Chapter 55
An Everlasting Covenant
1 All you who are thirsty,
come to the water;
all you who have no money,
come forward, buy, and eat.
Come, buy wine and milk,
without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money for that which is not bread,
your wages for that which fails to satisfy.
Listen carefully to me, and you will eat well
and delight in rich food.
3 Come to me and pay close attention;
listen so that you may have life.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you
to love you with the faithful love promised to David.
4 I appointed him to be a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander of nations.
5 You in turn will summon nations unknown to you,
and nations that do not know you will hasten to you,
because of the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
6 Seek the Lord while he still may be found;
call to him when he is close at hand.
7 Let the wicked abandon their ways
and those who are evil their thoughts.
Let them return to the Lord
so that he may have mercy upon them;
and to our God,
for he is rich in forgiveness.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
9 As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts above your thoughts.
10 For just as the rain and the snow
come down from the heavens
and do not return there
until they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
giving seed for the one who sows
and bread for those who eat,
11 so shall my word be
that issues forth from my mouth.
It will not return to me unfulfilled,
but it will accomplish my purpose
and achieve what I sent it forth to do.
12 Yes, you will go forth in joy,
and you will be led back in peace.
The mountains and hills before you
will burst forth into song,
and all the trees in the countryside
will clap their hands.
13 A cypress will grow in place of the thornbush,
and myrtles will come up instead of briars.
All this will increase the Lord’s renown,
an everlasting sign that will not be cut off.
