The Free Offer of Mercy

55 [a]You there! Everyone who (A)thirsts, come to the waters;
And you who have (B)no [b]money come, buy and eat.
Come, buy (C)wine and milk
(D)Without money and without cost.
Why do you [c]spend money for what is (E)not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and (F)eat what is good,
And (G)delight yourself in abundance.
(H)Incline your ear and come to Me.
Listen, that [d]you may (I)live;
And I will make (J)an everlasting covenant with you,
According to the (K)faithful mercies [e]shown to David.
Behold, I have made (L)him a witness to the peoples,
A (M)leader and commander for the peoples.
Behold, you will call a (N)nation you do not know,
And a nation which does not know you will (O)run to you,
Because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel;
For He has (P)glorified you.”

(Q)Seek the Lord while He may be found;
(R)Call upon Him while He is near.
(S)Let the wicked abandon his way,
And the unrighteous person his (T)thoughts;
And let him (U)return to the Lord,
And He will have (V)compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will (W)abundantly pardon.
“For My thoughts are not (X)your thoughts,
Nor are (Y)your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
“For (Z)as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the (AA)rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it produce and sprout,
And providing (AB)seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11 So will My (AC)word be which goes out of My mouth;
It will (AD)not return to Me empty,
Without (AE)accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it.
12 For you will go out with (AF)joy
And be led in (AG)peace;
The (AH)mountains and the hills will break into shouts of joy before you,
And all the (AI)trees of the field will clap their hands.
13 Instead of the (AJ)thorn bush, the (AK)juniper will come up,
And instead of the (AL)stinging nettle, the myrtle will come up;
And [f]it will be a [g](AM)memorial to the Lord,
An everlasting (AN)sign which (AO)will not be eliminated.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 55:1 Lit Hoy
  2. Isaiah 55:1 Lit silver
  3. Isaiah 55:2 Lit weigh out silver
  4. Isaiah 55:3 Lit your soul
  5. Isaiah 55:3 Lit of David
  6. Isaiah 55:13 I.e., the transformation of the desert
  7. Isaiah 55:13 Lit name

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