Beginning
54 1 More of the Gentiles shall believe the Gospel than of the Jews. 7 God leaveth his for a time, to whom afterward he showeth mercy.
1 Rejoice, O [a]barren that didst not bear: break forth into joy and rejoice, thou that didst not travail with child; for the [b]desolate hath more children than the married wife, saith the Lord.
2 [c]Enlarge the place of thy tents, and let them spread out the curtains of thine habitations: spare not: stretch out thy cords, and make fast thy stakes.
3 For thou shalt increase on the right hand and on the left, and thy seed shall possess the Gentiles, and dwell in the desolate cities.
4 Fear not: for thou shalt not be ashamed, neither shalt thou be confounded: for thou shalt not be put to shame: yea, thou shalt forget the shame of thy [d]youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy [e]widowhood anymore.
5 For he that [f]made thee, is thine husband, (whose name is the Lord of hosts) and thy redeemer the holy One of Israel, shall be called the God of the whole [g]world.
6 For the Lord hath called thee, being as a woman forsaken, and afflicted in spirit, and as a [h]young wife when thou wast refused, saith thy God.
7 For a little while have I forsaken thee, but with great compassion will I gather thee.
8 For a moment in mine anger, I hid my face from thee for a little season, but with everlasting mercy have I had compassion on thee, saith the Lord thy redeemer.
9 For this is unto me as the [i]waters of Noah; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be angry with thee, nor rebuke thee.
10 For the mountains shall remove, and the hills shall fall down; but my mercy shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace fall away, saith the Lord, that hath compassion on thee.
11 O thou afflicted and tossed with tempest, that hast no comfort, behold, I will lay thy stones with the [j]carbuncle, and lay thy foundation with sapphires,
12 And I will make thy windows of [k]emeralds, and thy gates shining stones, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.
13 And all thy children shall be [l]taught of the Lord, and much peace shall be to thy children.
14 In [m]righteousness shalt thou be established, and be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear it: and from fear; for it shall not come near thee.
15 Behold, the enemies shall gather himself, but without [n]me: whosoever shall gather himself in thee, [o]against thee, shall fall.
16 Behold, I have created the [p]smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and him that bringeth forth an instrument for his work, and I have created the destroyer to destroy.
17 But all the weapons that are made against thee, shall not prosper: and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment, thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the Lord’s servants, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.
55 1 An exhortation to come to Christ. 8 God’s counsels are not as man’s. 12 The joy of the faithful.
1 Ho, everyone that [q]thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and ye that have [r]no silver, come, buy and eat: come, I say, buy [s]wine and milk without silver and without money.
2 Wherefore do ye lay out silver, and not for bread? [t]and your labor without being satisfied? hearken diligently unto me, and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight in [u]fatness.
3 Incline your ears, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the [v]sure mercies of David.
4 Behold, I gave [w]him for a witness to the people, for a prince and a master unto the people.
5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, [x]and a nation that knew not thee, shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and the Holy one of Israel: for he hath glorified thee.
6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be [y]found: call ye upon him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked [z]forsake his ways, and the unrighteous his own imaginations, and return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he is very ready to forgive.
8 For my [aa]thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts.
10 Surely as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither but watereth the earth, and maketh it to bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread unto him that eateth,
11 So shall my [ab]word be, that goeth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I will, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
12 Therefore ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace; the [ac]mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into joy, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 For thorns there shall grow fir trees; for nettles shall grow the myrrh tree, and it shall be to the Lord [ad]for a name, and for an everlasting [ae]sign that shall not be taken away.
56 1 An exhortation to judgment and justice. 10 Against shepherds that devour their flock.
1 Thus saith the Lord, [af]Keep judgment and do justice, for my salvation is at hand to come, and my [ag]righteousness to be revealed.
2 Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man which layeth hold on it; he that keepeth the [ah]Sabbath, and polluteth it not, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.
3 And let not the son of the strangers, which [ai]is joined to the Lord, speak and say, The Lord hath surely separated me from his people; neither let the Eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.
4 For thus saith the Lord unto the Eunuchs that keep my Sabbaths, and choose the thing that pleaseth me, and take hold of my covenant,
5 Even unto them will I give in mine [aj]House and within my walls, a place, and a [ak]name better than of the sons and of the daughters; I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be put out.
6 Also the strangers that cleave unto the Lord, to serve him, and to love the Name of the Lord, and to be his servants; everyone that keepeth the Sabbath, and polluteth it not, and embraceth my covenant,
7 Them will I bring also to mine holy mountain, and make them joyful in mine House of prayer; their burnt [al]offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar: for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for [am]all people.
8 The Lord God saith, which gathereth the scattered of Israel, Yet will I gather to them those that are to be gathered to them.
9 All ye [an]beasts of the field, come to devour, even all ye beasts of the forest.
10 Their [ao]watchmen are all blind: they have no knowledge: they are all dumb dogs: they cannot bark: they lie and sleep, and delight in sleeping.
