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.
ǃKhūb ge Koresa ra ǁgaumâi
1 Nētib ge ǃKhūba ǀnausabeb âb, Koresi,
ǁôab âba ta ge ǃkhōb, ǁîb aiǃâ ta ge ǁaede ǃgamǃgammi
tsî gao-aoga saragu âga ǀhanab, dao-amde ǁîb aiǃâ ǁkhowa-am
tsî di ǂganamhe tideba ra mî:
2 “Sa aiǃâ ī tsî ta ge ǃhomga nî ǂhauǂhau,
bronsdao-amde ta ge ǃârodi ǃnâ nî ǂnauǃā
tsî ǁîdi ǀuriga nî ǂnaukhôa.
3 ǃKhaenab ǃnâ hâ ǁuigu tsî ǀhôagaose sâusa ǃkhūsigu tsîga ta ge nî mā du;
tita ǃKhūta, Israeli Elota ǀons âdu ai ge ǂgai du ta
a ǃkhaisa du nî ǂanse.
4 Ti ǃgāb Jakob tsî ti ǁhûiǂuisabeb Israeli ǃaroma
ta ge ǀons âdu ai ge ǂgai du;
ǃgôasib ǂgaiǂamsa ta ge ge mā du,
ǂan te tama du ge hâ i xawe.
5 “Tita ge ǃKhūta, ǀkhara-i a ǀkhai;
ti xōǀkhā i ge ǀnî elo-e a ǀkhai.
Tita ge ǁâtani du ra ta,
ǂan te tama du ge hâ i xawe.
6 Î du soreǁhaisa xu huriǂoas kōse
ǂan ti xōǀkhā i ǀkhara elo-e a ǀkhaisa.
Tita ge ǃKhūta
tsî i ǀnî-e a ǀkhai.
7 Tita ge ǃnâba ǂnubi tsî ǃkhaenaba ge kuru,
tita ge ǃgâiǃgâba kuru tsî ǂōǂōsiba ge hā-ū.
Tita ǃKhūta ge nē xūn hoana ge dī.
8 ǀHomgo, ǀgapiseba xu ǀapi re,
î gu ǃāǂuisaga ǂhanu-aisiba ǀapiǁnâ.
Ab ǃhūbaiba ǁkhowa-amsen, îs oresa ǀkhī;
tsî as ǁîsa ǂhanu-aisiba ǃīǂoa kai,
tita ǃKhūta ge ǁîna kuru xuige.”
ǃKhūb kurus tsî ǃnaeǃkhaidi tsîra dib
9 Tsūba ǁnā khoe-i, ǁî-i Kuru-aob ǀkha ra ǂnoagu-e,
sūǃâro-e sūkuru-ao-i ǀkha!
ǂGoaba ǁîb kuru-aob ǃoa
“Tare-ets ra dī?” tamas ka io,
“Sa sîsenni ge ǃkhō-ūdaga ūhâ tama hâ,” ti mî ǁkhāb a?
10 Tsūba ǁnāb hîa ǁgûb ǃoa
“Tare-ets a ǁgûba? Tamas ka io, ǁgûs ǃoa
Tare-es ra ǁora?” ti ra mîba.
11 Nētib ge ǃKhūb Israeli di ǃAnub,
tsî ǁîb Kuru-aoba ra mî:
“Ti ôan ǃaroma du ra dîǃnâ te,
tamas ka io ti ǃomkha di sîsenni
ǃaroma du kha ra mîmā te?
12 Tita ge ǃhūbaiba ge kuru ta,
ti ǃomkha ge ǀhomma ge khoraǂuikha
tsî ta ge ǀhommi ǃnâdi hoade ge mîmā.
13 Tita ge Koresa ǂhanu-aisib ǃaroma ge ǂkhaiǂkhai
tsî daogu hoagu âba nî ǂhauǂhau.
