Isaiah 55:7 (KJV)

Passage

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 55:5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.

Isaiah 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

Isaiah 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "mercy", "wicked", "forsake", "unrighteous", "thoughts", "return", "lord", and "upon". 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 "Seek ye the LORD while he may..." into verse 8's "For my thoughts 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.