Isaiah 41:1

The Lord Challenges the Nations

41:1 “Listen to me in silence, you coastlands! ¹ 

Let the nations find renewed strength!

Let them approach and then speak;

let us come together for debate! ² 

Isaiah 41:21-23

The Lord Challenges the Pagan Gods

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

“Produce your evidence,” ³  says Jacob’s king. ⁴ 

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

Tell us about your earlier predictive oracles, ⁵ 

so we may examine them ⁶  and see how they were fulfilled. ⁷ 

Or decree for us some future events!

41:23 Predict how future events will turn out, ⁸ 

so we might know you are gods.

Yes, do something good or bad,

so we might be frightened and in awe. ⁹ 

[41:1]  ¹ tn Or “islands” (KJV, NIV, CEV); TEV “distant lands”; NLT “lands beyond the sea.”

[41:1]  ² tn The Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) could be translated “judgment,” but here it seems to refer to the dispute or debate between the Lord and the nations.

[41:21]  ³ tn Heb “strong [words],” see HALOT 870 s.v. *עֲצֻמוֹת.

[41:21]  ⁴ sn Apparently this challenge is addressed to the pagan idol gods, see vv. 23-24.

[41:22]  ⁵ tn Heb “As for the former things, tell us what they are!”

[41:22]  ⁶ tn Heb “so we might set [them to] our heart.”

[41:22]  ⁷ tn Heb “and might know their outcome.”

[41:23]  ⁸ tn Heb “Declare the coming things, with respect to the end.”

[41:23]  ⁹ tc The translation assumes the Qere (וְנִרְאֶה [vÿnir’eh], from יָרֵא [yare’], “be afraid”).