Isaiah 55 – NIV & NIRV

New International Version

Isaiah 55:1-13

Invitation to the Thirsty

1“Come, all you who are thirsty,

come to the waters;

and you who have no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without cost.

2Why spend money on what is not bread,

and your labor on what does not satisfy?

Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,

and you will delight in the richest of fare.

3Give ear and come to me;

listen, that you may live.

I will make an everlasting covenant with you,

my faithful love promised to David.

4See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,

a ruler and commander of the peoples.

5Surely you will summon nations you know not,

and nations you do not know will come running to you,

because of the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel,

for he has endowed you with splendor.”

6Seek the Lord while he may be found;

call on him while he is near.

7Let the wicked forsake their ways

and the unrighteous their thoughts.

Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,

and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

8“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,”

declares the Lord.

9“As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10As the rain and the snow

come down from heaven,

and do not return to it

without watering the earth

and making it bud and flourish,

so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

11so is my word that goes out from my mouth:

It will not return to me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

12You will go out in joy

and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and hills

will burst into song before you,

and all the trees of the field

will clap their hands.

13Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,

and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.

This will be for the Lord’s renown,

for an everlasting sign,

that will endure forever.”

New International Reader’s Version

Isaiah 55:1-13

The Lord Invites Thirsty People to Come to Him

1“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.

2Why 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.

3Listen 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.

4I made him a witness to the nations.

He became a ruler and commander over them.

5You 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.”

6Turn to the Lord before it’s too late.

Call out to him while he’s still ready to help you.

7Let 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.

10The 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.

11The 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.

13Juniper 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.”