Isaiah 55:1–11

COME TO THE LORD

55“Come, everyone who is thirsty,^d

come to the water;

and you without silver,

come, buy, and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without silver and without cost!

²Why do you spend silver on what is not food,

and your wages on what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,

and you will enjoy the choicest of foods.^A

³Pay attention and come to me;

listen, so that you will live.

I will make a permanent covenant with you^e

on the basis of the faithful kindnesses of David.^Bf

⁴Since I have made him a witness to the peoples,^g

a leader and commander for the peoples,^h

⁵so you will summon a nation you do not know,ⁱ

and nations who do not know you will run to you.^j

For the Lord your God,

even the Holy One of Israel,^k

has glorified you.”^l

⁶Seek the Lord while he may be found;

call to him while he is near.^m

⁷Let the wicked one abandon his way

and the sinful one his thoughts;ⁿ

let him return to the Lord,

so he may have compassion on him,

and to our God, for he will freely forgive.^o

⁸“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

and your ways are not my ways.”

This is the Lord’s declaration.

⁹“For as heaven is higher than earth,^p

so my ways are higher than your ways,

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

¹⁰For just as rain and snow fall from heaven

and do not return there

without saturating the earth

and making it germinate and sprout,

and providing seed to sow

and food to eat,^q

¹¹so my word that comes from my mouth

will not return to me empty,

but it will accomplish what I please

and will prosper in what I send it to do.”^r