Isaiah 55

New King James Version

An Invitation to Abundant Life

55 “Ho! ^(A)Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
^(B)Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without price.
²Why do you ^[a]spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
³Incline your ear, and ^(C)come to Me.
Hear, and your soul shall live;
^(D)And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—
The ^(E)sure mercies of David.
⁴Indeed I have given him as ^(F)a witness to the people,
^(G)A leader and commander for the people.
⁵^(H)Surely you shall call a nation you do not know,
^(I)And nations who do not know you shall run to you,
Because of the Lord your God,
And the Holy One of Israel;
^(J)For He has glorified you.”

⁶^(K)Seek the Lord while He may be ^(L)found,
Call upon Him while He is near.
⁷^(M)Let the ^[b]wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man ^(N)his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord,
^(O)And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.

⁸“For^(P) My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
⁹“For^(Q) as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.

¹⁰“For ^(R)as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
¹¹^(S)So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me ^[c]void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall ^(T)prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

¹²“For^(U) you shall go out with joy,
And be led out with peace;
The mountains and the hills
Shall ^(V)break forth into singing before you,
And ^(W)all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
¹³^(X)Instead of ^(Y)the thorn shall come up the cypress tree,
And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;
And it shall be to the Lord ^(Z)for a name,
For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

Footnotes

Isaiah 55:2 Lit. weigh out silver
Isaiah 55:7 Lit. man of iniquity
Isaiah 55:11 empty, without fruit

Colossians 4

New King James Version

Christian Graces; Final Greetings

4 Masters,^(A) give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

Christian Graces

²^(B)Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it ^(C)with thanksgiving; ³^(D)meanwhile praying also for us, that God would ^(E)open to us a door for the word, to speak ^(F)the ^[a]mystery of Christ, ^(G)for which I am also in chains, ⁴that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

⁵^(H)Walk in ^(I)wisdom toward those who are outside, ^(J)redeeming the time. ⁶Let your speech always be ^(K)with grace, ^(L)seasoned with salt, ^(M)that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

Final Greetings^(N)

⁷^(O)Tychicus, a beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. ⁸^(P)I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that ^[b]he may know your circumstances and comfort your hearts, ⁹with ^(Q)Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you all things which are happening here.

¹⁰^(R)Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with ^(S)Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him), ¹¹and Jesus who is called Justus. These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision; they have proved to be a comfort to me.

¹²^(T)Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always ^(U)laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand ^(V)perfect and ^[c]complete in all the will of God. ¹³For I bear him witness that he has a great ^[d]zeal for you, and those who are in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis. ¹⁴^(W)Luke the beloved physician and ^(X)Demas greet you. ¹⁵Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and ^[e]Nymphas and ^(Y)the church that is in ^[f]his house.

Closing Exhortations and Blessing

¹⁶Now when ^(Z)this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. ¹⁷And say to ^(AA)Archippus, “Take heed to ^(AB)the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”

¹⁸^(AC)This salutation by my own hand—Paul. ^(AD)Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Amen.