Isaiah 41:17–24

¹⁷“When my people in their need look for water,

when their throats are dry with thirst,

then I, the Lord, will answer their prayer;

I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them.

¹⁸I will make rivers flow among barren hills

and springs of water run in the valleys.

I will turn the desert into pools of water

and the dry land into flowing springs.

¹⁹I will make cedars grow in the desert,

and acacias and myrtles and olive trees.

Forests will grow in barren land,

forests of pine and juniper and cypress.

²⁰People will see this and know

that I, the Lord, have done it.

They will come to understand

that Israel’s holy God has made it happen.”

The ’s Challenge to False Gods

²¹The Lord, the king of Israel, has this to say:

“You gods of the nations, present your case.

Bring the best arguments you have!

²²Come here and predict what will happen,

so that we will know it when it takes place.

Explain to the court the events of the past,

and tell us what they mean.

²³Tell us what the future holds—

then we will know that you are gods!

Do something good or bring some disaster;

fill us with fear and awe!

²⁴You and all you do are nothing;

those who worship you are disgusting!