1. Isaiah 55 (New International Version)
Invitation to the Thirsty
1
"Come, all you who are for he has endowed you
thirsty, with splendor."
come to the waters;
6
and you who have no Seek the LORD while he may
money, be found;
come, buy and eat! call on him while he is
Come, buy wine and milk near.
without money and without
7
cost. Let the wicked forsake his
way
2
Why spend money on what is and the evil man his
not bread, thoughts.
and your labor on what Let him turn to the LORD,
does not satisfy? and he will have mercy on him,
Listen, listen to me, and and to our God, for he will
eat what is good, freely pardon.
and your soul will delight in
8
the richest of fare. "For my thoughts are not your
thoughts,
3
Give ear and come to me; neither are your ways my
hear me, that your soul ways,"
may live. declares the LORD.
I will make an everlasting
9
covenant with you, "As the heavens are higher
my faithful love promised than the earth,
to David. so are my ways higher
than your ways
4
See, I have made him a and my thoughts than your
witness to the peoples, thoughts.
a leader and commander of
10
the peoples. As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
5
Surely you will summon and do not return to it
nations you know not, without watering the earth
and nations that do not and making it bud and
know you will hasten to you, flourish,
because of the LORD your so that it yields seed for
God, the sower and bread for the
the Holy One of Israel, eater,

2. 11
so is my word that goes out and all the trees of the field
from my mouth:
It will not return to me will clap their hands.
empty,
13
but will accomplish what I Instead of the thornbush will
desire grow the pine tree,
and achieve the purpose and instead of briers the
for which I sent it. myrtle will grow.
This will be for the LORD's
12
You will go out in joy renown,
and be led forth in peace; for an everlasting sign,
the mountains and hills which will not be
will burst into song before destroyed."
you,
Isaiah 55 (King James Version)
1
Ho, every one that thirsteth, Behold, thou shalt call a nation
5
come ye to the waters, and he that thou knowest not, and
that hath no money; come ye, nations that knew not thee shall
buy, and eat; yea, come, buy run unto thee because of the
wine and milk without money LORD thy God, and for the Holy
and without price. One of Israel; for he hath
glorified thee.
2
Wherefore do ye spend money
for that which is not bread? and Seek ye the LORD while he
6
your labour for that which may be found, call ye upon him
satisfieth not? hearken diligently while he is near:
unto me, and eat ye that which
is good, and let your soul Let the wicked forsake his way,
7
delight itself in fatness. and the unrighteous man his
thoughts: and let him return
3
Incline your ear, and come unto the LORD, and he will have
unto me: hear, and your soul mercy upon him; and to our
shall live; and I will make an God, for he will abundantly
everlasting covenant with you, pardon.
even the sure mercies of David.
For my thoughts are not your
8
4
Behold, I have given him for a thoughts, neither are your ways
witness to the people, a leader my ways, saith the LORD.
and commander to the people.

3. 9
For as the heavens are higher prosper in the thing whereto I
than the earth, so are my ways sent it.
higher than your ways, and my
thoughts than your thoughts. For ye shall go out with joy,
12
and be led forth with peace: the
10
For as the rain cometh down, mountains and the hills shall
and the snow from heaven, and break forth before you into
returneth not thither, but singing, and all the trees of the
watereth the earth, and maketh field shall clap their hands.
it bring forth and bud, that it
may give seed to the sower, Instead of the thorn shall
13
and bread to the eater: come up the fir tree, and
instead of the brier shall come
11
So shall my word be that up the myrtle tree: and it shall
goeth forth out of my mouth: it be to the LORD for a name, for
shall not return unto me void, an everlasting sign that shall
but it shall accomplish that not be cut off.
which I please, and it shall
Isaiah 55 (The Message)
Buy Without Money
1-5
"Hey there! All who are commitment with you,
thirsty, the same that I made with
come to the water! David: sure, solid, enduring
Are you penniless? love.
Come anyway—buy and eat! I set him up as a witness to the
Come, buy your drinks, buy nations,
wine and milk. made him a prince and leader
Buy without money— of the nations,
everything's free! And now I'm doing it to you:
Why do you spend your money You'll summon nations you've
on junk food, never heard of,
your hard-earned cash on and nations who've never heard
cotton candy? of you
Listen to me, listen well: Eat will come running to you
only the best, Because of me, your God,
fill yourself with only the because The Holy of Israel
finest. has honored you."
Pay attention, come close now,
listen carefully to my life- Seek God while he's here to
6-7
giving, life-nourishing words. be found,
I'm making a lasting covenant pray to him while he's close at

4. hand. producing seed for farmers
Let the wicked abandon their and food for the hungry,
way of life So will the words that come out
and the evil their way of of my mouth
thinking. not come back empty-handed.
Let them come back to God, They'll do the work I sent them
who is merciful, to do,
come back to our God, who is they'll complete the
lavish with forgiveness. assignment I gave them.
"I don't think the way you
8-11
"So you'll go out in joy,
12-13
think. you'll be led into a whole and
The way you work isn't the complete life.
way I work." The mountains and hills will lead
God's Decree. the parade,
"For as the sky soars high above bursting with song.
earth, All the trees of the forest will
so the way I work surpasses join the procession,
the way you work, exuberant with applause.
and the way I think is beyond No more thistles, but giant
the way you think. sequoias,
Just as rain and snow descend no more thornbushes, but
from the skies stately pines—
and don't go back until Monuments to me, to God,
they've watered the earth, living and lasting evidence of
Doing their work of making God."
things grow and blossom,

5. Lexicon passages
But why study Hebrew?
The Old Testament was written 2,500 to 3,500 years ago by a people whose culture and
lifestyle were very different from our own. When we read the Word of God as a modern
day Christian, our culture and lifestyle often influence our interpretation of the words and
phrases.
The word rain is a good example of how culture can influence ones view of a word. To a
bride and groom preparing for an outdoor wedding the news of rain has a negative
meaning, but to the farmer in the middle of a drought, the same word has a positive
meaning. For many of us, rain means a spoiled picnic but to the ancient Hebrews, rain
meant life, for without it their nomadic life would end. Without a cultural understanding of
the words in the Bible, much is missed or overlooked.
Many times our modern culture can influence definitions of words in a way not intended by
the original author. The Bible often refers to the keeping and breaking God's commands
and covenant. To "keep" the commands of God is generally understood as to "obey" the
commands, but this is not completely true since the Hebrew word "shamar" (rm#) literally
means to guard or protect. The breaking of the commands is understood as "disobeying"
but the Hebrew word "Parar" (rrp) literally means to trample underfoot).
Jeff L Garrison
www.StudyLight.org
2010
About the Thompson Chain Reference Bible
Early in his ministry as a Methodist Preacher, Dr. Frank Charles Thompson realized
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6. About the Author
Dr. Frank Charles Thompson was born in 1858, in Elmira, New York. He was
ordained into the Methodist ministry in 1879. While pastoring in Genesee, county,
New York, he began to make extensive notes in his bible. Members of his church
offered to help pay for the publication of the marginal notes. The original hand-
written notes in the margins of Dr. Thompson's personal Bible are on display at
Kirkbride Bible Company offices in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The first edition of the Thompson Chain-Reference Bible was published in 1908, by
the Methodist's Book Concern of Dobbs Ferry, New York, and Thompson Chain rose
to popularity by 1915. Now more than 11 million copies have been sold. In addition
to his work with the chain-reference-bible, Dr. Thompson wrote two books: Bob's
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Thompson died, in 1940.