God Is Lord of the Future
1 Listen to this, people of Israel,
you that are descended from Judah:
You swear by the name of the Lord
and claim to worship the God of Israel—
but you don't mean a word you say.
2 And yet you are proud to say
that you are citizens of the holy city
and that you depend on Israel's God,
whose name is the Lord Almighty.
3 The Lord says to Israel,
“Long ago I predicted what would take place;
then suddenly I made it happen.
4 I knew that you would prove to be stubborn,
as rigid as iron and unyielding as bronze.
5 And so I predicted your future long ago,
announcing events before they took place,
to keep you from claiming
that your idols and images made them happen.
6 “All I foretold has now taken place;
you have to admit my predictions were right.
Now I will tell you of new things to come,
events that I did not reveal before.
7 Only now am I making them happen;
nothing like this took place in the past.
If it had, you would claim that you knew all about it.
8 I knew that you couldn't be trusted,
that you have always been known as a rebel.
That is why you never heard of this at all,
why no word of it ever came to your ears.
9 “In order that people will praise my name,
I am holding my anger in check;
I am keeping it back and will not destroy you.
10 I have tested you in the fire of suffering,
as silver is refined in a furnace.
But I have found that you are worthless.
11 What I do is done for my own sake—
I will not let my name be dishonored
or let anyone else share the glory
that should be mine and mine alone.”
Cyrus, the Lord's Chosen Leader
12 The Lord says,
“Listen to me, Israel, the people I have called!
I am God, the first, the last, the only God!
13 My hands made the earth's foundations
and spread the heavens out.
When I summon earth and sky,
they come at once and present themselves.
14 “Assemble and listen, all of you!
None of the gods could predict
that the man I have chosen would attack Babylon;
he will do what I want him to do.
15 I am the one who spoke and called him;
I led him out and gave him success.
16 “Now come close to me and hear what I say.
From the beginning I have spoken openly
and have always made my words come true.”
(Now the Sovereign Lord has given me his power and sent me.)
The Lord's Plan for His People
17 The holy God of Israel,
the Lord who saves you, says:
“I am the Lord your God,
the one who wants to teach you for your own good
and direct you in the way you should go.
18 “If only you had listened to my commands!
Then blessings would have flowed for you
like a stream that never goes dry.
Victory would have come to you
like the waves that roll on the shore.
19 Your descendants would be as numerous as grains of sand,
and I would have made sure they were never destroyed.”
20 Go out from Babylon, go free!
Shout the news gladly; make it known everywhere:
“The Lord has saved his servant Israel!”
21 When the Lord led his people through a hot, dry desert,
they did not suffer from thirst.
He made water come from a rock for them;
he split the rock open, and water flowed out.
22 “There is no safety for sinners,” says the Lord.
Dievs, Radītājs un Pestītājs
1 Klausies šo, Jēkaba nams,
kas saukts Israēla vārdā,
kas no Jūdas ūdeņiem nācis,
kas zvēr Kunga vārdā
un piesauc Israēla Dievu –
ne ar patiesību un ne ar taisnību!
2 Jo tevi sauc svētās pilsētas vārdā
un dēvē pēc Israēla Dieva –
Pulku Kungs ir viņa vārds!
3 “Jau kopš senatnes es to esmu teicis,
no manas mutes tas nācis,
es esmu to daudzinājis –
piepeši es darīju to, un tas notika!
4 Tā kā jau zināju, ka esi tiepīgs,
ka tev kakls kā dzelzs dzīslas
un piere no vara,
5 es jau kopš senatnes tev stāstīju,
jau iepriekš liku, lai pasaka tev,
ka tu neteiktu: mans elks to paveica,
mans tēls un mans lējums to pavēlēja! –
6 Tu dzirdēji, vēroji šo visu,
bet nu negribi to atzīt?! –
Tagad es tev pasludinu ko jaunu,
apslēptas lietas, ko tu nezināji!
7 Nupat tas darīts, neba sen,
gandrīz vai šodien –
bet jūs to nebijāt dzirdējuši
un nevarat sacīt:
re, es jau to zināju! –
8 Ne tu dzirdēji, ne tu zināji,
jau sen tavas ausis ir ciet,
es zinu –
krāptin tu krāpies,
kopš klēpja jau noziedzies –
tā saka par tevi!
9 Sava vārda dēļ
es gausinu dusmas,
savas slavas dēļ
es ciešos ar tevi,
lai man nav tevi jāiznīdē!
10 Redzi, es šķīstīju tevi,
bet ne kā sudrabu,
es tevi kausēdams pārbaudīju
ciešanu krāsnī!
11 Pats sevis, pats sevis dēļ es to darīju,
jo kādēļ man sagānīties, –
savu godu es citam nedošu!
12 Klausies mani, Jēkab,
un tu, Israēl, ko es esmu aicinājis:
es esmu tas –
es esmu pirmais,
es esmu pēdējais!
13 Mana roka tā bija,
kas lika pamatus zemei,
mana labā roka
izpleta debesis,
es uzsaucu to pulkiem,
un tie sastājās!
14 Pulcējieties visi un klausieties,
kurš cits ko tādu jau teicis?
Bet Kungs mīl šo,
viņš Bābelei darīs, ko gribēs,
un viņa elkonis – kaldiešiem!
15 Es! – es runāju un viņu saucu,
es atvedu viņu,
lai viņam sokas gaitas!
16 Nāciet pie manis, klausieties šo –
nemūžam es neesmu runājis paslepen,
kad tas notika, es jau tur biju –
un tagad Kungs Dievs
sūta mani un savu Garu!”
17 Tā saka Kungs,
tavs Izpircējs, Israēla Svētais:
“Es esmu Kungs, tavs Dievs,
kas tevi māca, lai tev sokas,
kas ved tevi pa ceļu, kur jāiet!
18 Kaut tu būtu klausījis maniem baušļiem,
tad tavs miers būtu kā upe
un tava taisnība kā jūras viļņi,
19 tavu pēcnācēju būtu kā smilšu
un pēcteču, kas no taviem gurniem nāk,
kā smilšu graudu –
viņu vārds netiktu nīdēts un nīcināts
no tiem, kas manā priekšā!”
20 Prom no Bābeles!
Bēdz no Kaldejas!
Ar gavilēm stāsti un vēstī,
lai aiziet līdz zemes malām,
saki: Kungs izpircis
savu kalpu Jēkabu!
21 Tiem tuksnesī aizvestiem neslāpa,
no klints viņš tiem ūdeni plūdināja,
viņš pāršķēla klinti, un izšļācās ūdens!
22 “Nav miera,”
tā saka Kungs, “ļaundariem!”
