Isaiah 41:21-29

21The Lord, Israel's King, says, ‘Come and show me what you can do! Tell me clearly what power you have!

22Bring your idols into court. Let them tell us what will happen in future years. Let them tell us what happened in the past. Then we can think about those things. We will understand what happened in the end. Or ask them to tell us about future events!

23If they can tell us what will happen in future years, we will know that they really are gods. Tell them to do something, a good thing or a bad thing. That would really surprise us, or even frighten us!

24But no! Your idols are useless. There is nothing that they can do. Anybody who chooses to worship them has turned against God!

25I have woken up a ruler, who is coming with his army from the north. He comes from a land in the east, where the sun rises, and he will use my name to call to me. He will walk over rulers of other nations as if they are mud. He will push them down with his feet, like a potter who prepares his clay.

26Tell me, who decided in the beginning, that all these things must happen? Who told us about them before they happened? Then we could say, “He was right!” None of your idols said anything about it! Nobody heard them say a word!

27I, the Lord, was the first person to tell the good news to Zion. I sent someone to Jerusalem to say, “Look, they have arrived!”

28I looked among your idols, to see who might be a good advisor. But none of them could help. None of them could answer my questions.

29Look! All the idols are useless. They can do nothing. Their images are as weak as a breath of wind.’