Isaiah 55

• 1. "Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink--even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk--it's all free!
• 2. Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen, and I will tell you where to get food that is good for the soul!
• 3. "Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the life of your soul is at stake. I am ready to make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the mercies and unfailing love that I promised to David.
• 4. He displayed my power by being my witness and a leader among the nations.
• 5. You also will command the nations, and they will come running to obey, because I, the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, have made you glorious."
• 6. Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.
• 7. Let the people turn from their wicked deeds. Let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
• 8. "My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
• 9. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
• 10. "The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry.
• 11. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
• 12. You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands!
• 13. Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where briers grew, myrtles will sprout up. This miracle will bring great honor to the LORD's name; it will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.

Isaiah 56

• 1. "Be just and fair to all," says the LORD. "Do what is right and good, for I am coming soon to rescue you.
• 2. Blessed are those who are careful to do this. Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest by refusing to work. And blessed are those who keep themselves from doing wrong.
• 3. "And my blessings are for Gentiles, too, when they commit themselves to the LORD. Do not let them think that I consider them second-class citizens. And my blessings are also for the eunuchs. They are as much mine as anyone else.
• 4. For I say this to the eunuchs who keep my Sabbath days holy, who choose to do what pleases me and commit their lives to me:
• 5. I will give them--in my house, within my walls--a memorial and a name far greater than the honor they would have received by having sons and daughters. For the name I give them is an everlasting one. It will never disappear!
• 6. "I will also bless the Gentiles who commit themselves to the LORD and serve him and love his name, who worship him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest, and who have accepted his covenant.
• 7. I will bring them also to my holy mountain of Jerusalem and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer. I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices, because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.
• 8. For the Sovereign LORD, who brings back the outcasts of Israel, says: I will bring others, too, besides my people Israel."
• 9. Come, wild animals of the field! Come, wild animals of the forest! Come and devour my people!
• 10. For the leaders of my people--the LORD's watchmen, his shepherds--are blind to every danger. They are like silent watchdogs that give no warning when danger comes. They love to lie around, sleeping and dreaming.
• 11. And they are as greedy as dogs, never satisfied. They are stupid shepherds, all following their own path, all of them intent on personal gain.
• 12. "Come," they say. "We will get some wine and have a party. Let's all get drunk. Let this go on and on, and tomorrow will be even better."

Isaiah 57

• 1. The righteous pass away; the godly often die before their time. And no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come.
• 2. For the godly who die will rest in peace.
• 3. "But you--come here, you witches' children, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes!
• 4. Whom do you mock, making faces and sticking out your tongues? You children of sinners and liars!
• 5. You worship your idols with great passion beneath every green tree. You slaughter your children as human sacrifices down in the valleys, under overhanging rocks.
• 6. Your gods are the smooth stones in the valleys. You worship them with drink offerings and grain offerings. They, not I, are your inheritance. Does all this make me happy?
• 7. You have committed adultery on the mountaintops by worshiping idols there, and so you have been unfaithful to me.
• 8. Behind closed doors, you have set up your idols and worship them instead of me. This is adultery, for you are loving these idols instead of loving me. You have climbed right into bed with these detestable gods.
• 9. You have given olive oil and perfume to Molech as your gift. You have traveled far, even into the world of the dead, to find new gods to love.
• 10. You grew weary in your search, but you never gave up. You strengthened yourself and went on.
• 11. Why were you more afraid of them than of me? How is it that you don't even remember me or think about me? Is it because I have not corrected you that you have no fear of me?
• 12. "Now I will expose your so-called good deeds that you consider so righteous. None of them will benefit or save you.
• 13. Let's see if your idols can do anything for you when you cry to them for help. They are so helpless that a breath of wind can knock them down! But whoever trusts in me will possess the land and inherit my holy mountain.
• 14. I will say, `Rebuild the road! Clear away the rocks and stones so my people can return from captivity.'"
• 15. The high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, the Holy One, says this: "I live in that high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I refresh the humble and give new courage to those with repentant hearts.
• 16. For I will not fight against you forever; I will not always show my anger. If I did, all people would pass away--all the souls I have made.
• 17. I was angry and punished these greedy people. I withdrew myself from them, but they went right on sinning.
• 18. I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them and comfort those who mourn.
• 19. Then words of praise will be on their lips. May they have peace, both near and far, for I will heal them all," says the LORD.
• 20. "But those who still reject me are like the restless sea. It is never still but continually churns up mire and dirt.
• 21. There is no peace for the wicked," says my God.

New Living Translation: 255 of 324 days.