Isaiah 55

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Oh, come to the water al you who are thirsty; though you have no money, come! Buy and eat; come,buy wine and milk without money, free!	1 All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk!
2 Why spend money on what cannot nourish and your wages on what fails to satisfy? Listen carefully tome, and you wil have good things to eat and rich food to enjoy.	2 Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy? Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare.
3 Pay attention, come to me; listen, and you wil live. I shall make an everlasting covenant with you infulfilment of the favours promised to David.	3 Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David.
4 Look, I have made him a witness to peoples, a leader and lawgiver to peoples.	4 As I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of nations,
5 Look, you wil summon a nation unknown to you, a nation unknown to you will hurry to you for the sakeof Yahweh your God, because the Holy One of Israel has glorified you.	5 So shall you summon a nation you knew not, and nations that knew you not shall run to you, Because of the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you.
6 Seek out Yahweh while he is stil to be found, cal to him while he is still near.	6 Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked abandon his way and the evil one his thoughts. Let him turn back to Yahweh who willtake pity on him, to our God, for he is rich in forgiveness;	7 Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked man his thoughts; Let him turn to the LORD for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving.
8 for my thoughts are not your thoughts and your ways are not my ways, declares Yahweh.	8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
9 For the heavens are as high above earth as my ways are above your ways, my thoughts above yourthoughts.	9 As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.
10 For, as the rain and the snow come down from the sky and do not return before having watered theearth, fertilising it and making it germinate to provide seed for the sower and food to eat,	10 For just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down And do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, Giving seed to him who sows and bread to him who eats,
11 so it is with the word that goes from my mouth: it wil not return to me unfulfilled or before havingcarried out my good pleasure and having achieved what it was sent to do.	11 So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.
12 Yes, you wil go out with joy and be led away in safety. Mountains and hil s wil break into joyful criesbefore you and all the trees of the countryside clap their hands.	12 Yes, in joy you shall depart, in peace you shall be brought back; Mountains and hills shall break out in song before you, and all the trees of the countryside shall clap their hands.
13 Cypress wil grow instead of thorns, myrtle instead of nettles. And this wil be fame for Yahweh, aneternal monument never to be effaced.	13 In place of the thornbush, the cypress shall grow, instead of nettles, the myrtle. This shall be to the LORD'S renown, an everlasting imperishable sign.