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The Free Offer of Mercy

¹ "Ho! Every one who ^(C1)thirsts, come to the waters;
And you who have ^(C2)no ^(F1)money come, buy and eat.
Come, buy ^(C3)wine and milk
^(C4)Without money and without cost.

² "Why do you ^(F1)spend money for what is ^(C1)not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and ^(C2)eat what is good,
And ^(C3)delight yourself in abundance.

³ "^(C1)Incline your ear and come to Me.
Listen, that ^(F1)you may ^(C2)live;
And I will make ^(C3)an everlasting covenant with you,
According to the ^(C4)faithful mercies ^(F2)shown to David.

⁴ "Behold, I have made ^(C1)him a witness to the peoples,
A ^(C2)leader and commander for the peoples.

⁵ "Behold, you will call a ^(C1)nation you do not know,
And a nation which knows you not will ^(C2)run to you,
Because of the LORD your God, even the Holy One of Israel;
For He has ^(C3)glorified you."

^6 (C1)Seek the LORD while He may be found;
^(C2)Call upon Him while He is near.

^7 (C1)Let the wicked forsake his way
And the unrighteous man his ^(C2)thoughts;
And let him ^(C3)return to the LORD,
And He will have ^(C4)compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will ^(C5)abundantly pardon.

⁸ "For My thoughts are not ^(C1)your thoughts,
Nor are ^(C2)your ways My ways," declares the LORD.

⁹ "For ^(C1)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 ^(C1)rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing ^(C2)seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

¹¹ So will My ^(C1)word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will ^(C2)not return to Me empty,
Without ^(C3)accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

¹² "For you will go out with ^(C1)joy
And be led forth with ^(C2)peace;
The ^(C3)mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,
And all the ^(C4)trees of the field will clap their hands.

¹³ "Instead of the ^(C1)thorn bush the ^(C2)cypress will come up,
And instead of the ^(C3)nettle the myrtle will come up,
And ^(F1)it will be a ^(F2)(C4)memorial to the LORD,
For an everlasting ^(C5)sign which ^(C6)will not be cut off."