Isaiah 55:1–56:8
55 “Ho! Everyone thirsty, come to the waters!
And whoever has no money, come, buy and eat,
and come, buy without money,
wine and milk without price!
2 Why do you weigh out money for what is not food,
and your labor for ⌊what cannot satisfy⌋?a
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and let your soul take pleasure in ⌊rich⌋b food.
3 Extend your ear, and come to me!
Listen so thatc your soul may live,
and I will ⌊make⌋d an everlasting covenant withe you,
the enduring proofs of ⌊the mercies shown to⌋f David.
4 Look! I madeg him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and a commander for the peoples.
5 Look! You shall call a nation that you do not know,
and a nation that does not know you shall run to you,
because of Yahweh your God,
and the holy one of Israel, for he has glorified you.”
6 Seek Yahweh ⌊while he lets himself be found⌋;h
call him ⌊while he is⌋i near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the man of sin his thoughts.
And let him return to Yahweh, thatj he may take pity on him,
and to our God, for he will ⌊forgive manifold⌋.k
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
and your ways are not my ways,”
⌊declares⌋l Yahweh.
9 “For as the heavens are ⌊higher⌋m than the earth,
so my ways are ⌊higher⌋n than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For just as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and they do not return there
except they have watered the earth thoroughly
and cause it to bring forth and sprout,
and give seed to the sower
and bread to the eater,
11 so shall be my word that goes out from my mouth.
It shall not return to me without success,
but shall accomplisho what I desire
and be successful in the thing for which I sent it.
12 For you shall go out in joy,
and you shall be led in peace.
The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you, rejoicing
and all the trees of the field shall clap hands.p
13 Instead of the thorn bush, the juniper shall go up;
instead of the brier, the myrtle shall go up,
and it shall serve as a memorial to Yahweh,
for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
56 Thus says Yahweh:
“Observe justice
and do righteousness,
for my salvation is close to coming,
and my justice to being revealed.
2 Happy is the man who does this,
and the son of humankind who keeps hold of it,
who keeps the Sabbath ⌊so as not to profane⌋a it,
and who keeps his hand from doing anyb evil.”
3 And do not let the ⌊foreigner⌋c who joins himself to Yahweh say, “Surely Yahweh will separate me from his people.”
And do not let the eunuch say, “Look! I am a dry tree!”
4 For thus says Yahweh, “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
and choose that in which I delight,
and who keep hold of my covenant.
5 And I will give them a monument and a name in my house and within my walls,
better than sons and daughters;
I will give him an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off.
6 And the ⌊foreigners⌋d who join themselves to Yahweh to serve him
and to love the name of Yahweh, to become his servants,
every one who keeps the Sabbath, ⌊so as not to profane⌋e it,
and those who keep hold of my covenant,
7 I will bring them to ⌊my holy mountain⌋;f
I will make them merry in my house of prayer.
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices ⌊will be accepted⌋g on my altar,
for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples,”
8 ⌊declares⌋h the Lord Yahweh, who gathersi the scattered ones of Israel (still I will gather toj him, to his gathered ones).