Isaiah, A Deep Dive

If the Book of Isaiah seems to be overwhelming, you are not alone.  It is a hard book to sit and read like normal. It was written long ago in literary style not common today.  Much Bible knowledge is required to understand how things fit together.  But here is a nice takeaway; a pithy promise that can be easily memorized:

You will keep in perfect peace

    those whose minds are steadfast,

    because they trust in you.

Isaiah 26:3

At the end of this blog post I’ve included a chart which shows how frequently the writers of the New Testament included quotes and allusions to Isaiah in their writings.  Some students of the Bible jokingly refer to the Book of Isaiah as the 5th Gospel because of the frequent mention of the coming Messiah and blessings that follow. Upon examination of that chart, your interest in the Book of Isaiah should be greatly increased!

Word Count	6616
Time to Read	35 Minutes
Recommended Device	Tablet or Computer

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Overview

Isaiah was a major contributing author to the Old Testament. His name means “The Lord is Salvation” and he lived in Jerusalem during the time when Israel was a divided nation. The Book of Isaiah has two sections with 39 chapters comprising the first section and 27 in the second, just like the Old and New Testaments of the Bible (no significance in that but an unusual coincidence). He prophesied mostly messages of judgment and hope to his contemporaries in the southern kingdom of Judah.  He also prophesied briefly regarding judgments against the northern kingdom of Israel and some neighboring nations. He warned against making treaties with foreign nations for protection and instead advised the kings to look to the Lord for help.  Furthermore, he prophesied that God would send help in the form a person, the Messiah.  Isaiah described the coming Messiah as a suffering servant who would make payment for sin vicariously and yet was also a conquering King.  Isaiah was respected and well liked when he started but like most prophets, he ended up being despised and in the end he apparently died a martyrs death by the order of King Manasseh – according to church tradition.

The first section of 39 chapters was mostly the theme of judgment because of the rebellious lifestyle of the Israelites and others. The majority of his prophecies were communicated to those he lived with in the southern kingdom of Judah.  They were experiencing the threat of captivity by Egypt and Assyria and eventually the reality of the Babylonian captivity.   The second section of 27 chapters was written to future generations who would be coming out of captivity many years later and focused on the hope and restoration of this elect and once again united nation.  The Book of Isaiah was written over the period of 740 and 681 B.C.  Isaiah served under four kings, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah (Isaiah 1:1). He served as a prophet to Judah during the same time as the prophets Hosea and Micah.  There are several themes which are braided throughout this long book.  Sometimes the subject changes without warning.  He speaks of the coming Messiah, the Holy City Jerusalem aka Zion, the Holy One of Israel, and he speaks of fulfillment of prophecies in the near future (from their perspective) and also in the distant future.  He condemns sinful practices and alliances with foreign nations.  He speaks often of what life will be like in the millennial kingdom but mixes that with near future events. Keep in mind that their near future events are history for us today, but we are still awaiting the second coming of Christ and the establishment of the millennial kingdom.  Therefore, care must be exercised in understanding this prophetic book.

We don’t know from the Bible how or when he died, but tradition holds that Isaiah was sawed in two by the order of King Manasseh.  Those who affirm this account connect the reference in Hebrews 11, the unofficial Hall of Faith, to Isaiah (They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—Hebrews 11:37), however there is no specific connection made by any Scripture. 

The book of Isaiah is clearly quoted in the New Testament over sixty-five times, and Isaiah is mentioned by name over twenty times.  New Testament writers used quotations from Isaiah more than any other Old Testament prophet, in fact Isaiah alone is quoted more than all the other writing prophets combined (Psalms is quoted more than Isaiah but they have various authors and sometimes non-prophetic messages).  Jesus quoted from both the first and second sections of Isaiah and attributed the quotations specifically to Isaiah which validates that Isaiah was indeed the author.  Some liberal commentators speculate that parts of Isaiah, especially the second section was written by disciples of Isaiah who lived after the Babylonian captivity.  However, in examining the Old and New Testaments, there is no scriptural evidence of such a claim.  The simple and best explanation is that God revealed future events to his prophet and the prophet wrote to those future generations a message of hope and restoration and encouraged them to practice repentance and righteous living. It is likely that the first section was written long before the second as Isaiah was a prophet for over 50 years. See also John 12:38-41 below where two references are attributed to Isaiah as the author, one from the first section and the other from the second.  This should offer proof of one single author for the entire book.