ǁÎb ge ti ǃāsa omkhâi tsî ti ǃhūsabena nî ǃnoraǃnora,
matares tamas ka io mādawa-ams ǃaromas ose,”
tib ge ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixaba ra mî.
14 Nētib ra ǃKhūba mî:
“Egipteb ǃkhūsib, Etiopiab marib,
tsî kaimâ hâ Sabeǁî khoegu tsîn hoan ge
sats tawa hā-ūhe tsî nî sa kai.
ǁÎgu ge khedesase satsa sao
tsî sa aiǃâ nî ǃhon.
ǁÎgu ge satsa ǀkhoma tsî nî mî:
‘Elob ge sats ǀkha hâ tsî ǀnî elo-i ge ǀkhai,
ǁîb xōǀkhā i ge ǀkhara elo-e ǀkhai.
15 Amase, sats ge ǂganǃgâsib ǃnâ ra ūhâsen,
Israeli Elo, Ore-aotse!
16 ǁGôa-elokuru-aon ge nî ǀgomaǂâi kaihe
tsî ǁîn hoan ge nî taotaohe.
17 Xawe ǃKhūb ge Israela
ǀamo ǃgâiǃōsib ǀkha nî ore.
ǁÎb ge ǀamosib kose tātsē taotaohe tide.’ ”
18 Nētib ra ǃKhūb ǀhomma ge kurub,
ǁîb ǀguib a Elob,
ǃhūbaiba ǂnubi tsî ge kurub,
ǁîba ge ǃgaoǃgaob,
xawe ǀhomaxase ǁîba kuru tamab,
xawe ǁîba ǁanǃnâs ǃaroma ge ǂnubiba mî xui-ao:
“Tita ge ǃKhūta
tsî ǀnîb xareb ge a ǀkhai.
19 Tita ge ǂganǃgâsib ǃnâ ǃhoa tama hâ,
tamas ka io ǃkhaenab ǃhūb ǃnâs tsîna.
Jakob surib ǃoas tsîna ta ge
‘ǁAuse ôa te,’ tis tsîna mî tama hâ.
Tita ǃKhūta ge amaba ra ǃhoa,
tita ge ǂhanu xū-e ra ǂanǂan.”
ǃHūbaib di ǃKhūb tsî Babilons elogu
20 “ǀHaoǀhaosen, î du ǀhûǀhao,
ûiǃgau ge ǁaeso, ǀgūǀgūsen!
Hai-eloga ra taniman
ge ǂan-i xare-e ūhâ tama hâ
tsî ore tama elo-e ǀû tamase ra ǀgoreǀî!
21 Hā, î sadu ǁhōba ǂanǂan;
an ǁîna ǀapeǀhao!
Tari-e nēsa ǀnai ge ǂanǂan?
Tita, ǃKhū tama ta?
ǀKhara elo-i ge ti xōǀkhā a ǀkhai,
ǂhanu-ai Elota, Ore-aota ǀgui ta;
ǀnî-i ti xōǀkhā a ǀkhai.
22 “Tita ǃoa oahā, î sâuhe,
hoaraga ǃhūbaib ǀkhâuǀamso hoaso!
Tita a ǃKhū
tsî ǀnî-i xare-i ǀkhai xuige.
23 Amase ta ge ge nū,
ti amsa xus ge ǂhanu-aisib mîs,
ǁkhawa oa tidesa ge ǂoa:
‘Mâ ǁgoas hoas ge ti aiǃâ nî ǃhon,
mâ nammi hoab ge nî ǁguiǁnâ.’
24 “ǃKhūb ǃnâ ǀgui-i ge tita xa nî mîhe,
ǁîb dikha ge ǂhanu-aisib tsî ǀgaib tsîkha.
ǁÎb ǃoagu ra khâikhâisenn hoan
ge ǁîb tawa hā tsî nî taotaohe.
25 ǃKhūb ǃnâb ge Israeli surib hoaba
ǁîb ǃnâ dan tsî ǁîba nî koa.
