Isaiah Chapter 55
Other Translations
asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM
1
I am Jehovah, and there is none else; besides me there is no God. I will gird thee, though thou hast not known me;
2
that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none besides me: I am Jehovah, and there is none else.
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I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I am Jehovah, that doeth all these things.
4
Distil, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, that it may bring forth salvation, and let it cause righteousness to spring up together; I, Jehovah, have created it.
5
Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! a potsherd among the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?
6
Woe unto him that saith unto a father, What begettest thou? or to a woman, With what travailest thou?
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Thus saith Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: Ask me of the things that are to come; concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands, command ye me.
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I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens; and all their host have I commanded.
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I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will make straight all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let my exiles go free, not for price nor reward, saith Jehovah of hosts.
10
Thus saith Jehovah, The labor of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall go after thee, in chains they shall come over; and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee,
11
saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.
12
Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.
13
They shall be put to shame, yea, confounded, all of them; they shall go into confusion together that are makers of idols.
darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext
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, the sure mercies of David.
4
Behold, I have given him [for] a witness to the peoples, a prince and commander to the peoples.
5
Behold, thou shalt call a nation thou knowest not, and a nation [that] knew not thee shall run unto thee, because of Jehovah thyGod, and the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.
6
Seek ye Jehovah 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 Jehovah, and he will have mercy upon him; and to ourGod, for he will abundantly pardon.
8
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith Jehovah.
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:
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so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall do that which I please, and it shall accomplish that for which I send 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 cypress, and instead of the nettle shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to Jehovah for a name, for an everlasting sign [that] shall not be cut off.
lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM
1
Ye that thirst, go to the water, and all that have no money, go [and] buy; and eat [and drink] wine and fat without money or price.
2
Wherefore do ye value at the price of money, and [give] your labour for that which will not satisfy? hearken to me, and ye shall eat that which is good, and your soul shall feast itself on good things.
3
Give heed with your ears, and follow my ways: hearken to me, and your soul shall live in prosperity; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, the sure mercies of David.
4
Behold, I have made him a testimony among the Gentiles, a prince and commander to the Gentiles.
5
Nations which know thee not, shall call upon thee, and peoples which are not acquainted with thee, shall flee to thee for refuge, for the sake of the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel; for he has glorified thee.
6
Seek ye the Lord, and when ye find him, call upon him; and when he shall draw nigh to you,
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let the ungodly leave his ways, and the transgressor his counsels: and let him return to the Lord, and he shall find mercy; for he shall abundantly pardon your sins.
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For my counsels are not as your counsels, nor are my ways as your ways, saith the Lord.
9
But as the heaven is distant from the earth, so is my way distant from your ways, and your thoughts from my mind.
10
For as rain shall come down, or snow, from heaven, and shall not return until it have saturated the earth, and it bring forth, and bud, and give seed to the sower, and bread for food:
11
so shall my word be, whatever shall proceed out of my mouth, it shall by no means turn back, until all the things which I willed shall have been accomplished; and I will make thy ways prosperous, and [will effect] my commands.
12
For ye shall go forth with joy, and shall be taught with gladness: for the mountains and the hills shall exult to welcome you with joy, and all the trees of the field shall applaud with their branches.
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And instead of the bramble shall come up the cypress, and instead of the nettle shall come up the myrtle: and the Lord shall be for a name, and for an everlasting sign, and shall not fail.
vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)
1
Omnes sitientes venite ad aquas: et qui non habetis argentum, properate, emite, et comedite: venite, emite absque argento, et absque ulla commutatione vinum et lac.
2
Quare appenditis argentum non in panibus, et laborem vestrum non in saturitate? Audite audientes me, et comedite bonum, et delectabitur in crassitudine anima vestra.
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Inclinate aurem vestram, et venite ad me: audite, et vivet anima vestra, et feriam vobiscum pactum sempiternum, misericordias David fideles.
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Ecce testem populis dedi eum, ducem ac præceptorem Gentibus.
5
Ecce gentem, quam nesciebas, vocabis: et Gentes, quæ te non cognoverunt, ad te current propter Dominum Deum tuum, et sanctum Israel, quia glorificavit te.