This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

“Lord, who has believed our message

    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”[1]

For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

“He has blinded their eyes

    and hardened their hearts,

so they can neither see with their eyes,

    nor understand with their hearts,

    nor turn—and I would heal them.”[2]

Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

Footnotes

1. John 12:38 Isaiah 53:1
2. John 12:40 Isaiah 6:10

John 12:38-41

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The Coming Messiah

John the Baptist was the forerunner to Christ.  He preached a baptism of repentance which symbolically demonstrated ones desire to live a righteous life in expectation of the coming Messiah.  This caused a stir among the Jewish leaders and they sent a delegation to investigate this ministry of John the baptist.  John chose to use the words of Isaiah to describe his ministry and purpose.

(John [the baptist] testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”

They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”

He answered, “No.”

Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

“I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

John 1:15-27

Hundreds of years prior to John or Christ, the prophet Isaiah predicted that a voice in the desert would prepare the way for the Messiah.  He used the example of the short-lived existence of flowers and grass and associated that with people (who all die in time) and then contrasts that with the eternal nature of God’s Word.  In the New Testament, the Apostle John associates Christ with God’s Word and calls him The Word many times.  Between John the baptist and the Apostle John, they were clearly declaring Jesus to be God.  Just like we use words to express ourselves, God was using Christ to express himself to mankind in a new and different way than he had in the past.  The writer of Hebrews (which was written after the resurrection of Christ) says it this way:

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 

Hebrews 1:1-3

The Gospel of John, which was also written after the resurrection of Christ begins this way:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:1-5

Its one thing to recognize that Jesus was the Messiah after his life, death and resurrection.  However, Isaiah predicted his coming.  And then John the baptist correctly applied Isaiah’s prophecy to his own ministry and identified Christ as the Messiah Isaiah predicted prior to any public ministry on Christ’s behalf.  That was quite a powerful revelation.  It is safe to say John the baptist was very familiar with this section of Isaiah:

A voice of one calling:

“In the wilderness prepare

    the way for the Lord;

make straight in the desert

    a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be raised up,

    every mountain and hill made low;

the rough ground shall become level,

    the rugged places a plain.

And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,

    and all people will see it together.

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

A voice says, “Cry out.”

    And I said, “What shall I cry?”

“All people are like grass,

    and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.

The grass withers and the flowers fall,

    because the breath of the Lord blows on them.

    Surely the people are grass.

The grass withers and the flowers fall,

    but the word of our God endures forever.”

Isaiah 40:3-8

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The Paradox

The Book of Isaiah focuses on the restoration made available through the coming Messiah but he blended events from his first and second comings together sometimes.  There are more messianic prophecies found in Isaiah than any other prophetic book.  This caused some confusion and presented a paradox that wasn’t understood until Christ was actually born and went on to suffer and die only to be resurrected from the dead.  Then of course now we understand that he will appear a second time to reign as King over David’s kingdom – and the world.  These facts were veiled to the Old Testament saints.  So the messages from Isaiah concerning a Messiah to come that would be both a suffering servant and a conquering king were not reconciled by them.  However, in time, Christ has perfectly fulfilled, or will fulfill, every prophecy recorded, literally and completely.  

