Isaiah 55

Modern

Literal

Invitation to the Needy

¹“Come, all you who are thirsty,

come to the waters;

and you without money,

come, buy, and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without cost!

¹“Come, everyone who is thirsty—come to the waters; and who is without silver unto him—let them come, buy, and let them come and eat, and buy without silver and without price, wine and milk.

²Why spend money on that which is not bread,

and your labor on that which does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,

and your soul will delight in the richest of foods.

²Why do you weigh out silver for what is not bread, and your wages for what is not satisfaction? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight in the richness.

³Incline your ear and come to Me;

listen, so that your soul may live.

I will make with you an everlasting covenant—

My loving devotion promised to David.^a

³Incline your ear and come to Me! Listen, that your soul with you may live; and I will make a covenant forever, the loving devotion promised to David.

⁴Behold, I have made him a witness to the nations,

a leader and commander of the peoples.

⁴Behold, as a witness to the nations I have placed him, a leader and commander of the peoples.

⁵Surely you will summon a nation you do not know,

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

For the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel,

has bestowed glory on you.”

⁵Behold, you will call on a nation you do not know, and a nation you do not know will run to you, on account of YHWH your God and the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you.”

⁶Seek the LORD while He may be found;

call on Him while He is near.

⁶Seek YHWH while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.

⁷Let the wicked man forsake his way

and the unrighteous man his thoughts;

let him return to the LORD,

that He may have compassion,

and to our God,

for He will freely pardon.

⁷Let the wicked one forsake his way, and the man of iniquity his thoughts; and let him return to YHWH, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

⁸“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways My ways,”

declares the LORD.

⁸“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways,” a declaration of YHWH.

⁹“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so My ways are higher than your ways

and My thoughts than your thoughts.

⁹“For the heavens are higher than the earth; 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 without watering the earth,

making it bud and sprout,

and providing seed to sow and food to eat,

¹⁰For as the rain comes down—and the snow—from the heavens, and from there it does not return until it has quenched the earth and made it bring forth and sprout, that it may give seed to the one sowing and bread to the one eating,

¹¹so My word that proceeds from My mouth

will not return to Me empty,

but it will accomplish what I please,

and it will prosper where I send it.

¹¹so is My word that goes forth from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty until it has done that which I delight, and it will prosper for that which I send it.

¹²You will indeed go out with joy

and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,

and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

¹²For with joy you will go forth, and with peace you will be led; the mountains and the hills will break forth before you with singing, and all the trees of the field will clap the hand.

¹³Instead of the thornbush, the cypress^a will grow,

and instead of the brier, the myrtle will spring up;

this will make a name for the LORD,

an everlasting sign, never to be destroyed.”

¹³In place of the thornbush the cypress, will come up, and in place of the nettles the myrtle tree will come up; and it will be for YHWH as a name, as a sign forever that will not be cut off.”