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| 1 And now hear, Jacob, my servant, and Israel, whom I have chosen: |
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| 2 thus saith Jehovah, that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, who helpeth thee, Fear not, Jacob, my servant, and thou, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. |
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| 3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring. |
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| 4 And they shall spring up among the grass, as willows by the water-courses. |
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| 5 One shall say, I am Jehovah's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall write with his hand: I am Jehovah's, and surname himself by the name of Israel. |
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| 6 Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last, and beside me there is no God. |
His redeemer – Israel's Redeemer. R1052:6*
Spoken long before he had sent Jesus to be our Redeemer, so that God was then the only Redeemer; but still true after Jesus came, for only God can save, and he does--through the death of "the Lamb of God." R1052:6*
The first, and I am the last – God is the only one that should be recognized. Q361:1; CR276:5
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| 7 And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? And the coming things, and those that shall happen, let them declare unto them. |
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| 8 Fear not, neither be afraid. Have I not caused thee to hear from that time, and have declared it? and ye are my witnesses. Is there a +God beside me? yea, there is no Rock: I know not any. |
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| 9 They that form a graven image are all of them vanity, and their delectable things are of no profit; and they are their own witnesses: they see not, nor know; --that they may be ashamed. |
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| 10 Who hath formed a *god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing? |
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| 11 Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed; and the workmen are but men. Let them all be gathered together, let them stand up: they shall fear, they shall be ashamed together. |
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| 12 The iron-smith hath a chisel, and he worketh in the coals, and he fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with his strong arm; --but he is hungry, and his strength faileth; he hath not drunk water, and he is faint. |
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| 13 The worker in wood stretcheth out a line; he marketh it out with red chalk; he formeth it with sharp tools, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of man: that it may remain in the house. |
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| 14 When he heweth him down cedars, he taketh also a holm-oak and a terebinth--he chooseth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth a pine, and the rain maketh it grow. |
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| 15 And it shall be for a man to burn, and he taketh thereof, and warmeth himself; he kindleth it also, and baketh bread; he maketh also a *god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto. |
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| 16 He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh, he roasteth roast, and is satisfied; yea, he is warm, and saith, Aha, I am become warm, I have seen the fire. |
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| 17 And with the remainder thereof he maketh a *god, his graven image; he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me, for thou art my *god. |
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| 18 They have no knowledge, and understand not; for he hath plastered their eyes, that they may not see; and their hearts, that they may not understand. |
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| 19 And none taketh it to heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire, and have also baked bread upon the coals thereof, I have roasted flesh, and eaten it, and with the rest thereof shall I make an abomination? shall I bow down to a block of wood? |
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| 20 He feedeth on ashes; a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand? |
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| 21 Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel, for thou art my servant; I have formed thee: thou art my servant, Israel; thou shalt not be forgotten of me. |
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| 22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. |
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| 23 Sing, ye heavens; for Jehovah hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, ye mountains, the forest, and every tree therein! For Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel. |
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| 24 Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb: I am Jehovah, the maker of all things; who alone stretched out the heavens, who did spread forth the earth by myself; |
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| 25 --he that frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish; |
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| 26 that confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built up, and I will raise up their ruins; |
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| 27 that saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers; |
Dry up thy rivers – In Revelation, the Prince of the Kings of the earth is shown as drying up the symbolic Euphrates--the wealth and resources of mystic Babylon. R2498:5, R509:6; B209
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| 28 that saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and he shall perform all my pleasure; even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. |
That sayeth of Cyrus – Meaning "Sun," typifying the "Sun of Righteousness. (Mal. 4:2) R2498:4; HG521:1
Type of Christ. R2498:4, R4699:5
It is a wonderful thing that Cyrus was named by the prophet Isaiah in advance, and called "God's Shepherd." R4893:1, R1483:3, R3642:2
It is likely that, as Daniel was speedily made a high officer, he had access to King Cyrus, and probably called his attention to the scriptural predictions which marked him as the divine agent, even by name. R2509:3
Tradition says that this prophecy was read to Cyrus and resulted in his proclamation permitting the Jews to return to their own land. R3642:3
Profane history calls him "gracious, clement and just, treating men as men and not as mere tools to be cast aside--a conqueror of quite a different type than any the world had previously seen." Plutarch declares that "In wisdom, virtue and magnanimity he seems to have surpassed all kings." R4893:1
Saying to Jerusalem – As the typical Cyrus encouraged the typical Jews to return from Babylon, so the antitypical, our present Lord, will see to the drying up of the Euphrates and Israel's opportunity and encouragement to return to the land of Abraham. R4699:5
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