The main message communicated from the book of Isaiah about God is that he is Holy (Isaiah 6:3).  His holiness demands that sin be punished.  He makes a case against the rebellious nation(s) and points to the coming Messiah that will bear their sin and die.  Yet like a shoot that grows up out of a dead stump, he will live again and thrive (Isaiah 11:1). The nation Israel is prophesied to be once again united, restored and elevated above the other nations with Christ reigning from Jerusalem over the entire world. The book of Isaiah blends prophecies and other subjects often.  He spoke of various themes and braided them together from the beginning to the end of the book.  This keeps the reader on their toes because the theme and subject changes without warning sometimes. 

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The Evangelistic Prophet

Isaiah was used as an evangelistic prophet.  Here is an example of his pleas for repentance, straight from a prophet of the Lord…

“Come now, let us settle the matter,”

    says the Lord.

“Though your sins are like scarlet,

    they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red as crimson,

    they shall be like wool.

If you are willing and obedient,

    you will eat the good things of the land;

but if you resist and rebel,

    you will be devoured by the sword.”

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Isaiah 1:18-20

Isaiah 9 speaks of the humanity and divinity of the coming Christ in the following passage.  Note that it begins by saying a child is born.  That is a reference to the incarnation of Christ, he was a baby boy born to Mary, a child is born.  But then it follows by saying a son is given.  That is a reference to the divinity of Christ.  He is the eternal son of God and he was given to the world to become our savior and king.  In that one sentence Isaiah skipped from the birth of Christ to his millennial reign as king which won’t occur until after his second coming.  Prophecies that skip periods of time are common in the Old Testament.  Sometimes they can only be fully understood by later revelations as recorded in the New Testament.  It is important to note that all the Biblical prophecies that have been fulfilled historically have been fulfilled literally.  So it is logical and right to expect that unfulfilled prophecies will also be fulfilled literally.  

 For to us a child is born,

    to us a son is given,

    and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 Of the greatness of his government and peace

    there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne

    and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

    with justice and righteousness

    from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty

    will accomplish this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

Isaiah 53 is another well known passage which speaks of the suffering and vicarious death of the coming Messiah.  

Who has believed our message

    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

He grew up before him like a tender shoot,

    and like a root out of dry ground.

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,

    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by mankind,

    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.

Like one from whom people hide their faces

    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

Surely he took up our pain

    and bore our suffering,

yet we considered him punished by God,

    stricken by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,

    he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

    and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

    each of us has turned to our own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

    the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted,

    yet he did not open his mouth;

he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,

    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,

    so he did not open his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away.

    Yet who of his generation protested?

For he was cut off from the land of the living;

    for the transgression of my people he was punished.

He was assigned a grave with the wicked,

    and with the rich in his death,

though he had done no violence,

    nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,

    and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,

he will see his offspring and prolong his days,

    and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

After he has suffered,

    he will see the light of life and be satisfied;

by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,

    and he will bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,

    and he will divide the spoils with the strong,

because he poured out his life unto death,

    and was numbered with the transgressors.

For he bore the sin of many,

    and made intercession for the transgressors.

Isaiah 53

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The Millennial Kingdom

Isaiah, like many of the other Old Testament prophets saw far into the future. However, what they saw has been described as mountain peaks and they couldn’t always differentiate the coming ages. That is probably why in many cases their prophecies blend events from different ages together as if they were simultaneous. From a far distance, mountain peaks blend together but up close it is easy to distinguish immense distance, features and characteristics that cannot be discerned from far away. There are many references to what we now know as the Millennial Kingdom but they didn’t call it that in Old Testament times. The Apostle John, by revelation from the Lord, gave us that detail at the end of the last book of the New Testament (Revelation 20:1-6).

Isaiah 11 is a good example that predicts the death of Christ (the stump of Jesse), the resurrection (the shoot that comes up from the dead stump) the tribulation judgments (he will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth), the Second Coming of Christ (righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist), and characteristics found only in the Millennial Kingdom (wild animals that won’t attack). Yet in Isaiah’s prophecy, there is no distinction between these periods. However, with New Testament Revelation, we can easily see the different ages represented.

