Isaiah 41:17–24

^41:17The oppressed and the poor look for water, but there is none;

their tongues are parched from thirst.

I, the Lord, will respond to their prayers;³⁴

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

^41:18I will make streams flow down the slopes

and produce springs in the middle of the valleys.

I will turn the desert into a pool of water

and the arid land into springs.

^41:19I will make cedars, acacias, myrtles, and olive trees grow in the wilderness;

I will make evergreens, firs, and cypresses grow together in the desert.

^41:20I will do this so³⁵ people³⁶ will observe and recognize,

so they will pay attention and understand

that the Lord’s power³⁷ has accomplished this,

and that the Holy One of Israel has brought it into being.”³⁸

The Lord Challenges the Pagan Gods

^41:21“Present your argument,” says the Lord.

“Produce your evidence,”³⁹ says Jacob’s king.⁴⁰

^41:22“Let them produce evidence! Let them tell us what will happen!

Tell us about your earlier predictive oracles,⁴¹

so we may examine them⁴² and see how they were fulfilled.⁴³

Or decree for us some future events!

^41:23Predict how future events will turn out,⁴⁴

so we might know you are gods.

Yes, do something good or bad,

so we might be frightened and in awe.⁴⁵

^41:24Look, you are nothing, and your accomplishments are nonexistent;

the one who chooses to worship you is disgusting.⁴⁶