11 And these greedy dogs can never have enough: and these shepherds cannot understand: for they all look to their own way, everyone for his advantage, and for his own purpose.
12 Come, I will bring wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink, and [ap]tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.
57 1 God taketh away the good, that he should not see the horrible plagues to come. 3 Of the wicked idolaters, 9 and their vain confidence.
1 The righteous perisheth, and no man considereth it in heart, and merciful men are taken away, and no man understandeth that the righteous is taken away [aq]from the evil to come.
2 [ar]Peace shall come: they shall rest in their beds, everyone that walketh before him.
3 But you [as]witches’ children, come hither, the seed of the adulterer and of the whore.
4 On whom have ye jested? upon whom have ye gaped and thrust out your tongue? are not ye rebellious children, and a false seed?
5 Inflamed with idols under every green tree? and sacrificing the [at]children in the valleys under the tops of the rocks?
6 Thy portion is in the smooth stones [au]of the river: they, they are thy lot: even to them hast thou poured a drink offering: thou hast offered a sacrifice. Should I delight in [av]these?
7 Thou hast made thy [aw]bed upon a very high mountain: thou wentest up thither, even thither wentest thou to offer sacrifice.
8 Behind the [ax]doors also and posts hast thou set up thy remembrance: for thou hast discovered thyself to another, than me, and wentest up, and didst [ay]enlarge thy bed, and make a covenant between thee and them, and lovedst their bed in every place where thou sawest it.
9 Thou wentest [az]to the kings with oil, and didst increase thine ointments, and send thy messengers far off, and didst humble thyself unto hell.
10 Thou weariedst thyself in thy manifold journeys, yet saidest thou not, [ba]There is no hope: thou [bb]hast found life by thine hand, therefore thou wast not grieved.
11 And whom didst thou reverence or fear, seeing thou hast [bc]lied unto me, and hast not remembered me, neither set thy mind thereon? is it not because I hold my peace, and that of long [bd]time? therefore thou fearest not me.
12 I will declare thy righteousness [be]and thy works, and they shall not profit thee.
13 When thou cryest, let them that thou hast gathered together, deliver thee: but the wind [bf]shall take them all away: vanity shall pull them away: but he that trusteth in me shall inherit the land, and shall possess mine holy Mountain.
14 [bg]And he shall say, Cast up, cast up: prepare the way: take up the stumbling blocks out of the way of my people.
15 For thus saith he that is high and excellent, he that inhabiteth the eternity, whose Name is the Holy one, I dwell in the high and holy place: with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble, and to give life to them that are of a contrite heart.
16 For I will not contend forever: neither will I be always wroth, [bh]for the spirit should fail before me: and I have made the breath.
17 For his [bi]wicked covetousness I am angry with him, and have smitten him: I hid me, and was angry, yet he went away, and turned after the way of his own heart.
18 I have seen his ways, and will [bj]heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comfort unto him, and to those that lament him.
19 I create the [bk]fruit of the lips, to be peace: peace unto them that are [bl]far off, and to them that are near, saith the Lord: for I will heal him.
20 But the wicked are like the raging sea, that [bm]cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.
58 1 The office of God’s ministers. 2 The works of the hypocrites. 6 The fast of the faithful. 13 Of the true Sabbath.
1 Cry [bn]aloud, spare not: lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they [bo]seek me daily, and will know my ways, even as a nation that did righteously, and had not forsaken the statutes of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice: they will draw near unto God, saying,
3 [bp]Wherefore have we fasted, and thou seest it not? we have punished ourselves, and thou regardest it not. Behold, in the day of your fast you will seek [bq]your will, and require all your debts.
4 Behold, ye fast to strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do today, to make your voice to be [br]heard above.
5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen, that a man should afflict his soul for a day, and to bow down his head, as a bull rush, and to lie down in sackcloth and ashes? wilt thou call this a fasting, or an acceptable day to the Lord?
6 Is not this the fasting that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to take off the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every [bs]yoke?
7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that wander, unto thine house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him, and hide not thyself from [bt]thine own flesh?
8 Then shall thy [bu]light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall grow speedily: thy [bv]righteousness shall go before thee, and the glory of the Lord shall embrace thee.
9 Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer: thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am: if thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the [bw]finger, and wicked speaking:
10 If thou [bx]pour out thy soul to the hungry, and refresh the troubled soul: then shall thy light spring out in the [by]darkness, and thy darkness shall be as the noon day.
11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones, and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
12 And they shall be of thee, that shall build the old [bz]waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations for many generations, and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach, and the restorer of the paths to dwell in.
13 If thou [ca]turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy will on mine Holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight to consecrate it, as glorious to the Lord, and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor seeking thine own will, nor speaking a vain word,
14 Then shalt thou delight in the Lord, and I will cause thee to mount upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.