Isaiah 55

Come All Who Thirst

1Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no silver, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without silver and without price.

2Why do you weigh out silver for what is not bread, and your labor for what does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and let your self delight itself in rich food.

3Incline your ear and come to me; listen, that your self may live. And I will cut an everlasting covenant with you, the faithful acts of loyal love shown to David.

4Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.

5Behold, a nation you do not know you will call, and a nation that did not know you will run to you, because of Yahweh your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.

Seek Yahweh While He Is Near

6Seek Yahweh while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

7Let the wicked forsake his way, and the man of iniquity his thoughts; and let him return to Yahweh, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, declares Yahweh.

9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10For as the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return there, but water the earth, making it bear and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

11so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth: it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish what I desire and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

12For you shall go out with joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

13In place of the thornbush shall come up the cypress; in place of the brier shall come up the myrtle. And it shall be for Yahweh as a name, as an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

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Cross-references in this chapter

Where this passage connects across Scripture — each link typed and reasoned, part of the AIT Bible Nexus Chart.

Come All Who Thirst

• quotation Acts 13:34 — Paul quotes 'the faithful acts of loyal love shown to David' (the holy and sure blessings of David) as fulfilled in Christ's resurrection.
• allusion John 7:37 — Jesus' invitation 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink' echoes the call for the thirsty to come to the waters.
• allusion Revelation 22:17 — Revelation's invitation to let the thirsty come and take the water of life freely echoes buying without silver.
• allusion Revelation 21:6 — God gives from the spring of the water of life without payment, echoing the free waters to the thirsty.
• allusion Revelation 1:5 — Christ described as 'the faithful witness' echoes David as a witness to the peoples.
• thematic 2 Samuel 7:12 — The everlasting covenant with David draws on the Davidic covenant promise of an enduring house and throne.

Seek Yahweh While He Is Near

• allusion Isaiah 44:23 — Both call creation—mountains and trees—to break forth into singing at God's redemption.
• thematic Isaiah 35:1 — Both depict the transformation of the wilderness/thorns into flourishing growth as a sign of restoration.