<p class="poetry">who commissions<n id="1" /> Cyrus, the one I appointed as shepherd<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">to carry out all my wishes<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">and to decree concerning Jerusalem, &#8216;She will be rebuilt,&#8217;p> <p class="poetry">and concerning the temple, &#8216;It will be reconstructed.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">I commission you<n id="1" /> as my spokesman;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">I cover you with the palm of my hand,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">to establish<n id="4" /> the sky and to found the earth,p> <p class="poetry">to say to Zion, &#8216;You are my people.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="5" />p>

He wrote letters mocking the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel and insulting him with these words:<n id="1" /> &#8220;The gods of the surrounding nations could not rescue their people from my power. Neither can Hezekiah&#8217;s god rescue his people from my power.&#8221;<n id="2" />