Isaiah 41:21-26

The Lord Challenges the Pagan Gods

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

“Produce your evidence,” ¹  says Jacob’s king. ² 

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

Tell us about your earlier predictive oracles, ³ 

so we may examine them ⁴  and see how they were fulfilled. ⁵ 

Or decree for us some future events!

41:23 Predict how future events will turn out, ⁶ 

so we might know you are gods.

Yes, do something good or bad,

so we might be frightened and in awe. ⁷ 

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

the one who chooses to worship you is disgusting. ⁸ 

41:25 I have stirred up one out of the north ⁹  and he advances,

one from the eastern horizon who prays in my name. ¹⁰ 

He steps on ¹¹  rulers as if they were clay,

like a potter treading the clay.

41:26 Who decreed this from the beginning, so we could know?

Who announced it ¹²  ahead of time, so we could say, ‘He’s correct’?

Indeed, none of them decreed it!

Indeed, none of them announced it!

Indeed, no one heard you say anything!

[41:21]  ¹ tn Heb “strong [words],” see HALOT 870 s.v. *עֲצֻמוֹת.

[41:21]  ² sn Apparently this challenge is addressed to the pagan idol gods, see vv. 23-24.

[41:22]  ³ tn Heb “As for the former things, tell us what they are!”

[41:22]  ⁴ tn Heb “so we might set [them to] our heart.”

[41:22]  ⁵ tn Heb “and might know their outcome.”

[41:23]  ⁶ tn Heb “Declare the coming things, with respect to the end.”

[41:23]  ⁷ tc The translation assumes the Qere (וְנִרְאֶה [vÿnir’eh], from יָרֵא [yare’], “be afraid”).

[41:24]  ⁸ tn Heb “an object of disgust [is he who] chooses you.”

[41:25]  ⁹ sn That is, Cyrus the Persian. See the note at v. 2.

[41:25]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “[one] from the rising of the sun [who] calls in my name.”

[41:25]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew text has וְיָבֹא (vÿyavo’, “and he comes”), but this is likely a corruption of an original וַיָּבָס (vayyavas), from בּוּס (bus, “step on”).

[41:26]  ¹² tn The words “who announced it” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The interrogative particle and verb are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).