כֹּה אָמַר ה' לִמְשִׁיחוֹ לְכוֹרֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר הֶחֱזַקְתִּי בִימִינוֹ לְרַד לְפָנָיו גּוֹיִם וּמָתְנֵי מְלָכִים אֲפַתֵּחַ לִפְתֹּחַ לְפָנָיו דְּלָתַיִם וּשְׁעָרִים לֹא יִסָּגֵרוּ

So said the Lord with respect to His anointed king, to Cyrus, whose right hand I held, to whom I gave strength and power to subdue nations before him, I will ungird the loins of kings; kings will surrender to him. The expression “to gird one’s loins” refers to the practice of tying up one’s robes in a belt in preparation for battle. Ungirding therefore represents the cessation of fighting. I aided him to open doors of cities and countries before him, and gates will not be shut to prevent his entry.

אֲנִי לְפָנֶיךָ אֵלֵךְ וַהֲדוּרִים אֲיַשֵּׁר דַּלְתוֹת נְחוּשָׁה אֲשַׁבֵּר וּבְרִיחֵי בַרְזֶל אֲגַדֵּעַ

I will go before you and I will straighten crooked paths, mountains, obstacles, or curves. All roads will be opened to you. I will smash bronze doors and sever iron bolts;

וְנָתַתִּי לְךָ אוֹצְרוֹת חֹשֶׁךְ וּמַטְמֻנֵי מִסְתָּרִים לְמַעַן תֵּדַע כִּי אֲנִי ה' הַקּוֹרֵא בְשִׁמְךָ אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

I will give you, Cyrus, treasures of darkness, buried treasures, and hidden riches of secret places, so that you will know that I am the Lord, who calls you by your name, the God of Israel. You must acknowledge that it was My mission that rendered you such a great king; without it, you would not have become the ruler of Babylon.

לְמַעַן עַבְדִּי יַעֲקֹב וְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּחִירִי וָאֶקְרָא לְךָ בִּשְׁמֶךָ אֲכַנְּךָ וְלֹא יְדַעְתָּנִי

I do all this for the sake of Jacob, My servant, and Israel, My chosen; I have called you by your name; I have named you, though you did not know anything about Me until now.

אֲנִי ה' וְאֵין עוֹד זוּלָתִי אֵין אֱלֹהִים אֲאַזֶּרְךָ וְלֹא יְדַעְתָּנִי

I am the Lord and there is no other, besides Me there is no God; I will gird, strengthen, you, though you did not know Me.

לְמַעַן יֵדְעוּ מִמִּזְרַח שֶׁמֶשׁ וּמִמַּעֲרָבָה כִּי אֶפֶס בִּלְעָדָי אֲנִי ה' וְאֵין עוֹד

I have done this so that they will know, from the rising sun and from its setting, that there is nothing besides Me; I am the Lord; and there is no other.

יוֹצֵר אוֹר וּבוֹרֵא חֹשֶׁךְ עֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם וּבוֹרֵא רָע אֲנִי ה' עֹשֶׂה כָל אֵלֶּה

Who forms the light and creates darkness, makes peace and creates evil; I, the Lord, do all these. I am responsible for defeats and victories, downfalls and renewals.

הַרְעִיפוּ שָׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל וּשְׁחָקִים יִזְּלוּ צֶדֶק תִּפְתַּח אֶרֶץ וְיִפְרוּ יֶשַׁע וּצְדָקָה תַצְמִיחַ יַחַד אֲנִי ה' בְּרָאתִיו

I am God, who says: Rain down, heavens, from above and let the skies stream righteousness; let the earth open and bear fruit of salvation and righteousness that will sprout together. I the Lord, created it, this goodness, which will come from all directions, and from above and below. I will create something new in the heavens and earth. Some explain that this creation is Cyrus.

הוֹי רָב אֶת יֹצְרוֹ חֶרֶשׂ אֶת חַרְשֵׂי אֲדָמָה הֲיֹאמַר חֹמֶר לְיֹצְרוֹ מַה תַּעֲשֶׂה! ופָעָלְךָ – אֵין יָדַיִם לוֹ

The prophet continues to declaim God’s greatness: Woe! He who quarrels with his Fashioner, he is merely a shard that is together among all the other shards of the earth. Will the clay say to the one who forms it, the potter: What are you doing, or can the clay criticize its maker by saying to him: Your work, it was done without hands? It looks like it was not made by someone’s hand.

