Isaiah 55-57
New International Reader's Version
The Lord Invites Thirsty People to Come to Him
55 “Come, all you who are thirsty.
Come and drink the water I offer to you.
You who do not have any money, come.
Buy and eat the grain I give you.
Come and buy wine and milk.
You will not have to pay anything for it.
2 Why spend money on what is not food?
Why work for what does not satisfy you?
Listen carefully to me.
Then you will eat what is good.
You will enjoy the richest food there is.
3 Listen and come to me.
Pay attention to me.
Then you will live.
I will make a covenant with you that will last forever.
I will give you my faithful love.
I promised it to David.
4 I made him a witness to the nations.
He became a ruler and commander over them.
5 You too will send for nations you do not know.
Even though you do not know them,
they will come running to you.
That is what I will do. I am the Lord your God.
I am the Holy One of Israel.
I have honored you.”
6 Turn to the Lord before it’s too late.
Call out to him while he’s still ready to help you.
7 Let those who are evil stop doing evil things.
And let them quit thinking evil thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord.
The Lord will show them his tender love.
Let them turn to our God.
He is always ready to forgive.
8 “My thoughts are not like your thoughts.
And your ways are not like my ways,”
announces the Lord.
9 “The heavens are higher than the earth.
And my ways are higher than your ways.
My thoughts are higher than your thoughts.
10 The rain and the snow
come down from the sky.
They do not return to it
without watering the earth.
They make plants come up and grow.
The plants produce seeds for farmers.
They also produce food for people to eat.
11 The words I speak are like that.
They will not return to me without producing results.
They will accomplish what I want them to.
They will do exactly what I sent them to do.
12 “My people, you will go out of Babylon with joy.
You will be led out of it in peace.
The mountains and hills
will burst into song as you go.
And all the trees in the fields
will clap their hands.
13 Juniper trees will grow where there used to be bushes that had thorns on them.
And myrtle trees will grow where there used to be thorns.
That will bring me great fame.
It will be a lasting reminder of what I can do.
It will stand forever.”
The Lord Will Save Those Who Come to Him
56 The Lord says,
“Do what is fair and right.
I will soon come and save you.
Soon everyone will know that what I do is right.
2 Blessed is the person who does what I want them to.
They are faithful in keeping the Sabbath day.
They do not misuse it.
They do not do what is evil on that day.”
3 Suppose an outsider wants to follow the Lord.
Then that person shouldn’t say,
“The Lord won’t accept me as one of his people.”
And a eunuch shouldn’t say,
“I’m like a dry tree
that doesn’t bear any fruit.”
4 The Lord says,
“Suppose some eunuchs keep my Sabbath days.
They choose to do what pleases me.
And they are faithful in keeping my covenant.
5 Then I will set up a monument in the area of my temple.
Their names will be written on it.
That will be better for them than having sons and daughters.
The names of the eunuchs will be remembered forever.
They will never be forgotten.
6 “Suppose outsiders want to follow me
and serve me.
They want to love me
and worship me.
They keep the Sabbath day and do not misuse it.
And they are faithful in keeping my covenant.
7 Then I will bring them to my holy mountain of Zion.
I will give them joy in my house.
They can pray there.
I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices on my altar.
My house will be called
a house where people from all nations can pray.”
8 The Lord and King will gather
those who were taken away from their homes in Israel.
He announces, “I will gather them to myself.
And I will gather others to join them.”
The Lord Judges Israel’s Evil Leaders
9 Come, all you enemy nations! Come like wild animals.
Come and destroy like animals in the forest.
10 Israel’s prophets are blind.
They don’t know the Lord.
All of them are like watchdogs that can’t even bark.
They just lie around and dream.
They love to sleep.
11 They are like dogs that love to eat.
They never get enough.
They are like shepherds who don’t have any understanding.
All of them do as they please.
They only look for what they can get for themselves.
12 “Come!” they shout. “Let’s get some wine!
Let’s drink all the beer we can!
Tomorrow we’ll do the same thing.
And that will be even better than today.”
57 Those who are right with God die.
And no one really cares about it.
People who are faithful to the Lord are swept away by trouble.
And no one understands why that happens
to those who do what is right.
2 Those who lead honest lives
will enjoy peace and rest when they die.
3 The Lord says, “Come here,
you children of women who practice evil magic!
You are children of prostitutes and those who commit adultery.
4 Who are you making fun of?
Who are you laughing at?
Who are you sticking your tongue out at?
You are people who refuse to obey me.
You are just a bunch of liars!
5 You burn with sinful desire among the oak trees.
You worship your gods under every green tree.
You sacrifice your children in the valleys.
You also do it under the cliffs.
6 You have chosen some of the smooth stones in the valleys to be your gods.
You have joined yourselves to them.
You have even poured out drink offerings to them.
You have given grain offerings to them.
So why should I take pity on you?
7 You have made your bed on a very high hill.
You went up there to offer your sacrifices.
8 You have set up statues to remind you of your gods.
You have put them behind your doors and doorposts.
You deserted me. You invited other lovers into your bed.
You climbed into it and welcomed them.
You made a deal with them.
And you looked with desire at their naked bodies.
9 You took olive oil to the god named Molek.
You took a lot of perfume along with you.
You sent your messengers to places far away.
You even sent them down to the place of the dead.
10 You wore yourself out with all your efforts.
But you would not say, ‘It’s hopeless.’
You received new strength.
So you did not give up.
11 “Who are you so afraid of
that you have not been faithful to me?
You have not remembered me.
What you do doesn’t even bother you.
I have not punished you for a long time.
That is why you are not afraid of me.
12 You have not done what is right or good.
I will let everyone know about it.
And that will not be of any benefit to you.
13 Go ahead and cry out for help to all the statues of your gods.
See if they can save you!
The wind will carry them off.
Just a puff of air will blow them away.
But anyone who comes to me for safety
will receive the land.
They will possess my holy mountain of Zion.”
The Lord Comforts People Who Are Sorry for Their Sins
14 A messenger says,
“Build up the road! Build it up! Get it ready!
Remove anything that would keep my people from coming back.”
15 The God who is highly honored lives forever.
His name is holy. He says,
“I live in a high and holy place.
But I also live with anyone who turns away from their sins.
I live with anyone who is not proud.
I give new life to them.
I give it to anyone who turns away from their sins.
16 I will not find fault with my people forever.
I will not always be angry with them.
If I were, I would cause their spirits to grow weak.
The people I created would faint away.
17 I was very angry with them.
They always longed for more and more of everything.
So I punished them for that sin.
I turned my face away from them because I was angry.
But they kept on wanting their own way.
18 I have seen what they have done.
But I will heal them.
I will guide them.
I will give those who mourn in Israel the comfort they had before.
19 Then they will praise me.
I will give perfect peace to those who are far away and those who are near.
And I will heal them,” says the Lord.
20 But those who are evil are like the rolling sea.
It never rests.
Its waves toss up mud and sand.
21 “There is no peace for those who are evil,” says my God.
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