ndobumba tjedza asika zhalima,
ndokombolela azhisa bhiso,
imi Yahwe ndothama zose zwithu izwezwi.
8 “Kudzimu zhuzhugwi ngakunise,
ngakunise ndulamo se vula,
makole ngaakunisile pasi.
Shango ngaizhuke, jidzo ngalimele,
ndulamo ikule nalo,
imi Yahwe ndimi ndakakubumba ikoku.
9 “Yee mme wee wapalala iye unonyanyaidzana ne mbumbi uwe!
Iye hali ye ntapkhwi we ntapkhwi we mavu!
Apa ntapkhwi ungadwa unowusinyanga ukati,
‘Unothamani kene?’
Apa nshingo uwo ungati,
‘Aana maboko kene?’
10 Yee mme wee wapalala iye unoti kuna tate babe,
‘Ini tjamakazwala kene?’
Kene eti kuna mmeyabe,
‘Mumu zwibhayo zweni kene?’
11 “Yahwe, ibo Wakayengemala we Iziraela,
kakale Mbumbi wayo bakati,
Ngekwe zwithu zwinowozha, apa ungandibhuzwa ngekwe bana bangu kene?
Ungandilaya ngekwe nshingo we maboko angu kene?
12 Ndakathama shango, abumba bathu muili.
Ndakatambunudza kudzimu nge maboko angu,
abumba zose zwi pezhugwi.
13 Ndakamilidza Sirasi mu ndulamo yangu,
ngono ndowotambunudza zijana dzidze dzose,
unowobaka nzi wangu nkulu kabuya kasunungula bathu bangu bakatapiwa,
asingakuthamile kulipiwa kene mbhayilo,
koleba Yahwe Masimbawose.”
14 Yahwe banoleba beti,
“Fumwa ye Egipiti ne thundu ye Itopiya ne Basabiya,
bathu bakakula balefu, banowozha ku kuli bakabe babo,
banokutobela, banowozha bakasungwa nge ketani ngono banowokuthigamila.
Banokutembezela beti, ‘Dumbu Ndzimu unawe,
akuna mmwe kakale, akuna ndzimu kuzhe kwawo.’ ”
15 Nge malebeswa mu Ndzimu unozwisumbika,
imwi Ndzimu we Iziraela, Ntjidzi.
16 Bose bathami be midzimu inobezhiwa banowobhakhwa nge shoni bakalengudzika,
banowohwumana bose kang'ompela.
17 Koga Iziraela inotjidziwa ndi Yahwe nge jidzo lisingapele,
amungatongo bhakhwa nge shoni kene mukalengudzika nge kusingapele.
18 Ngoti Yahwe, ibo bakabumba kudzimu, ndibo Ndzimu,
ibo bakalongolosa bakathama shango, bakaigadzikanya,
abazoithama isina mbumbiko,
koga bakaibumba kuti igagwe.
Ngono bakati, “Ndimi Yahwe, akuna mmwe kakale.”
19 Andizolebeleka mu zwikowa,
mu shango ye zhalima,
andizotongodwa ludzi gwa Jakubo ati, “Mundishakile suli.”
Imi Yahwe ndoleba malebeswa, ndoleba tjakalulwama.
20 Shanganani muzhe mu kubungane,
imwi bakasala be zwitjaba.
Ibabo bakasenga midzimu yabo yakabezhiwa abana zibo,
banodwilila betembezela ndzimu usingake ukatjidza.
21 Lebani ndebo yenyu, letjani bakumbuludzane.
Ndiani wakakuleba ikoku ntolo kene?
Ndiani kene wakakuleba mu misi ya ntolo?
Apa ate ndili imi kene, imi Yahwe?
Akuna Ndzimu kuzhe kwangu,
ndi Ndzimu wakalulwama ndili Ntjidzi,
akuna mmwe kuzhe kwangu.
22 Shandukilani kundili mutjidziwe,
imwi phelelo dzose dze shango.
Ndi Ndzimu akuna mmwe kakale.
23 Ndakatuna nge zina langu,
nge nlomo wangu ndakaleba nge ndulamo dama lisingake lika shanduka nditi,
“Tjidwi tjimwe ne tjimwe tjowondithigamila,
lulimi gumwe ne gumwe gowotuna nami.”
24 Banoleba nge kwangu beti,
“Ndulamo ne matatabuko zowang'wa muna Yahwe koga.”
Bose bakabagwadzila moyo banowozha ku bali bakabhakhwa nge shoni.
25 Ludzi gose gwa Iziraela gowokunda
gukakudziwa muna Yahwe.