HOLY BIBLE: Isaiah 55 (original) (raw)

6 ζητήσατε τὸν θεὸν καὶ ἐν τῷ εὑρίσκειν αὐτὸν ἐπικαλέσασθε ἡνίκα {D'} ἂν ἐγγίζῃ ὑμῖν 7 ἀπολιπέτω ὁ ἀσεβὴς τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνὴρ ἄνομος τὰς βουλὰς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπιστραφήτω ἐπὶ κύριον καὶ ἐλεηθήσεται ὅτι ἐπὶ πολὺ ἀφήσει τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὑμῶν 8 οὐ γάρ εἰσιν αἱ βουλαί μου ὥσπερ αἱ βουλαὶ ὑμῶν οὐδὲ ὥσπερ αἱ ὁδοὶ ὑμῶν αἱ ὁδοί μου λέγει κύριος 9 ἀλ{L'} ὡς ἀπέχει ὁ οὐρανὸς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς οὕτως ἀπέχει ἡ ὁδός μου ἀπὸ τῶν ὁδῶν ὑμῶν καὶ τὰ διανοήματα ὑμῶν ἀπὸ τῆς διανοίας μου 10 ὡς γὰρ ἐὰν καταβῇ ὑετὸς ἢ χιὼν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀποστραφῇ ἕως ἂν μεθύσῃ τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐκτέκῃ καὶ ἐκβλαστήσῃ καὶ δῷ σπέρμα τῷ σπείροντι καὶ ἄρτον εἰς βρῶσιν 11 οὕτως ἔσται τὸ ῥῆμά μου ὃ ἐὰν ἐξέλθῃ ἐκ τοῦ στόματός μου οὐ μὴ ἀποστραφῇ ἕως ἂν συντελεσθῇ ὅσα ἠθέλησα καὶ εὐοδώσω τὰς ὁδούς σου καὶ τὰ ἐντάλματά μου 12 ἐν γὰρ εὐφροσύνῃ ἐξελεύσεσθε καὶ ἐν χαρᾷ διδαχθήσεσθε τὰ γὰρ ὄρη καὶ οἱ βουνοὶ ἐξαλοῦνται προσδεχόμενοι ὑμᾶς ἐν χαρᾷ καὶ πάντα τὰ ξύλα τοῦ ἀγροῦ ἐπικροτήσει τοῖς κλάδοις 13 καὶ ἀντὶ τῆς στοιβῆς ἀναβήσεται κυπάρισσος ἀντὶ δὲ τῆς κονύζης ἀναβήσεται μυρσίνη καὶ ἔσται κύριος εἰς ὄνομα καὶ εἰς σημεῖον αἰώνιον καὶ οὐκ ἐκλείψει

6 To the Lord betake you, while he may yet be found; cry out, while he is close at hand to hear. 7 Leave rebel his ill-doing, sinner his guilty thoughts, and come back to the Lord, sure of his mercy, our God, so rich in pardon. 8 Not mine, the Lord says, to think as you think, deal as you deal; 9 by the full height of heaven above earth, my dealings are higher than your dealings, my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 Once fallen from the sky, does rain or snow return to it? Nay, it refreshes earth, soaking into it and making it fruitful, to provide the sower with fresh seed, the hungry mouths with bread. 11 So it is with the word by these lips of mine once uttered; it will not come back, an empty echo, the way it went; all my will it carries out, speeds on its errand. 12 Doubt not, then, yours shall be a happy departure, a peaceful return; doubt not mountain and hill shall escort you with their praises, and the woods echo their applause. 13 Tall pine-trees then shall grow where valerian grew, and myrtles spring from yonder nettle-beds; great glory the Lord shall win, such a blazon as eternity cannot efface.

6
Quærite Dominum dum inveniri potest;
invocate eum dum prope est. 7
Derelinquat impius viam suam,
et vir iniquus cogitationes suas,
et revertatur ad Dominum, et miserebitur ejus;
et ad Deum nostrum, quoniam multus est ad ignoscendum. 8
Non enim cogitationes meæ cogitationes vestræ,
neque viæ vestræ viæ meæ, dicit Dominus. 9
Quia sicut exaltantur cæli a terra,
sic exaltatæ sunt viæ meæ a viis vestris,
et cogitationes meæ a cogitationibus vestris. 10
Et quomodo descendit imber et nix de cælo,
et illuc ultra non revertitur,
sed inebriat terram, et infundit eam,
et germinare eam facit,
et dat semen serenti,
et panem comedenti: 11
sic erit verbum meum quod egredietur de ore meo;
non revertetur ad me vacuum,
sed faciet quæcumque volui,
et prosperabitur in his ad quæ misi illud. 12
Quia in lætitia egrediemini,
et in pace deducemini;
montes et colles cantabunt coram vobis laudem,
et omnia ligna regionis plaudent manu. 13
Pro saliunca ascendet abies,
et pro urtica crescet myrtus;
et erit Dominus nominatus
in signum æternum quod non auferetur.

[1] Cf. Ps. 88.35-38; Ac. 13.34.

[2] This is ordinarily assumed to refer to David, but the description is not very suitable, and it seems possible that the prophet, with one of his sudden transitions, has gone back to the Lord’s Servant here.

[3] The person mentioned in verse 4 is more probably the subject of this address, than the people of Israel.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd