Discovery BoxIsaiah 10:6 
Context10:6 I sent him 1 against a godless 2 nation,
I ordered him to attack the people with whom I was angry, 3
to take plunder and to carry away loot,
to trample them down 4 like dirt in the streets.
Isaiah 44:28
Context44:28 who commissions 5 Cyrus, the one I appointed as shepherd 6
to carry out all my wishes 7
and to decree concerning Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’
and concerning the temple, ‘It will be reconstructed.’” 8
Isaiah 46:11
Context46:11 who summons an eagle 9 from the east,
from a distant land, one who carries out my plan.
Yes, I have decreed, 10
yes, I will bring it to pass;
I have formulated a plan,
yes, I will carry it out.
Isaiah 48:14
Context48:14 All of you, gather together and listen!
Who among them 11 announced these things?
The Lord’s ally 12 will carry out his desire against Babylon;
he will exert his power against the Babylonians. 13
Isaiah 49:22
Context49:22 This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“Look I will raise my hand to the nations;
I will raise my signal flag to the peoples.
They will bring your sons in their arms
and carry your daughters on their shoulders.
Isaiah 64:6
Context64:6 We are all like one who is unclean,
all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in your sight. 14
We all wither like a leaf;
our sins carry us away like the wind.
1 sn Throughout this section singular forms are used to refer to Assyria; perhaps the king of Assyria is in view (see v. 12).
2 tn Or “defiled”; cf. ASV “profane”; NAB “impious”; NCV “separated from God.”
3 tn Heb “and against the people of my anger I ordered him.”
4 tn Heb “to make it [i.e., the people] a trampled place.”
5 tn Heb “says to.” It is possible that the sentence is not completed, as the description of Cyrus and his God-given role is developed in the rest of the verse. 45:1 picks up where 44:28a leaves off with the Lord’s actual words to Cyrus finally being quoted in 45:2.
6 tn Heb “my shepherd.” The shepherd motif is sometimes applied, as here, to a royal figure who is responsible for the well-being of the people whom he rules.
7 tn Heb “that he might bring to completion all my desire.”
8 tn Heb “and [concerning the] temple, you will be founded.” The preposition -לְ (lÿ) is understood by ellipsis at the beginning of the second line. The verb תִּוָּסֵד (tivvased, “you will be founded”) is second masculine singular and is probably addressed to the personified temple (הֵיכָל [hekhal, “temple”] is masculine).
9 tn Or, more generally, “a bird of prey” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV; see 18:6).
10 tn Heb “spoken”; KJV “I have spoken it.”
11 sn This probably refers to the idol gods (see v. 5).
12 tn Or “friend,” or “covenant partner.”
sn The
13 tn Heb “and his arm [against] the Babylonians.”
14 tn Heb “and like a garment of menstruation [are] all our righteous acts”; KJV, NIV “filthy rags”; ASV “a polluted garment.”
