Isaiah 45:7

I am ¹  the one who forms light and creates darkness; ²  the one who brings about peace and creates calamity. ³  I am the Lord, who accomplishes all these things.

I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.

The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these.

I am the one who creates the light and makes the darkness. I am the one who sends good times and bad times. I, the LORD, am the one who does these things.

I form light and create darkness, I make harmonies and create discords. I, GOD, do all these things.

I am the giver of light and the maker of the dark; causing blessing, and sending troubles; I am the Lord, who does all these things.

I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe; I the LORD do all these things.

I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things .’

I am ¹  the one who forms light and creates darkness; ²  the one who brings about peace and creates calamity. ³  I am the Lord, who accomplishes all these things.

¹ tn The words “I am” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the participle at the beginning of v. 7 stands in apposition to “the Lord” in v. 6.

² tn On the surface v. 7a appears to describe God’s sovereign control over the cycle of day and night, but the following statement suggests that “light” and “darkness” symbolize “deliverance” and “judgment.”

³ sn This verses affirms that God is ultimately sovereign over his world, including mankind and nations. In accordance with his sovereign will, he can cause wars to cease and peace to predominate (as he was about to do for his exiled people through Cyrus), or he can bring disaster and judgment on nations (as he was about to do to Babylon through Cyrus).