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;

    from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—

    the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

    the Spirit of counsel and of might,

    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—

and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,

    or decide by what he hears with his ears;

but with righteousness he will judge the needy,

    with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;

    with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Righteousness will be his belt

    and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

The wolf will live with the lamb,

    the leopard will lie down with the goat,

the calf and the lion and the yearling together;

    and a little child will lead them.

The cow will feed with the bear,

    their young will lie down together,

    and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

The infant will play near the cobra’s den,

    and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.

They will neither harm nor destroy

    on all my holy mountain,

for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord

    as the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 11

Isaiah chapter 2 also looks forward to the coming Millennial Kingdom after Christ’s second coming.

In the last days

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established

    as the highest of the mountains;

it will be exalted above the hills,

    and all nations will stream to it.

Many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

    to the temple of the God of Jacob.

He will teach us his ways,

    so that we may walk in his paths.”

The law will go out from Zion,

    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

He will judge between the nations

    and will settle disputes for many peoples.

They will beat their swords into plowshares

    and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation will not take up sword against nation,

    nor will they train for war anymore.

Come, descendants of Jacob,

    let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Isaiah 2:2-5

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Dual Fulfillment of Prophecy

During the earthly ministry of Christ he was rejected by the people from his hometown. The Gospel of Luke records that while he was in Nazareth he read from the scroll of Isaiah. Note that after reading a certain section he says that this prophecy that he just read is fulfilled in himself.  But the part he read stopped just short of his judgment of the world. That part of the prophecy will be fulfilled in the future – during the great tribulation.  That is a good example of how Old Testament prophecies have a dual fulfillment.  Oftentimes they had a partial fulfillment in the prophets day, or in the incarnation and earthly ministry of Christ and then they will have a complete fulfillment in the Day of the Lord which is a span that encompasses the Rapture, Tribulation period, Second coming of Christ and the Millennial Kingdom.

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
    to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”

“Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

Luke 4:16-30

cf. Isaiah 61:

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

    because the Lord has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor;

    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,

    and the day of vengeance of our God;

Isaiah 61:1-2a

The Day of Vengeance speaks of the tribulation judgments recorded in Revelation chapters 6-19.  Since that was a future event, he left that part out of his reading in Nazareth.  But the part that was fulfilled was that of the Messiah who would bring salvation to those in need.

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Another Evangelistic Message from Isaiah

Isaiah’s message was relevant to the people of his day and is just as relevant to the people of ours.  It confirms that Christ is indeed the Savior of the world sent by God to those in need.  And people of every generation are in need of God’s grace, forgiveness, and hope for the future.  God’s word will not fail us.

Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
    and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
    and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
    so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:6-11

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Additional Background Information about Isaiah

We don’t know much personal information about Isaiah.  We don’t know when he was born. We know he was the son of Amoz (Isaiah 1:1), but the Bible doesn’t tell us anything about Amoz.  Some speculate that Isaiah’s family was aristocratic because he seemed to have easy access to several kings.  He served under four kings and was put to death by the fifth. Others speculate he was a priest because when he was called to the office of prophet, he seemed to be in the part of the temple normally reserved exclusively for the Priesthood (Isaiah 6).  We know he was married, but his wife is not named and referred to only as the Prophetess (Isaiah 8:3-4).  We don’t know if that title was because she was the wife of a prophet or because she prophesied herself, none are recorded in Scripture.  She bore him at least one son, presumably both sons since no other wife was mentioned.  His sons were named prophetically as their names contained prophecies.  His first son was named Shear-Jashub which means “a remnant shall return”.  He is mentioned in Isaiah 7:3 in connection with the fear of King Ahaz (Isaiah 7:1-4). His second son was named Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz which means “Speed the spoil and hasten the booty.”  In context, his name was a prophecy regarding the demise of Damascus and Samaria because of their rebellious behavior against the Lord.  The Lord would use Assyria as his instrument of correction against them (Isaiah 8:1-4). 

