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The Lord Challenges the Pagan Gods

21 “Present your argument,” says the Lord.
“Produce your evidence,”[a] says Jacob’s king.[b]
22 “Let them produce evidence! Let them tell us what will happen!
Tell us about your earlier predictive oracles,[c]
so we may examine them[d] and see how they were fulfilled.[e]
Or decree for us some future events!
23 Predict how future events will turn out,[f]
so we might know you are gods.
Yes, do something good or something bad,
so we might be frightened and in awe.[g]

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 41:21 tn Heb “strong [words],” see HALOT 870 s.v. *עֲצֻמוֹת.
  2. Isaiah 41:21 sn Apparently this challenge is addressed to the pagan idol gods, see vv. 23-24.
  3. Isaiah 41:22 tn Heb “As for the former things, tell us what they are!”
  4. Isaiah 41:22 tn Heb “so we might set [them to] our heart.”
  5. Isaiah 41:22 tn Heb “and might know their outcome.”
  6. Isaiah 41:23 tn Heb “Declare the coming things, with respect to the end.”
  7. Isaiah 41:23 tc The translation assumes the Qere (וְנִרְאֶה [venirʾeh], from יָרֵא [yareʾ], “be afraid”).tn Heb “so we might be frightened and afraid together.” On the meaning of the verb שָׁתָע (shataʿ), see the note at v. 10.