Isaiah 55

Chapter 55

The Free Offer of Mercy

¹“Ho! Every one who ^athirsts, come to the waters;

And you who have ^bno ¹money come, buy and eat.

Come, buy ^cwine and milk

^dWithout money and without cost.

²“Why do you ¹spend money for what is ^anot bread,

And your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and ^beat what is good,

And ^cdelight yourself in abundance.

³“^aIncline your ear and come to Me.

Listen, that ¹you may ^blive;

And I will make ^can everlasting covenant with you,

According to the ^dfaithful mercies ²shown to David.

⁴“Behold, I have made ^ahim a witness to the peoples,

A ^bleader and commander for the peoples.

⁵“Behold, you will call a ^anation you do not know,

And a nation which knows you not will ^brun to you,

Because of the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel;

For He has ^cglorified you.”

^6aSeek the Lord while He may be found;

^bCall upon Him while He is near.

^7aLet the wicked forsake his way

And the unrighteous man his ^bthoughts;

And let him ^creturn to the Lord,

And He will have ^dcompassion on him,

And to our God,

For He will ^eabundantly pardon.

⁸“For My thoughts are not ^ayour thoughts,

Nor are ^byour ways My ways,” declares the Lord.

⁹“For ^aas the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways

And My thoughts than your thoughts.

¹⁰“For as the ^arain and the snow come down from heaven,

And do not return there without watering the earth

And making it bear and sprout,

And furnishing ^bseed to the sower and bread to the eater;

¹¹So will My ^aword be which goes forth from My mouth;

It will ^bnot return to Me empty,

Without ^caccomplishing what I desire,

And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

¹²“For you will go out with ^ajoy

And be led forth with ^bpeace;

The ^cmountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,

And all the ^dtrees of the field will clap their hands.

¹³“Instead of the ^athorn bush the ^bcypress will come up,

And instead of the ^cnettle the myrtle will come up,

And ¹it will be a ^2dmemorial to the Lord,

For an everlasting ^esign which ^fwill not be cut off.”