1‘Come, all you who are thirsty. Come and drink the water I offer to you. You who do not have any money, come. Buy and eat the corn I give you. Come and buy wine and milk. You will not have to pay anything for it.2Why spend money on what is not food? Why work for what does not satisfy you? Listen carefully to me. Then you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the richest food there is.3Listen and come to me. Pay attention to me. Then you will live. I will make a covenant with you that will last for ever. I will give you my faithful love. I promised it to David.4I made him a witness to the nations. He became a ruler and commander over them.5You too will send for nations you do not know. Even though you do not know them, they will come running to you. That is what I will do. I am the LORD your God. I am the Holy One of Israel. I have honoured you.’6Turn to the LORD before it’s too late. Call out to him while he’s still ready to help you.7Let those who are evil stop doing evil things. And let them quit thinking evil thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD. The LORD will show them his tender love. Let them turn to our God. He is always ready to forgive.8‘My thoughts are not like your thoughts. And your ways are not like my ways,’ announces the LORD.9‘The heavens are higher than the earth. And my ways are higher than your ways. My thoughts are higher than your thoughts.10The rain and the snow come down from the sky. They do not return to it without watering the earth. They make plants come up and grow. The plants produce seeds for farmers. They also produce food for people to eat.11The words I speak are like that. They will not return to me without producing results. They will accomplish what I want them to. They will do exactly what I sent them to do.12‘My people, you will go out of Babylon with joy. You will be led out of it in peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song as you go. And all the trees in the fields will clap their hands.13Juniper trees will grow where there used to be bushes that had thorns on them. And myrtle trees will grow where there used to be thorns. That will bring me great fame. It will be a lasting reminder of what I can do. It will stand for ever.’
Isaiah 55
English Standard Version
The Compassion of the Lord
1“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. (Pr 9:5; Isa 44:3; Mt 5:6; Joh 7:37)2Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. (Joh 6:27)3Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. (Ps 89:33; Pr 4:4; Isa 54:8; Isa 59:21; Isa 61:8; Jer 30:9; Jer 32:40; Eze 37:26; Ac 13:34)4Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. (Ps 18:43; Isa 9:6; Da 9:25; Mic 5:2; Ac 5:31; Re 17:14; Re 19:16)5Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. (Isa 44:23; Isa 55:4; Zec 8:22; Ac 3:13)6“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; (Ps 32:6; Am 5:4)7let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Ps 103:11)10“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, (Ps 148:8; 2Co 9:10)11so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (Isa 40:8)12“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. (Ps 98:8; Isa 35:10; Isa 44:23; Isa 48:20; Isa 52:12)13Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the Lord, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” (Isa 35:1; Isa 41:19)