1 Ho, every one
that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money;
come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without
money and without price.
2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and
your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently
unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight
itself in fatness.
3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall
live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even
the sure mercies of David.
4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader
and commander to the people.
5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and
nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the
LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified
thee.
6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while
he is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his
thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have
mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways
my ways, saith the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways
higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and
returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it
bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and
bread to the eater:
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it
shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that
which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I
sent it.
12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace:
the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into
singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead
of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be
to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not
be cut off.
Chapter 56
1 Thus saith the
LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is
near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.
2 Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that
layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it,
and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.
3 Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself
to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated
me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am
a dry tree.
4 For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths,
and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;
5 Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls
a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will
give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.
6 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the
LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be
his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting
it, and taketh hold of my covenant;
7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them
joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their
sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house
shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
8 The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith,
Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered
unto him.
9 All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts
in the forest.
10 His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all
dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to
slumber.
11 Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and
they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to
their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.
12 Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves
with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much
more abundant.
Chapter 57
1 The righteous
perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are
taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away
from the evil to come.
2 He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds,
each one walking in his uprightness.
3 But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of
the adulterer and the whore.
4 Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye
a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue? are ye not children of
transgression, a seed of falsehood,
5 Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying
the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks?
6 Among the smooth stones of the stream is thy portion; they,
they are thy lot: even to them hast thou poured a drink offering,
thou hast offered a meat offering. Should I receive comfort
in these?
7 Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed: even
thither wentest thou up to offer sacrifice.
8 Behind the doors also and the posts hast thou set up thy remembrance:
for thou hast discovered thyself to another than me, and art
gone up; thou hast enlarged thy bed, and made thee a covenant
with them; thou lovedst their bed where thou sawest it.
9 And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase
thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst
debase thyself even unto hell.
10 Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet saidst
thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found the life of thine
hand; therefore thou wast not grieved.
11 And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast
lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart?
have not I held my peace even of old, and thou fearest me not?
12 I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works; for they
shall not profit thee.
13 When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee; but the
wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them: but
he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and
shall inherit my holy mountain;
14 And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take
up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people.
15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity,
whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with
him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive
the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite
ones.
16 For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always
wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which
I have made.
17 For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote
him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the
way of his heart.
18 I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him
also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.
19 I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that
is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will
heal him.
20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot
rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. |