2. Post-Exile: The Blessing & Judgment Cycles ( 40:1 - 66:24 ) - 701-681 B.C., Israel

(These 8 groups of prophecies alternate between blessings on Israel and judgment on God's enemies.)

E. Cycle 5 (52:1 - 57:13)

1. Blessing on God's People and on the Nations (52:1 - 56:8)

(Zion and Foreign Converts will be Blessed by the Redeemer)

c. Blessing of an Everlasting Covenant of Redemption (55:1-13)

¹ Ho,
every one that thirsteth,
come ye to the waters,
and he that hath no [nothing of] money;
come ye,
buy,
and eat;
yea come,
buy wine and milk
without money
and without price.
² Wherefore do ye spend money
for that which is not bread?
and your labour for that which satisfieth not?
hearken diligently [hear hearing] unto me,
and eat ye that which is good,
and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
³ Incline your ear,
and come unto me:
hear,
and your soul shall live;
and I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
even the sure mercies of David.
⁴ Behold,
I have given him
for a witness to the people,
a leader
and commander to the people.
⁵ Behold,
thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not,
and nations that knew not thee
shall run unto thee
because of the LORD thy God,
and for the Holy One of Israel;
for he hath glorified thee.

⁶ Seek ye the LORD
while he may be found,
call ye upon him
while he is near:
⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts:
and let him return unto the LORD,
and he will have mercy upon him;
and to our God,
for he will abundantly pardon.
⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,
saith the LORD.
⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
¹⁰ For as the rain cometh down,
and the snow from heaven,
and returneth not thither,
but watereth [this] the earth,
and maketh it bring forth and bud,
that it may give seed to the sower,
and bread to the eater:
¹¹ So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:
it shall not return unto me void,
but it shall accomplish [this] that which I please,
and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

¹² For ye shall go out with joy,
and be led forth with peace:
the mountains and the hills
shall break forth before you into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
¹³ Instead of the thorn
shall come up the fir tree,
and instead of the brier
shall come up the myrtle tree:
and it shall be to the LORD for a name,
for an everlasting sign
that shall not be cut off.