Isaiah 55:7 (GNV)

Passage

Let the wicked forsake his wayes, and the vnrighteous his owne imaginations, and returne vnto the Lord, and he wil haue mercy vpon him: and to our God, for hee is very ready to forgiue.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 55:5 Beholde, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and a nation that knew not thee, shall runne vnto thee, because of the Lord thy God, and the holy one of Israel: for hee hath glorified thee.

Isaiah 55:6 Seeke ye the Lord while he may be found: call ye vpon him while he is neere.

Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his wayes, and the vnrighteous his owne imaginations, and returne vnto the Lord, and he wil haue mercy vpon him: and to our God, for hee is very ready to forgiue.

Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughtes are not your thoughts, neither are your wayes my wayes, sayth the Lord.

Isaiah 55:9 For as ye heauens are higher then the earth, so are my wayes higher then your wayes, and my thoughtes aboue your thoughts.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "mercy", "wicked", "forsake", "wayes", "vnrighteous", "owne", "imaginations", and "returne". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "mercy" and "wicked", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "Seeke ye the Lord while he may..." into verse 8's "For my thoughtes are not your thoughts...", so "mercy" and "wicked" belong inside that flow. In Isaiah context, the local focus is the Holy One of Israel, judgment and restoration, the servant of the LORD, and Zion's hope.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "mercy" and "wicked" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.