Invitation to True Rewards
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 that[c] your soul may live,
and I will make[d] an everlasting covenant with[e] you,
the enduring proofs of the mercies shown to[f] David.
4 Look! I made[g] 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, that[j] 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 accomplish[o] 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.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 55:2 Literally “what is not for satiation”
- Isaiah 55:2 Literally “fatty”
- Isaiah 55:3 Or “and”
- Isaiah 55:3 Literally “cut”
- Isaiah 55:3 or “for”
- Isaiah 55:3 Literally “mercy of”
- Isaiah 55:4 Or “gave”
- Isaiah 55:6 Literally “in his letting himself be found”
- Isaiah 55:6 Literally “in his being”
- Isaiah 55:7 Or “and”
- Isaiah 55:7 Literally “make numerous to”
- Isaiah 55:8 Literally “declaration of”
- Isaiah 55:9 Literally “high”
- Isaiah 55:9 Literally “high”
- Isaiah 55:11 Or “do”
- Isaiah 55:12 Hebrew “hand”