Isaiah 41:17–24

¹⁷“The poor and needy are looking for water, but there is none. 

Their tongues are parched with thirst. 

I, the Lord, will answer them. 

I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them. 

¹⁸I will make rivers flow on bare hilltops. 

I will make springs flow through valleys. 

I will turn deserts into lakes. 

I will turn dry land into springs. 

¹⁹I will plant cedar, acacia, myrtle, and wild olive trees in the desert. 

I will place cedar, fir, and cypress trees together in the wilderness. 

²⁰People will see and know. 

Together they will consider and understand 

that the Lord’s power has done this, 

that the Holy One of Israel has created it. 

²¹“Present your case,” says the Lord. 

“Bring forward your best arguments,” says Jacob’s king. 

²²“Bring ⸤your idols⸥ so they can tell us what’s going to happen. 

Explain past events that your idols told you about 

so that we may consider them 

and know what their outcome will be. 

Tell us about future events. 

²³Tell us what’s going to happen 

so that we may know that you are gods. 

Yes, do something, good or evil, 

to intimidate us and make us afraid. 

²⁴You are nothing! 

You can’t do anything! 

Whoever chooses you is disgusting.