41:17 The 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; 1
I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.
41:18 I 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.
41:19 I will make cedars, acacias, myrtles, and olive trees grow in the wilderness;
I will make evergreens, firs, and cypresses grow together in the desert.
41:20 I will do this so 2 people 3 will observe and recognize,
so they will pay attention and understand
that the Lord’s power 4 has accomplished this,
and that the Holy One of Israel has brought it into being.” 5
41:21 “Present your argument,” says the Lord.
“Produce your evidence,” 6 says Jacob’s king. 7
41:22 “Let them produce evidence! Let them tell us what will happen!
Tell us about your earlier predictive oracles, 8
so we may examine them 9 and see how they were fulfilled. 10
Or decree for us some future events!
41:23 Predict how future events will turn out, 11
so we might know you are gods.
Yes, do something good or bad,
so we might be frightened and in awe. 12