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 itand will blossom with freedom and justice.I, the Lord, will make this happen.”
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 childrenor to tell me what I ought to do!
12 I am the one who made the earthand 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 actionto 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.