Cyrus, My Shepherd

Big big gates wey dem make with bronze. Iron bars wey thick reach man arm. One city wey everybody think say nobody fit ever conquer. And one voice wey talk say: I go break di gates of bronze into pieces. And I go tell you di name of di man wey I go send.

God people dey exile for Babylon. Dem city, Jerusalem, don turn ruin. Babylon na di biggest power for dat time, with walls wey wide reach say chariot fit drive for top. Im people dey bow down to statues of gold and silver. For di people wey dey exile, to go back house be like something wey no fit happen. Who go fit defeat Babylon? But for di book of Isaiah, God talk to dese people about wetin go happen for front, and e do something wey surprise everybody. E no just promise say e go rescue dem. E call di name of di person wey go rescue dem. And dat person no be Israelite at all. Na one Persian king wey dem dey call Cyrus.

God first remind im people who e be. Na me be Di Lord wey make all tins; na me alone spread di heavens; na me by myself spread di earth comot. I make everything, God talk. I make di sky, nobody help me. Na me dey make di fortune-tellers of Babylon look like fools, and na me dey make di words of my own messengers come true. I talk to Jerusalem say, people go live inside you again. I talk to di towns of Judah say, dem go build you again. I talk to di deep waters say, make una dry. And then: Na me talk about Cyrus say, Na im be my shepherd, and e go do everything wey I want; e go even talk to Jerusalem say, Dem go build you; and to di temple say, Dem go lay your foundation.

Now God talk to Cyrus straight, like say di king dey stand there. Na wetin Di Lord talk to di one wey e anoint, to Cyrus, wey I don hold im right hand, to make nations bow for im front. I don hold your right hand, God talk. I go open doors for your front, and dem no go shut di city gates. I go waka for your front, and I go make di crooked places straight; I go break di gates of bronze into pieces, and I go cut di iron bars into two. I go give you treasure wey hide for darkness, riches wey dem keep for secret place. Why? So dat you go know say na me be Di Lord, di God of Israel, wey dey call you by your name.

Then God explain di reason for everything. Because of Jacob my servant, and Israel wey I choose, I don call you by your name. I don give you title of honour, even though you no know me. Cyrus no go be person wey dey worship di God of Israel. E go be king from another nation wey get im own plans. But God go still use am, for di good of im people. And then God talk one of di strongest tins for di whole Bible about imself. Na me be Di Lord, and no other one dey; apart from me, no God dey. From where sun dey rise reach where e dey set, everybody go know say no other one dey. I dey form light and I dey create darkness. I dey make peace and I dey create disaster. Me, Di Lord, na me dey do all dese tins. Kings dey rise and dem dey fall. Empires dey come and dem dey go. But di one true God na im dey control history.

Cyrus di Great of Persia really capture Babylon, for five hundred and thirty-nine years before Christ. Not long after, e give order, wey dem write for di book of Ezra, say make di Jews go back and build di temple for Jerusalem again. One clay cylinder from di time wey Cyrus dey rule, wey dey di British Museum now, talk how e conquer Babylon. E talk say e gather di peoples and return dem to dem homes, and e repair dem holy places. Dem dey call am di Cyrus Cylinder.

You go find dis prophecy for Isaiah chapter forty-four, verse twenty-four, reach chapter forty-five, verse seven. King from another nation, wey God call by name, to set God people free. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. If na God dey control even kings and empires, which worry you fit trust am with today?