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Quærite Dominum, dum inveniri potest: invocate eum, dum prope est.
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Derelinquat impius viam suam, et vir iniquus cogitationes suas, et revertatur ad Dominum, et miserebitur eius, et ad Deum nostrum: quoniam multus est ad ignoscendum.
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Non enim cogitationes meæ, cogitationes vestræ: neque viæ vestræ, viæ meæ, dicit Dominus.
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Quia sicut exaltantur cæli a terra, sic exaltatæ sunt viæ meæ a viis vestris, et cogitationes meæ a cogitationibus vestris.
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Et quomodo descendit imber, et nix de cælo, et illuc ultra non revertitur, sed inebriat terram, et infundit eam, et germinare eam facit, et dat semen serenti, et panem comedenti:
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Sic erit verbum meum, quod egredietur de ore meo: non revertetur ad me vacuum, sed faciet quæcumque volui, et prosperabitur in his, ad quæ misi illud.
12
Quia in lætitia egrediemini, et in pace deducemini: montes et colles cantabunt coram vobis laudem, et omnia ligna regionis plaudent manu.
13
Pro saliunca ascendet abies, et pro urtica crescet myrtus: et erit Dominus nominatus in signum æternum, quod non auferetur.
web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV
1
“Hey! Come, everyone who thirsts, to the waters! Come, he who has no money, buy, and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
2
Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which doesn’t satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in richness.
3
Turn your ear, and come to me. Hear, and your soul will live. 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 peoples, a leader and commander to the peoples.
5
Behold, you shall call a nation that you don’t know; and a nation that didn’t know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he has glorified you.”
6
Seek the LORD while he may be found. Call on him while he is near.
7
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, to our God, for he will freely pardon.
8
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways,” says 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 comes down and the snow from the sky, and doesn’t return there, but waters the earth, and makes it grow and bud, and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11
so is my word that goes out of my mouth: it will not return to me void, but it will accomplish that which I please, and it will prosper in the thing I sent it to do.
12
For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace. The mountains and the hills will break out before you into singing; and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands.
13
Instead of the thorn the cypress tree will come up; and instead of the brier the myrtle tree will come up. It will make a name for the LORD, for an everlasting sign that will not be cut off.”
ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8
1
Ho, every thirsty one, come ye to the waters, And he who hath no money, Come ye, buy and eat, yea, come, buy Without money and without price, wine and milk.
2
Why do ye weigh money for that which is not bread? And your labour for that which is not for satiety? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat good, And your soul doth delight itself in fatness.
3
Incline your ear, and come unto me, Hear, and your soul doth live, And I make for you a covenant age-during, The kind acts of David--that are stedfast.
4
Lo, a witness to peoples I have given him, A leader and commander to peoples.
5
Lo, a nation thou knowest not, thou callest, And a nation who know thee not unto thee do run, For the sake of Jehovah thy God, And for the Holy One of Israel, Because He hath beautified thee.
6
Seek ye Jehovah, while He is found, Call ye Him, while He is near,
7
Forsake doth the wicked his way, And the man of iniquity his thoughts, And he returneth to Jehovah, and He pitieth him, And unto our God for He multiplieth to pardon.
8
For not My thoughts <FI>are<Fi> your thoughts, Nor your ways My ways, --an affirmation of Jehovah,
9
For high have the heavens been above the earth, So high have been My ways above your ways, And My thoughts above your thoughts.
10
For, as come down doth the shower, And the snow from the heavens, And thither returneth not, But hath watered the earth, And hath caused it to yield, and to spring up, And hath given seed to the sower, and bread to the eater,
11
So is My word that goeth out of My mouth, It turneth not back unto Me empty, But hath done that which I desired, And prosperously effected that <FI>for<Fi> which I sent it.
12
For with joy ye go forth, And with peace ye are brought in, The mountains and the hills Break forth before you <FI>with<Fi> singing, And all trees of the field clap the hand.
13
Instead of the thorn come up doth fir, Instead of the brier come up doth myrtle, And it hath been to Jehovah for a name, For a sign age-during--it is not cut off!
Explanations by Age Level
Explain Like I'm 5
A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!
Explain Like I'm 10
Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.
Explain Like I'm 15
Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).