55 ‘Listen! All of you who are thirsty,
come here for water to drink!
You may have no money,
but come here and buy food to eat!
Come and buy wine and milk!
You do not need to pay any money. It is free! [ a ]
2 Do not spend money on anything that is not real food.
You work hard for your money,
so do not spend it on things which do not help you.
Listen carefully to me.
Eat something that will make you strong!
Enjoy the best food!
3 Come to me and listen carefully.
If you accept my teaching,
you will have real life!
Then I will make a covenant with you,
to be my people.
My promise will continue for ever,
like the promise that I made to King David.
4 So look! I chose David
to show my power to other people.
I made him a leader to rule the people of the nations.
5 Now you will call other nations to come to you.
They will be nations that you did not know before.
Nations that did not know you before
will now run quickly to you.
They will come to you,
because they see that you are great.
The Lord your God, Israel's Holy God,
will make people honour you.’
6 Come to serve the Lord now,
while he lets you find him.
Call out to him for help,
while he is near you.
7 Wicked people need to change the way that they live.
Evil people must stop thinking their evil thoughts.
They must turn back to the Lord our God,
because he will be kind to them.
Yes, God will completely forgive them,
if they turn back to him.
8 The Lord says,
‘Remember! My thoughts are not the same as your thoughts.
The way that you do things is not the same as the way that I do things.
9 The sky is far higher than the earth.
In the same way, I do things in a much better way than you do.
Also, my thoughts are much higher than your thoughts.
10 The rain and the snow come down from the sky,
and they do not immediately return there.
Instead, they give water to the earth,
so that crops will grow there.
Then the farmer has seeds to plant,
and people have food to eat.
11 It is the same when I give my word to people.
It will not return to me without any result.
No! My word does what I want it to do.
What I promise to do will certainly happen.’
12 You will leave that foreign land with joy!
You will travel home with peace in your minds.
The mountains and the hills will sing with joy
as you travel past.
The trees in the fields will clap their hands together!
13 Where thorn bushes have been growing,
pine trees will grow instead.
Myrtle bushes will grow where there are weeds now.
Those things will show everyone that the Lord is great.
It will be a sign to people for ever.
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.
2 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.
3 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.
4 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.”
5 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.
6 So you should look for the Lord
before it is too late.
You should call to him now,
while he is near.
7 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.
8 The Lord says, “My thoughts are not like yours.
Your ways are not like mine.
9 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.”
55 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.
5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.
6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord , and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my 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 than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
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.
2 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.
3 ( 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.
4 Behold, I have made ( L ) him a witness to the peoples,
A ( M ) leader and commander for the peoples.
5 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.”
6 ( Q ) Seek the Lord while He may be found;
( R ) Call upon Him while He is near.
7 ( 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.
8 “For My thoughts are not ( X ) your thoughts,
Nor are ( Y ) your ways My ways,” declares the Lord .
9 “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.”
55 “Come, all you who are thirsty, ( A )
come to the waters; ( B )
and you who have no money,
come, buy ( C ) and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk ( D )
without money and without cost. ( E )
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy? ( F )
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, ( G )
and you will delight in the richest ( H ) of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me;
listen, ( I ) that you may live. ( J )
I will make an everlasting covenant ( K ) with you,
my faithful love ( L ) promised to David. ( M )
4 See, I have made him a witness ( N ) to the peoples,
a ruler and commander ( O ) of the peoples.
5 Surely you will summon nations ( P ) you know not,
and nations you do not know will come running to you, ( Q )
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One ( R ) of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.” ( S )
6 Seek ( T ) the Lord while he may be found; ( U )
call ( V ) on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake ( W ) their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts. ( X )
Let them turn ( Y ) to the Lord , and he will have mercy ( Z ) on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon. ( AA )
8 “For my thoughts ( AB ) are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,” ( AC )
declares the Lord .
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, ( AD )
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. ( AE )
10 As the rain ( AF ) and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish, ( AG )
so that it yields seed ( AH ) for the sower and bread for the eater, ( AI )
11 so is my word ( AJ ) that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty, ( AK )
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose ( AL ) for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy ( AM )
and be led forth in peace; ( AN )
the mountains and hills
will burst into song ( AO ) before you,
and all the trees ( AP ) of the field
will clap their hands. ( AQ )
13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
and instead of briers ( AR ) the myrtle ( AS ) will grow.
This will be for the Lord ’s renown, ( AT )
for an everlasting sign,
that will endure forever.”
