What does Isaias Chapter 55 say, and which statements belong to its speaker?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The invitation joins free food, attentive hearing and David’s mercies. Returning from wicked ways meets promised bountiful forgiveness. Rain and snow illustrate the word’s purpose before joyful departure.

Chapter breakdown

Isaias 55 invites all thirsty people, including those without money, to waters, wine and milk without price. A question challenges spending on what is not bread or satisfying labor. Hearing brings good food, soul's richness and life, with an everlasting covenant and David's faithful mercies. A witness, leader and master is given to peoples and Gentiles; unknown nations are called and run because the Holy One has glorified the addressee.

Seekers are told to call while the Lord is near. Wicked ways and unjust thoughts are to be forsaken in a return met with mercy and bountiful forgiveness. The Lord's thoughts and ways differ from and rise above theirs as heaven above earth; the chapter does not describe divine thought as wholly inaccessible or every human good as counterfeit.

Rain and snow descend, soak earth and produce growth, seed for sowing and bread for eating. The word is compared with this productive descent, accomplishing the sender's pleasure rather than returning void. Joyful departure and peaceful leading accompany singing mountains and hills and clapping country trees. Fir replaces shrub and myrtle nettle as an everlasting sign. The edition heading reads spiritual graces through faith in Christ. A specified escape from bondage, seasonal water-cycle mechanism, pure milk and thorny shrub variety are not added.

The story inside

Opening: The invitation joins free food, attentive hearing and David’s mercies. Development: Returning from wicked ways meets promised bountiful forgiveness. Conclusion: Rain and snow illustrate the word’s purpose before joyful departure.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The invitation joins free food, attentive hearing and David’s mercies.
2
Returning from wicked ways meets promised bountiful forgiveness.
3
Rain and snow illustrate the word’s purpose before joyful departure.

Test your recall

Which images and requests does the speaker use, and what does the chapter leave unresolved?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 83073–83084
55:1. All you that thirst, come to the waters: and you that have no money make haste, buy, and eat: come ye, buy wine and milk without money, and without any price. 55:2. Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which doth not satisfy you? Hearken diligently to me, and eat that which is good, and your soul shall be delighted in fatness. 55:3. Incline your ear and come to me: hear and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the faithful mercies of David.
Lines 83093–83104
55:6. Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found: call upon him, while he is near. 55:7. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unjust man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God: for he is bountiful to forgive. 55:8. For my thoughts are not your thoughts: nor your ways my ways, saith the Lord. 55:9. For as the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are my ways exalted above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts.
Lines 83106–83112
55:10. And as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and return no more thither, but soak the earth, and water it, and make it to spring, and give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 55:11. So shall my word be, which shall go forth from my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall do whatsoever I please, and shall prosper in the things for which I sent it.