Isaiah

¹ come to the water! Are you penniless? Come anyway—buy and eat! Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk. Buy without money—everything's free!

² your hard-earned cash on cotton candy? Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best, fill yourself with only the finest.

³ listen carefully to my life-giving, life-nourishing words. I'm making a lasting covenant commitment with you, the same that I made with David: sure, solid, enduring love.

⁴ made him a prince and leader of the nations,

⁵ You'll summon nations you've never heard of, and nations who've never heard of you will come running to you Because of me, your God, because The Holy of Israel has honored you."

⁶ pray to him while he's close at hand.

⁷ and the evil their way of thinking. Let them come back to God, who is merciful, come back to our God, who is lavish with forgiveness.

⁸ The way you work isn't the way I work." God's Decree.

⁹ so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think.

¹⁰ and don't go back until they've watered the earth, Doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,

¹¹ not come back empty-handed. They'll do the work I sent them to do, they'll complete the assignment I gave them.

¹² you'll be led into a whole and complete life. The mountains and hills will lead the parade, bursting with song. All the trees of the forest will join the procession, exuberant with applause.

¹³ no more thornbushes, but stately pines— Monuments to me, to God, living and lasting evidence of God."