(A)Seek the Lord while He may be found;
(B)Call upon Him while He is near.
(C)Let the wicked abandon his way,
And the unrighteous person his (D)thoughts;
And let him (E)return to the Lord,
And He will have (F)compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will (G)abundantly pardon.
“For My thoughts are not (H)your thoughts,
Nor are (I)your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
“For (J)as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the (K)rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it produce and sprout,
And providing (L)seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11 So will My (M)word be which goes out of My mouth;
It will (N)not return to Me empty,
Without (O)accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it.
12 For you will go out with (P)joy
And be led in (Q)peace;
The (R)mountains and the hills will break into shouts of joy before you,
And all the (S)trees of the field will clap their hands.
13 Instead of the (T)thorn bush, the (U)juniper will come up,
And instead of the (V)stinging nettle, the myrtle will come up;
And [a]it will be a [b](W)memorial to the Lord,
An everlasting (X)sign which (Y)will not be eliminated.”

Rewards for Obedience to God

56 This is what the Lord says:
(Z)Guard justice and do righteousness,
For My (AA)salvation is about to come
And My righteousness to be revealed.
(AB)Blessed is a man who does this,
And a son of man who (AC)takes hold of it;
Who (AD)keeps from profaning the Sabbath,
And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
Let not the (AE)foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
“The Lord will certainly separate me from His people.”
Nor let the (AF)eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.”
For this is what the Lord says:
“To the eunuchs who (AG)keep My Sabbaths,
And choose what pleases Me,
And (AH)hold firmly to My covenant,
To them I will give in My (AI)house and within My (AJ)walls a memorial,
And a name better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give [c]them an everlasting (AK)name which (AL)will not be eliminated.

“Also the (AM)foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
To attend to His service and to love the name of the Lord,
To be His servants, every one who (AN)keeps the Sabbath so as not to profane it,
And holds firmly to My covenant;
Even (AO)those I will bring to My (AP)holy mountain,
And (AQ)make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on (AR)My altar;
For (AS)My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”
The Lord [d]God, who (AT)gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares,
“I will yet gather (AU)others to [e]them, to those already gathered.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 55:13 I.e., the transformation of the desert
  2. Isaiah 55:13 Lit name
  3. Isaiah 56:5 As in DSS; MT him
  4. Isaiah 56:8 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  5. Isaiah 56:8 Lit him

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