Isaiah 55
International Standard Version
An Invitation to Life
55 “Come, everyone who is thirsty,
come to the waters!
Also, you that have no money, come,
buy, and eat!
Come! Buy[a] wine and milk
without money and without price.
2 Why spend your money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?[b]
Listen carefully to me,
and eat what is good,
and let your soul delight itself in rich food.
3 Pay attention[c] to me,
come to me;
and[d] listen, so that you may live;
then I’ll make[e] an everlasting covenant with you,
as promised by[f] my faithful, sure love for David.
4 “Look! I have made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander of the peoples.
5 “Look! You will call a nation that you do not know,
and a nation that does[g] not know you will run[h] to you,
because of the Lord your God, even[i] the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.”
Steps to Reconciliation
6 “Seek the Lord while he[j] may be found,
call upon him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous person his thoughts.
Let him return to the Lord,
So he’ll have mercy upon him,
and to our God,
for he’ll pardon abundantly.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
9 “For just as[k] the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For just as the rain and snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there without watering the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
yielding seed for the sower and bread for eating,[l]
11 so will my message be that goes out of my mouth—
it won’t return to me empty.
Instead, it will accomplish what I desire,
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
12 “For you will go out in joy,
and come back[m] with peace;
the mountains and the hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees in[n] the fields[o] will clap their hands.
13 Instead of thornbushes, pine trees will grow,
and[p] instead of briers, myrtles will grow;
and they[q] will be a sign for the Lord,
and an everlasting name[r] that will not be cut off.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 55:1 So MT LXX; 1QIsaa skips from the first come, buy to the second come, buy, omitting the words in between
- Isaiah 55:2 Lit. what is not satisfaction; so 1QIsaa; MT reads what is not for satisfaction
- Isaiah 55:3 Lit. Turn your ear
- Isaiah 55:3 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lacks and
- Isaiah 55:3 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsac MT read then let me make
- Isaiah 55:3 1QIsaa 4QIsac MT LXX lack as promised by
- Isaiah 55:5 So 1QIsaa; MT reads a nation (pl.) that do; LXX reads nations that do
- Isaiah 55:5 So 1QIsaa (sing.); MT LXX (pl.)
- Isaiah 55:5 So 1QIsaa; MT 1QIsaa corrector read and because of
- Isaiah 55:6 So 1QIsaa 1QIsab MT LXX; implied in 4QIsac
- Isaiah 55:9 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT lacks just as
- Isaiah 55:10 So 1QIsaa; MT reads for the eater
- Isaiah 55:12 So 1QIsaa. MT reads and be led back cf. LXX
- Isaiah 55:12 Or of
- Isaiah 55:12 Or orchards
- Isaiah 55:13 So 1QIsaa MTmss; MT LXX lacks and
- Isaiah 55:13 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read it
- Isaiah 55:13 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read a name, an everlasting sign
Isaiah 55
Lexham English Bible
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”
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