Isaiah 55

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

An Invitation to Abundant Life

55 Hear, everyone who thirsts;
    come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price.^(A)
²Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread
    and your earnings for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
    and delight yourselves in rich food.^(B)
³Incline your ear, and come to me;
    listen, so that you may live.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
    my steadfast, sure love for David.^(C)
⁴See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
    a leader and commander for the peoples.^(D)
⁵Now you shall call nations that you do not know,
    and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,
    for he has glorified you.^(E)

⁶Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call upon him while he is near;^(F)
⁷let the wicked forsake their way
    and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,
    and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.^(G)
⁸For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
⁹For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.^(H)

¹⁰For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
    and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,^(I)
¹¹so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose
    and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.^(J)

¹²For you shall go out in joy
    and be led back in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
    shall burst into song,
    and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.^(K)
¹³Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
    instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle,
and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial,
    for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.^(L)

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.
²Why 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.
³Pay 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.
⁷Let 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.
⁸For 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]
¹¹so 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.
¹³Instead 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; 1QIsa^a 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 1QIsa^a; MT reads what is not for satisfaction
Isaiah 55:3 Lit. Turn your ear
Isaiah 55:3 So 1QIsa^a; MT LXX lacks and
Isaiah 55:3 So 1QIsa^a; 4QIsa^c MT read then let me make
Isaiah 55:3 1QIsa^a 4QIsa^c MT LXX lack as promised by
Isaiah 55:5 So 1QIsa^a; MT reads a nation (pl.) that do; LXX reads nations that do
Isaiah 55:5 So 1QIsa^a (sing.); MT LXX (pl.)
Isaiah 55:5 So 1QIsa^a; MT 1QIsa^a corrector read and because of
Isaiah 55:6 So 1QIsa^a 1QIsa^b MT LXX; implied in 4QIsa^c
Isaiah 55:9 So 1QIsa^a LXX; MT lacks just as
Isaiah 55:10 So 1QIsa^a; MT reads for the eater
Isaiah 55:12 So 1QIsa^a. MT reads and be led back cf. LXX
Isaiah 55:12 Or of
Isaiah 55:12 Or orchards
Isaiah 55:13 So 1QIsa^a MT^mss; MT LXX lacks and
Isaiah 55:13 So 1QIsa^a; MT LXX read it
Isaiah 55:13 So 1QIsa^a; MT LXX read a name, an everlasting sign

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

International Standard Version (ISV)

Isaiah 55 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition