Isaiah 55
1 Ho! every one that thirsteth! Come ye to the waters, Yea he that hath no money, —Come ye—buy corn, and eat, Yea come—buy corn without money, And without price, wine and milk,
Come, everyone of you who's thirsty, come and drink the water! You who don't have money, come—you can buy and eat! Come and buy wine and milk—you don't need money; there's no cost!
2 Wherefore should ye spend, Money, for that which is not bread? Or your labour, for that which, satisfieth not? Keep on hearkening unto me, And, so eat that which is good, And let your soul take exquisite delight in fatness:
Why are you spending money on what isn't food, and why work for something that doesn't satisfy you? Listen carefully to me: eat what is good, and you'll enjoy the very best food.
3 Incline your ear, and come unto me, Hearken, That your soul, may live, —That I may solemnise for you a covenant age-abiding, The Lovingkindness to David, well-assured.
Come here, and pay attention, so you can truly live. I'm going to make an agreement with you that will last forever, based on the trustworthy love I showed to David.
4 Lo! As a witness to the peoples, have I given him, —As a leader and commander to the peoples:
See how I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for them.
5 Lo! A nation thou shalt not know, shalt thou call, And, a nation which hath not known thee, unto thee, shall run, —For the sake of Yahweh thy God, And for the Holy One of Israel, because he hath adorned thee.
You will call nations you don't even know, and nations who don't know you will come running to you. For the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, I made you glorious.
6 Seek Yahweh while he may be found, —Call ye upon him while he is near:
Look for the Lord while you can still find him; call out to him while he's nearby.
7 Let the lawless forsake his way, And the man of iniquity, his thoughts, —And let him return unto Yahweh That he may have compassion upon him, And unto our God, For he will abundantly pardon.
Wicked people should change their ways and get rid of even the thought of doing something wrong. They should turn to the Lord so he can be merciful to them. Come back to our God, because he's generous with his forgiveness.
8 For, my thoughts, are not, your thoughts, Nor, your ways, my ways, —Declareth Yahweh.
For your thoughts are not my thoughts; and your ways are not my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For, higher, are the heavens than the earth, —So, higher, are My ways than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.
In the same way the heavens are higher than the earth, my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
10 For, as the rain and the snow descend from the heavens. And thither, do not return, Except they have watered the earth. And caused it to bring forth and bud, —And given seed to the sower, and bread to the eater,
It's like the rain and snow that fall from heaven. They don't go back there until they've watered the earth, making plants grow and flower, providing seeds for the sower and food to eat.
11 So, shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth, It shall not return unto me void, —But shall accomplish that which I please, And shall prosper in that whereunto I have sent it.
In the same way the words I say don't come back to me unfulfilled, they accomplish what I want—they successfully achieve my purpose.
12 For with gladness shall ye come forth, And in peace, shall ye be led, —the mountains and the hills shall break out, before you, into shouts of triumph, And all the wild trees shall clap their hands:
You will live happily, taught the ways of peace. Mountains and hills will celebrate, singing beside you; and all the trees will clap their hands!
13 Instead of the thorn-bush, shall come up the fir-tree, And instead of the nettle, shall come up the myrtle-tree, —So shall it become unto Yahweh, a Name, A Sign age-abiding, which shall not be cut off.
Cypress trees will grow instead of thorn bushes; myrtle trees will grow instead of brambles. This is to confirm the Lord's reputation—an everlasting sign, never to be destroyed.
