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55 <1> "All you thirsty people,
come drink water!
Don't worry if you have no money.
Come, eat and drink until you are full!
You don't need money;
eat and drink until you are full.
The milk and wine are free.
<2> Why waste your money on something
that is not real food?
Why should you work for something
that does not really satisfy you?
Listen very closely to me,
and you will eat the good food.
You will enjoy the food
that satisfies your soul.
<3> Listen closely to what I say.
Listen to me so that your souls will live.
Come to me, and I will make an agreement
with you that will continue forever.
It will be like the agreement
that I made with David.
I promised David that I would love him
and be loyal to him forever.
And you can trust that agreement.
<4> I made David a witness of my power
for all nations.
I promised David that he would become
a ruler and a commander of many nations."
<5> There are nations in places you don't know,
but you will call for these nations.
They don't know you,
but they will run to you.
This will happen because the Lord,
your God, wants it.
This will happen because the Holy One
of Israel honors you.
<6> So you should look for the Lord
before it is too late.
You should call to him now,
while he is near.
<7> Evil people should stop living evil lives.
They should stop thinking bad thoughts.
They should come to the Lord again,
and he will comfort them.
They should come to our God
because he will freely forgive them.
<8> The Lord says,
"Your thoughts are not like my thoughts.
Your ways are not like my ways.
<9> The heavens are higher than the earth.
In the same way my ways are higher than your ways,
and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts."
This is what he Lord himself said.
<10> "Rain and snow fall from the sky,
and they don't go back to the sky until they touch the ground and make it wet.
Then the ground causes the plants
to sprout and grow, and they produce seeds for the farmer.
People use the seeds to make bread to eat.
<11> In the same way my words leave my mouth,
and they don't come back until they make things happen.
My words make the things happen
that I want to happen.
My words succeed in doing
what I send them to do.
<12> My words will go out with happiness,
and they will bring peace.
Mountains and hills will begin dancing with happiness.
All the trees in the fields will clap their hands.
<13> Large cypress trees will grow
where there were bushes.
Myrtle trees will grow
where there were weeds.
These things will make the Lord famous.
These things will be proof
[that the Lord is powerful].
This proof will never be destroyed."
© Copyright 2004 World Bible Translation Center.