הוֹי אֹמֵר לְאָב מַה תּוֹלִיד וּלְאִשָּׁה מַה תְּחִילִין

Woe! He, a son, who says to a father, his father: For what do you beget? Do not have children. Or to a woman, his mother: For what are you going into labor? Do not become pregnant and do not give birth.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' קְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיֹצְרוֹ הָאֹתִיּוֹת שְׁאָלוּנִי עַל בָּנַי וְעַל פֹּעַל יָדַי תְּצַוֻּנִי!

So said the Lord, Holy One of Israel and its Fashioner: They asked Me about that which is coming, since I know the future, and indeed I am the One who causes it to happen. Will you command Me about My sons and about the products of My hands? You cannot tell Me how to act.

אָנֹכִי עָשִׂיתִי אֶרֶץ וְאָדָם עָלֶיהָ בָרָאתִי אֲנִי יָדַי נָטוּ שָׁמַיִם וְכָל צְבָאָם צִוֵּיתִי

I made the earth and humanity upon it; it is I; My hands stretched the heavens and commanded the creation of all their host, and as a result they were fashioned.

אָנֹכִי הַעִירֹתִהוּ בְצֶדֶק וְכָל דְּרָכָיו אֲיַשֵּׁר הוּא יִבְנֶה עִירִי וְגָלוּתִי יְשַׁלֵּחַ לֹא בִמְחִיר וְלֹא בְשֹׁחַד אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת

The prophet returns to the subject of Cyrus: I roused him with righteousness, to perform justice, and I will straighten all his ways; he will build My city and send forth My exile, allowing them to return to the Land of Israel and rebuild the Temple without a price and without a bribe, said the Lord of hosts. Major political gestures usually come at a price, but in this case the Jews were not significant enough for Cyrus to gain anything from his declaration; it was entirely of his own volition.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' יְגִיעַ מִצְרַיִם וּסְחַר כּוּשׁ וּסְבָאִים אַנְשֵׁי מִדָּה עָלַיִךְ יַעֲבֹרוּ וְלָךְ יִהְיוּ אַחֲרַיִךְ יֵלֵכוּ בַּזִּקִּים יַעֲבֹרוּ וְאֵלַיִךְ יִשְׁתַּחֲווּ אֵלַיִךְ יִתְפַּלָּלוּ אַךְ בָּךְ אֵל וְאֵין עוֹד אֶפֶס אֱלֹהִים

So said the Lord: The production of Egypt, Egyptian products, and the merchandise of Kush and the Seva’ites, who apparently were allies of Egypt (see 43:3) and who were men of stature, of large physical dimensions, all these will come over to you, Israel, and will be yours, subjugated to you. Alternatively, this refers to the subjugation of Egypt by the Persians. They will follow you, passing in chains, prostrate themselves to you and pray to you. Even the southern nations will recognize God’s greatness and honor Judah, either willingly or reluctantly. They will realize that only with you is God and there is no other; there are no other gods. Some maintain that the proclamation that there is no other god is the statement of the prophet himself rather than the other nations.

אָכֵן אַתָּה אֵל מִסְתַּתֵּר אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מוֹשִׁיעַ

Indeed, as opposed to the false gods, which have a physical, tangible form, You are God who conceals Himself, the hidden God, God of Israel, Savior.

בּוֹשׁוּ וְגַם נִכְלְמוּ כֻּלָּם יַחְדָּו הָלְכוּ בַכְּלִמָּה חָרָשֵׁי צִירִים

They will be ashamed and humiliated also, all of them; together they will proceed in humiliation, craftsmen of idols. All the craftsmen who fashion idols will be ashamed when everyone realizes that the God of Israel is the true Almighty, who has no physical form.

יִשְׂרָאֵל נוֹשַׁע בַּה' תְּשׁוּעַת עוֹלָמִים לֹא תֵבֹשׁוּ וְלֹא תִכָּלְמוּ עַד עוֹלְמֵי עַד

Israel is saved through the Lord, an eternal salvation; you will not be ashamed and will not be humiliated for all eternity.

