Isaiah
Chapter 55
Covenant of the Lord
Come here, all you who are thirsty, come to the water! All who have no money, come! Yes, buy and drink wine and milk without money and at no cost.
Why spend money on what is not food and labor for what does not satisfy? Listen to me, and you will eat well and enjoy the richest of fare.
Incline your ear and come to me; listen, your soul may live. I will make with you an everlasting Covenant, I will fulfill in you my promises to David.
See, I have given him for a witness to the nations, a leader and commander of the people.
Likewise, you will summon a nation unknown to you, and nations that do not know you will hurry to you for the sake of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has promoted you.
The Word of the Lord
Seek the Lord while he may be found; call to him while he is near.
Let the wicked abandon his way, let him forsake his thoughts, let him turn to the Lord, for he will have mercy, for our God is generous in forgiving.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are not your ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are above the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return till they have watered the earth, making it yield seed for the sower and food for others to eat,
so is my word that goes forth out of my mouth: it will not return to me idle, but it shall accomplish my will, the purpose for which it has been sent.
Epilogue: Departure from Babylon
Yes, in joy, you will depart; in peace, you will be led forth: mountains and hills will break into song before you, and trees of the countryside will clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn bush, the cypress will thrive; instead of briers, the myrtle. This will make the Lord famous and remain as an everlasting witness to him.
Commentaries
Covenant of the Lord.
God invites the exiles in Babylon to return and join in a banquet he will prepare to establish an eternal covenant (2-3; cf. Ex 24:9-11). In the book of Proverbs, Wisdom, personified, also extends a similar invitation (Prov 9:1-6). The prophecy made to the house of David will come true (cf. 2 Sm 7). The Persian nation is the people who, without knowing the “Holy One of Israel,” grant Him freedom.
The Word of the Lord.
The prophet intervenes in verses 6-7 to urge the exiles to respond to the Lord’s invitation at the right moment. God’s mercy has ways and means that are mysterious to us (8-9), and his word is powerful; it has the ability to create life, nourish, sustain, and renew creation (10-11).
Epilogue: Departure from Babylon.
These final two verses conclude the entire “Book of Consolation,” leaving listeners with images of the return or the new Exodus (cf. 43:19; 44:3f).