It is entirely possible Isaiah was a priest and an aristocrat.  In any event, he was likely wealthy, well-educated and greatly respected by many in power.  The Bible doesn’t contain much personal information about Isaiah and so based on that fact, those details aren’t important to his message and ministry.  The Bible is funny that way sometimes, for example we know much about the Prophets Elijah and Elisha and neither of them wrote a book of the Bible, but Isaiah wrote a long book and we know very little of his background.  

The Naked Prophet

In the year 711 BC God spoke through Isaiah. He was instructed to strip naked and to go barefoot and prophesy that Assyria will take captive the Egyptians and Cushites (Ethiopians).  For three years Isaiah went naked and barefoot proclaiming his prophecies against these nations (See Isaiah 20). Note that naked may mean mostly naked or completely naked, we don’t know, though Isaiah 20:4 speaks of the exiles both young and old having buttocks bared. Either way, the point of his prophecy was made, and in time it came to be.

Filthy Rags

All of us have become like one who is unclean,

    and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;

we all shrivel up like a leaf,

    and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

Isaiah 64:6

A common phrase used in churches today is that our self works or so call righteous acts are like filthy rags to God.  The term filthy rags is borrowed from Isaiah 64:6.   Obviously Isaiah was speaking to Israelites in a different age and time.  It is interesting to note that his phrase was a stronger phrase than it appears to be in English today.  It means a garment soiled with bodily fluid, such as a woman’s menstrual blood.  The New Testament affirms that self works are worthless towards our salvation.  Only faith in the Righteous One-Jesus Christ, and the finished work of salvation obtained by him through his sinless life, vicarious death and glorious resurrection will make us acceptable in God’s sight.  Any effort to gain salvation apart from faith in Christ will be rejected and discarded much like these filthy rags mentioned by Isaiah.

On the other hand, once we place our faith in Christ, we are encouraged to do good, to love others and perform righteous acts in front of others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven  (Matthew 5:16b).

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The Prophecy Regarding Cyrus

In the second section of Isaiah, chapters 40-66, he spoke to the future captives of Babylon. Liberal commentators speculate that someone other than Isaiah had to have written this portion. Various reasons are cited but the crown jewel of this argument is the naming of King Cyrus of Persia. It is unusual and quite powerful that God revealed such a distinct detail as the proper name of a future ruler to act on God’s behalf. So about 150 years before the reign of King Cyrus, Isaiah named him as the one who would be used by God to help restore Israel. In time, Cyrus learned of this prophecy about himself and did exactly what was predicted he would do.  That was a good example of how God uses worldly leaders to accomplish his purposes as taught in Proverbs, “In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water
that he channels toward all who please him. (Proverbs 21:1).” That should be reassuring to us when our current leaders make us cringe. We must remember to keep our minds steadfast on the Lord, and to trust in him as recorded in Isaiah 26:3.

We don’t know how Cyrus leaned of this prophecy, but the prophet Daniel was well known and part of the ruling court in Babylon.  It is likely that someone like Daniel requested an audience with the king and shared the prophetic scripture with him leading to its fulfillment. See Isaiah 44:28; 45:1 and the Book of Ezra for more detail.

“This is what the Lord says—

    your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb:

I am the Lord,

    the Maker of all things,

    who stretches out the heavens,

    who spreads out the earth by myself,

who foils the signs of false prophets

    and makes fools of diviners,

who overthrows the learning of the wise

    and turns it into nonsense,

who carries out the words of his servants

    and fulfills the predictions of his messengers,

who says of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be inhabited,’

    of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’

    and of their ruins, ‘I will restore them,’

who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry,

    and I will dry up your streams,’

who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd

    and will accomplish all that I please;

he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,”

    and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.”’

Isaiah 44:24-28

cf. The Book of Chronicles:

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:

“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:

“‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up, and may the Lord their God be with them.’”

2 Chronicles 36:22-23

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Reference Chart: Isaiah in the New Testament

All Scripture quoted from:
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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