Isaiah 55:1–13

Read down to the center, where the pattern turns; then rise back out through its mirror.

A. 1-3a — Promise of Food and Drink
- a. (1) "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money"
- b. "come ye, buy, and eat"
- b'. "yea, come, buy wine and milk"
- a'. "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?"
- a. "hearken diligently unto me"
- b. "and eat ye that which is good"
- b'. "and let your soul delight itself in fatness"
- a'. (3a) "Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live"
B. 3b-5 — Covenant Mercy
- "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"
C. 6-7 — Call to Repentance (center)
- a. (6) "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near"
- b. (7) "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts"
- c. "and let him return unto the LORD; and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon"
B'. 8-9 — Forgiveness
- a. (8) "For my thoughts are not your thoughts"
- b. "neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD"
- c. (9) "For as the heavens are higher than the earth"
- b'. "so are my ways higher than your ways"
- a'. "and my thoughts than your thoughts"
A'. 10-13 — Promise of Food and Drink
- a. (10) "For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven"
- b. "and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth"
- c. "and maketh it bring forth and bud"
- d. "that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater"
- a'. (11) "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth"
- b'. "it shall not return unto me void"
- c'. "but it shall accomplish that which I please"
- d'. "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"