Isaiah 41:17-29

New Living Translation

¹⁷“When the poor and needy search for water and there is none,
    and their tongues are parched from thirst,
then I, the Lord, will answer them.
    I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them.
¹⁸I will open up rivers for them on the high plateaus.
    I will give them fountains of water in the valleys.
I will fill the desert with pools of water.
    Rivers fed by springs will flow across the parched ground.
¹⁹I will plant trees in the barren desert—
    cedar, acacia, myrtle, olive, cypress, fir, and pine.
²⁰I am doing this so all who see this miracle
    will understand what it means—
that it is the Lord who has done this,
    the Holy One of Israel who created it.

²¹“Present the case for your idols,”
    says the Lord.
“Let them show what they can do,”
    says the King of Israel.^[a]
²²“Let them try to tell us what happened long ago
    so that we may consider the evidence.
Or let them tell us what the future holds,
    so we can know what’s going to happen.
²³Yes, tell us what will occur in the days ahead.
    Then we will know you are gods.
In fact, do anything—good or bad!
    Do something that will amaze and frighten us.
²⁴But no! You are less than nothing and can do nothing at all.
    Those who choose you pollute themselves.

²⁵“But I have stirred up a leader who will approach from the north.
From the east he will call on my name.
I will give him victory over kings and princes.
He will trample them as a potter treads on clay.

²⁶“Who told you from the beginning
    that this would happen?
Who predicted this,
    making you admit that he was right?
    No one said a word!
²⁷I was the first to tell Zion,
    ‘Look! Help is on the way!’^[b]
    I will send Jerusalem a messenger with good news.
²⁸Not one of your idols told you this.
    Not one gave any answer when I asked.
²⁹See, they are all foolish, worthless things.
    All your idols are as empty as the wind.