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”
Isaiah 55
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Come to the Lord
55 “Come, everyone who is thirsty,(A)
come to the waters;
and you without money,
come, buy, and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost!
2 Why do you spend money on what is not food,
and your wages on what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
and you will enjoy the choicest of foods.[a]
3 Pay attention and come to Me;
listen, so that you will live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,(B)
the promises assured to David.(C)
4 Since I have made him a witness to the peoples,(D)
a leader and commander for the peoples,(E)
5 so you will summon a nation you do not know,(F)
and nations who do not know you will run to you.(G)
For the Lord your God,
even the Holy One of Israel,(H)
has glorified you.”(I)
6 Seek the Lord while He may be found;
call to Him while He is near.(J)
7 Let the wicked one abandon his way
and the sinful one his thoughts;(K)
let him return to the Lord,
so He may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for He will freely forgive.(L)
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
and your ways are not My ways.”
This is the Lord’s declaration.
9 “For as heaven is higher than earth,(M)
so My ways are higher than your ways,
and My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For just as rain and snow fall from heaven
and do not return there
without saturating the earth
and making it germinate and sprout,
and providing seed to sow
and food to eat,(N)
11 so My word that comes from My mouth
will not return to Me empty,
but it will accomplish what I please
and will prosper in what I send it to do.”(O)
12 You will indeed go out with joy
and be peacefully guided;
the mountains and the hills will break into singing before you,
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.(P)
13 Instead of the thornbush, a cypress will come up,
and instead of the brier, a myrtle will come up;(Q)
it will make a name for Yahweh(R)
as an everlasting sign that will not be destroyed.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 55:2 Lit enjoy fatness
Yeshayah 55
Orthodox Jewish Bible
55 Come, kol tzameh (all ye who are thirsty), come ye to the mayim and he that hath no kesef; come ye, buy, and eat; yes, come, buy yayin and cholov without kesef and without mekhir (price, cost).
2 Why do ye spend kesef for that which is not lechem? And your labor for that which satisfieth not? Pay heed diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is tov, and let your nefesh delight itself in deshen (the best food, the fat of the land).
3 Incline your ozen, and come unto Me; hear, and your nefesh shall live; and I will make with you a Brit Olam, even the chasdei Dovid hane’emanim [see Ac 13:34 OJBC].
4 See, I have given him [Moshiach, Ac 13:34 OJAC] for an ed l’ummim (witness to the Nations), a Nagid and Metzavveh (commander) for the Nations.
5 Behold, thou shalt summon a Goy (People) that thou knowest not, and Goy that knew not thee shall run unto thee l’ma’an (for the sake of) Hashem Eloheicha and for Kadosh Yisroel; for He hath glorified thee.
6 Seek ye Hashem while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is karov (near);
7 Let the rasha forsake his derech, and the ish aven his machshevot; and let him return unto Hashem, and He will have rachamim upon him; and to Eloheinu, for He will abundantly pardon.
8 For My machshevot are not your machshevot, neither are the darkhei (ways) of you the darkhei of Me, saith Hashem.
9 For as Shomayim is higher than ha’aretz, so are the darkhei of Me higher than the darkhei of you, and My machshevot than your machshevot.
10 For as the geshem cometh down, and the sheleg (snow) from Shomayim, and returneth not to there, but watereth ha’aretz, and maketh it yield forth v’hitzmicha (and sprout, spring up; Tzemach), that it may give zera to the zore’a (sower), and lechem to the eater;
11 So shall My Davar (the Word of Hashem) be that goeth forth out of My mouth; He shall not return unto Me reikam (empty, void) but He [the Davar Hashem, see Yn 1:1,14] shall do that which I please, and He [the Davar Hashem] shall accomplish the purpose whereto I sent Him.
12 For ye shall go out with simcha, and be led back with shalom; the harim and the geva’ot (hills) shall break forth into singing before you, and kol atzei hasadeh shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thornbush shall come up the cypress, and instead of the sirpad (nettle, prickly herb) shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to Hashem for a Shem, for an ot olam lo yikaret (everlasting sign that shall not be cut off). [See Daniel 9:26]
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