Yesaya 41:21-23

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 

Yesaya 41:26

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

Who announced it ⁸  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!

Yesaya 42:9

42:9 Look, my earlier predictive oracles have come to pass; ⁹ 

now I announce new events.

Before they begin to occur,

I reveal them to you.” ¹⁰ 

Yesaya 42:23

42:23 Who among you will pay attention to this?

Who will listen attentively in the future? ¹¹ 

Yesaya 43:9

43:9 All nations gather together,

the peoples assemble.

Who among them announced this?

Who predicted earlier events for us? ¹² 

Let them produce their witnesses to testify they were right;

let them listen and affirm, ‘It is true.’

Yesaya 43:12

43:12 I decreed and delivered and proclaimed,

and there was no other god among you.

You are my witnesses,” says the Lord, “that I am God.

[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”).

[41:23]  tn Heb “so we might be frightened and afraid together.” On the meaning of the verb שָׁתָע (shata’), see the note at v. 10.

[41:26]  ⁸ 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).

[42:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “the former things, look, they have come.”

[42:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “before they sprout up, I cause you to hear.” The pronoun “you” is plural, referring to the people of Israel. In this verse “the former things” are the Lord’s earlier predictive oracles which have come to pass, while “the new things” are predicted events that have not yet begun to take place. “The former things” are earlier events in Israel’s history which God announced beforehand, such as the Exodus (see 43:16-18). “The new things” are the predictions about the servant (42:1-7). and may also include Cyrus’ conquests (41:25-27).

[42:23]  ¹¹ tn The interrogative particle is understood in the second line by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[43:9]  ¹² tn Heb “and the former things was causing us to hear?”