^6 (A)“Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call upon him while he is near;
⁷ let 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.
⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
^9 (B)For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

^10 (C)“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,
    ^(D)giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
¹¹ so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but ^(E)it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

^12 (F)“For you shall go out in joy
    and be led forth in peace;
^(G)the mountains and the hills before you
    shall break forth into singing,
    and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
^13 (H)Instead 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.”