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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!
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.

“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.
See how I used him to display my power among the peoples.
    I made him a leader among the nations.
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.”

Seek the Lord while you can find him.
    Call on him now while he is near.
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.

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
    “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
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.”

God Gives “Food” That Really Satisfies

55 “All you people who are thirsty, come!
    Here is water for you to drink.
Don’t worry if you have no money.
    Come, eat and drink until you are full!
You don’t need money.
    The milk and wine are free.
Why waste your money on something that is not real food?
    Why should you work for something that does not really satisfy you?
Listen closely to me and you will eat what is good.
    You will enjoy the food that satisfies your soul.
Listen closely to what I say.
    Listen to me so that you will live.
I will make an agreement with you that will last forever.
    It will be an agreement you can trust, like the one I made with David—
    a promise to love him and be loyal to him forever.
I made David a witness of my power for all nations.
    I promised him that he would become a ruler and commander of many nations.”

There are nations in places you don’t know,
    but you will call for them to come.
They don’t know you,
    but they will run to you.
This will happen because the Lord, your God, wants it.
    It will happen because the Holy One of Israel honors you.
So you should look for the Lord
    before it is too late.
You should call to him now,
    while he is near.
Evil people should stop living evil lives.
    They should stop thinking bad thoughts.
They should come to the Lord again,
    and he will comfort them.
They should come to our God
    because he will freely forgive them.

People Cannot Understand God

The Lord says, “My thoughts are not like yours.
    Your ways are not like mine.
Just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so my ways are higher than your ways,
    and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.

10 “Rain and snow fall from the sky
    and don’t return until they have watered the ground.
Then the ground causes the plants to sprout and grow,
    and they produce seeds for the farmer and food for people to eat.
11 In the same way, my words leave my mouth,
    and they don’t come back without results.
My words make the things happen that I want to happen.
    They succeed in doing what I send them to do.

12 “So you will go out from there with joy.
    You will be led out in peace.
When you come to the mountains and hills, they will begin singing.
    All the trees in the fields will clap their hands.
13 Large cypress trees will grow where there were thornbushes.
    Myrtle trees will grow where there were weeds.
All this will happen to make the Lord known,
    to be a permanent reminder of his goodness and power.”