Isaiah 55:1–13

Invitation to the Thirsty

55“Come, all you who are thirsty,ⁱ

come to the waters;^j

and you who have no money,

come, buy^k and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk^l

without money and without cost.^m

²Why spend money on what is not bread,

and your labor on what does not satisfy?ⁿ

Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,^o

and you will delight in the richest^p of fare.

³Give ear and come to me;

listen,^q that you may live.^r

I will make an everlasting covenant^s with you,

my faithful love^t promised to David.^u

⁴See, I have made him a witness^v to the peoples,

a ruler and commander^w of the peoples.

⁵Surely you will summon nations^x you know not,

and nations you do not know will come running to you,^y

because of the Lord your God,

the Holy One^z of Israel,

for he has endowed you with splendor.”^a

⁶Seek^b the Lord while he may be found;^c

call^d on him while he is near.

⁷Let the wicked forsake^e their ways

and the unrighteous their thoughts.^f

Let them turn^g to the Lord, and he will have mercy^h on them,

and to our God, for he will freely pardon.ⁱ

⁸“For my thoughts^j are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,”^k

declares the Lord.

⁹“As the heavens are higher than the earth,^l

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.^m

¹⁰As the rainⁿ and the snow

come down from heaven,

and do not return to it

without watering the earth

and making it bud and flourish,^o

so that it yields seed^p for the sower and bread for the eater,^q

¹¹so is my word^r that goes out from my mouth:

It will not return to me empty,^s

but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose^t for which I sent it.

¹²You will go out in joy^u

and be led forth in peace;^v

the mountains and hills

will burst into song^w before you,

and all the trees^x of the field

will clap their hands.^y

¹³Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,

and instead of briers^z the myrtle^a will grow.

This will be for the Lord’s renown,^b

for an everlasting sign,

that will endure forever.”