The Compassion of the Lord

Isaiah 55

1 "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.
2 Why do you 1 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.
3 Incline 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.
4 Indeed 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 2 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 3 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."

  1. Cross References
    Matthew 5:6
    Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
    John 4:14
    "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."
    John 7:37
    On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
    Revelation 21:6
    And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
    Revelation 22:17
    And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.
  2. Cross References
    Matthew 13:44
    Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
    Revelation 3:18
    I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
  3. Cross References
    Matthew 11:28
    Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
  4. Cross References
    Isaiah 54:8
    With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you," Says the LORD, your Redeemer.
    Isaiah 61:8
    For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery for burnt offering; I will direct their work in truth, And will make with them an everlasting covenant.
    Jeremiah 32:40
    And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.
  5. Cross References
    2 Samuel 7:8
    Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel.
    Psalms 89:28
    My mercy I will keep for him forever, And My covenant shall stand firm with him.
    Acts 13:34
    "And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus: 'I will give you the sure mercies of David.'
  6. Cross References
    John 18:37
    Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.
    Revelation 1:5
    And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.
  7. Cross References
    Jeremiah 30:9
    But they shall serve the LORD their God, And David their king, Whom I will raise up for them.
    Ezekiel 34:23
    I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them - My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd.
    Daniel 9:25
    Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.
  8. Cross References
    Isaiah 52:15
    So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; For what had not been told them they shall see, And what they had not heard they shall consider.
    Ephesians 2:11
    Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh - who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands -
    Ephesians 2:12
    That at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
  9. Cross References
    Isaiah 60:5
    Then you shall see and become radiant, And your heart shall swell with joy; Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you.
  10. Cross References
    Isaiah 60:9
    Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me; And the ships of Tarshish will come first, To bring your sons from afar, Their silver and their gold with them, To the name of the LORD your God, And to the Holy One of Israel, Because He has glorified you.
  11. Cross References
    Matthew 5:25
    Agree with your adversary quickly, while you ar...
    Matthew 25:11
    "Afterward the other virgins came also, saying,...
    John 7:34
    "You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I ...
    John 8:21
    Then Jesus said to them again, "I am going away...
    2 Corinthians 6:2
    For He says: "In an acceptable time I have hear...
    Hebrews 3:13
    But exhort one another daily, while it is calle...
  12. Cross References
    Psalms 32:6
    For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters They shall not come near him.
    Isaiah 49:8
    Thus says the LORD: "In an acceptable time I have heard You, And in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You As a covenant to the people, To restore the earth, To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages.
  13. Cross References
    Isaiah 1:16
    Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil.
  14. Cross References
    Isaiah 59:7
    Their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; Wasting and destruction are in their paths.
    Zechariah 8:17
    Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor; And do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate,' Says the LORD.
  15. Cross References
    Psalms 130:7
    O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption.
    Jeremiah 3:12
    Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: 'Return, backsliding Israel,' says the LORD; 'I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,' says the LORD; 'I will not remain angry forever.
  16. Cross References
    2 Samuel 7:19
    And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord GOD; and You have also spoken of Your servant's house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD?
  17. Cross References
    Psalms 103:11
    For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him.
  18. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 32:2
    Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, As raindrops on the tender herb, And as showers on the grass.
  19. Cross References
    Isaiah 45:23
    I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.
    Matthew 24:35
    Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
  20. Cross References
    Isaiah 46:9 - 11
    Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me.
  21. Cross References
    Isaiah 35:10
    And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
  22. Cross References
    Psalms 98:8
    Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the hills be joyful together before the LORD.
  23. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 16:33
    Then the trees of the woods shall rejoice before the LORD, For He is coming to judge the earth.
  24. Cross References
    Isaiah 41:19
    I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree, The myrtle and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the cypress tree and the pine And the box tree together.
  25. Cross References
    Micah 7:4
    The best of them is like a brier; The most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge; The day of your watchman and your punishment comes; Now shall be their perplexity.
  26. Cross References
    Jeremiah 13:11
    'For as the sash clings to the waist of a man, so I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to Me,' says the LORD, 'that they may become My people, for renown, for praise, and for glory; but they would not hear.'
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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