Isaiah 55
New Living Translation
Invitation to the Lord’s Salvation
55 “Is anyone thirsty?
Come and drink—
even if you have no money!
Come, take your choice of wine or milk—
it’s all free!
2 Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?
Why pay for food that does you no good?
Listen to me, and you will eat what is good.
You will enjoy the finest food.
3 “Come to me with your ears wide open.
Listen, and you will find life.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you.
I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.
4 See how I used him to display my power among the peoples.
I made him a leader among the nations.
5 You also will command nations you do not know,
and peoples unknown to you will come running to obey,
because I, the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, have made you glorious.”
6 Seek the Lord while you can find him.
Call on him now while he is near.
7 Let the wicked change their ways
and banish the very thought of doing wrong.
Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them.
Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.
8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
10 “The rain and snow come down from the heavens
and stay on the ground to water the earth.
They cause the grain to grow,
producing seed for the farmer
and bread for the hungry.
11 It is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
12 You will live in joy and peace.
The mountains and hills will burst into song,
and the trees of the field will clap their hands!
13 Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow.
Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up.
These events will bring great honor to the Lord’s name;
they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.”
Isaiah 55
Expanded Bible
God Gives What Is Good
55 The Lord says, “All you who are thirsty,
come ·and drink [L to the waters; John 7:37].
Those of you who do not have money,
come, buy and eat [Prov. 9:5]!
Come buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
2 Why spend your money on something that is not ·real food [bread]?
Why work for something that doesn’t really satisfy you?
Listen closely to me, and you will eat what is good;
your soul will ·enjoy [delight in] the ·rich food that satisfies [L fat].
3 Come to me and ·listen [extend your ear];
listen to me so you may live.
I will make an ·agreement with you that will last forever [everlasting covenant/treaty with you].
I will give you the ·blessings [covenant love; loyalty; lovingkindness; T sure mercies] I promised to David [2 Sam. 7:11–14; Ps. 89:33–35; Acts 13:34].
4 [L Look; T Behold] I made David a witness ·of my power for all [L to the] nations,
a ruler and commander of many nations.
5 [L Look; T Behold] You will call for nations that you don’t yet know.
And these nations that do not know you will run to you
because of the Lord your God,
because of the Holy One of Israel [1:4] who ·honors [has glorified] you.”
6 ·So you should look for [L Seek] the Lord ·before it is too late [while he may be found];
you should call to him while he is near.
7 The wicked should ·stop doing wrong [abandon/forsake their ways],
and ·they [L the unrighteous person] should stop their evil thoughts.
They should return to the Lord so he may have ·mercy [compassion] on them.
They should come to our God, because he will freely forgive them [Deut. 4:25–31; 30:1–10; 1 Kin. 8:46–53].
8 The Lord says, “My thoughts are not like your thoughts.
Your ways are not like my ways.
9 Just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts [Ps. 103:11].
10 Rain and snow fall from the sky
and don’t return without watering the ground.
They cause the plants to sprout and grow,
making seeds for the ·farmer [sower]
and bread for the ·people [L eater].
11 The same thing is true of the words ·I speak [L that go out of my mouth].
They will not return to me empty.
They ·make the things happen that I want to happen [accomplish what I desire/purpose],
and they succeed in doing what I send them to do.
12 “So you will go out with joy [C returning from the Babylonian exile]
and be led out in peace.
The mountains and hills will burst into song before you,
and all the trees in the fields will clap their hands [C the earth rejoices at God’s restoration of creation].
13 ·Large cypress [or Juniper; Evergreen] trees will grow where thornbushes were.
Myrtle trees will grow where ·weeds [briers] were.
These things will be ·a reminder of the Lord’s promise [or for the Lord’s honor/renown; L to the Lord for a name],
·and this reminder will never be destroyed [L for an eternal sign that will not be cut off].”
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.