כִּי כֹה אָמַר ה' בּוֹרֵא הַשָּׁמַיִם הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים יֹצֵר הָאָרֶץ וְעֹשָׂהּ הוּא כוֹנְנָהּ לֹא תֹהוּ בְרָאָהּ לָשֶׁבֶת יְצָרָהּ אֲנִי ה' וְאֵין עוֹד

For so said the Lord, Creator of the heavens, He is the God, Fashioner of the earth, and its Maker; He established it. In contrast to the deistic approach, God continually maintains existence. He did not create it for emptiness, but rather He formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord and there is no other.

לֹא בַסֵּתֶר דִּבַּרְתִּי בִּמְקוֹם אֶרֶץ חֹשֶׁךְ לֹא אָמַרְתִּי לְזֶרַע יַעֲקֹב תֹּהוּ בַקְּשׁוּנִי אֲנִי ה' דֹּבֵר צֶדֶק מַגִּיד מֵישָׁרִים

I did not speak secretly, in a place of a land of darkness. My statements are not for the prophets alone, but for all the people to hear. I did not say to the descendants of Jacob: Seek Me for nothing. It is I, the Lord, who speaks in righteousness, who speaks fairly. I do not hide My statements from anyone; they are straightforward and true.

הִקָּבְצוּ וָבֹאוּ הִתְנַגְּשׁוּ יַחְדָּו פְּלִיטֵי הַגּוֹיִם לֹא יָדְעוּ הַנֹּשְׂאִים אֶת עֵץ פִּסְלָם וּמִתְפַּלְלִים אֶל אֵל לֹא יוֹשִׁיעַ

Gather yourselves and come, approach together, refugees of the nations; they do not know, they who carry with them the wood of their idol and pray to a god that cannot save.

הַגִּידוּ וְהַגִּישׁוּ אַף יִוָּעֲצוּ יַחְדָּו מִי הִשְׁמִיעַ זֹאת מִקֶּדֶם מֵאָז הִגִּידָהּ! הֲלוֹא אֲנִי ה' וְאֵין עוֹד אֱלֹהִים מִבַּלְעָדַי אֵל צַדִּיק וּמוֹשִׁיעַ אַיִן זוּלָתִי

Proclaim and bring near, even take counsel together: Who sounded this from ancient time, proclaimed it from then? Who predicted beforehand all these universal changes, the wars you experienced? This is likely referring to the rise of Cyrus and the fall of Babylon; an apparently stable world was suddenly destroyed and replaced by a new order. Truly, I am the Lord and is there no other god than Me, no righteous god and savior besides Me.

פְּנוּ אֵלַי וְהִוָּשְׁעוּ כָּל אַפְסֵי אָרֶץ כִּי אֲנִי אֵל וְאֵין עוֹד

Therefore, turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God and there is no other. There is no other source of salvation. My divinity is independent of nationality and location; one may not turn to idols even in the most isolated corner of the earth.

בִּי נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי יָצָא מִפִּי צְדָקָה דָּבָר וְלֹא יָשׁוּב כִּי לִי תִּכְרַע כָּל בֶּרֶךְ תִּשָּׁבַע כָּל לָשׁוֹן

I took an oath by Myself; righteousness emerged from My mouth, a matter that will not be retracted, for ultimately to Me every knee will bend, every tongue will take an oath.

אַךְ בַּה' – לִי אָמַר – צְדָקוֹת וָעֹז עָדָיו יָבוֹא וְיֵבֹשׁוּ כֹּל הַנֶּחֱרִים בּוֹ

Now the prophet speaks in the first person: Only in the Lord, He said to me, is justice and might found. God treats His creations with justice and strengthens them, and truth can be found only in Him. All who provoke Him and who struggle against Him in their anger will come to Him and be ashamed.

בַּה' יִצְדְּקוּ וְיִתְהַלְלוּ כָּל זֶרַע יִשְׂרָאֵל

In the Lord will all the descendants of Israel be vindicated and glorified. None will be absent. Alternatively, this means that all the descendants of Israel will relate the justice of the Lord, or believe in the Lord, or be saved by the Lord.