Isaiah 57
1 The righteous has perished, And there is none laying [it] to heart, And men of kindness are gathered, Without any considering that from the face of evil The righteous one is gathered.
The righteous man perisheth, and no one layeth it to heart; And pious men are taken away, and none considereth That because of the evil the righteous man is taken away.
2 He enters into peace, they rest on their beds, [Each] is going straightforward.
He entereth into peace; He resteth in his bed, Every one that walketh in uprightness.
3 “And you, come near here, O sons of a sorceress, seed of an adulterer, Even you commit whoredom.
But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, Ye brood of the adulterer and the harlot!
4 Against whom do you sport yourselves? Against whom do you enlarge the mouth [And] prolong the tongue? Are you not children of transgression? A false seed?
Of whom do ye make your sport, And at whom do ye make wide the mouth, And draw out the tongue? Are ye not rebellious children, a treacherous brood?
5 Who are inflamed among oaks, under every green tree, Slaughtering the children in valleys, Under clefts of the rocks.
Burning with lust for idols Under every green tree, Slaying children in the valleys, Under the clefts of the rocks?
6 Your portion [is] among the smooth things of a brook, They [are] your lot, You have also poured out an oblation to them, You have caused a present to ascend, Am I comforted in these things?
With the smooth stones of the valley is thy portion; These, these are thy lot; Here thou pourest out thy drink-offering, And presentest thy meat-offering; Can I see such things, and be at rest?
7 On a mountain, high and exalted, You have set your bed, You have also gone up there to make a sacrifice.
Upon a high and lofty mountain settest thou thy bed; Thither dost thou go up to offer sacrifice;
8 And behind the door, and the post, You have set up your memorial, For you have removed from Me, and go up, You have enlarged your bed, And cut [a covenant] with them, You have loved their bed, the station you saw,
Behind the doors and the posts dost thou place thy memorial; Thou departest from me, and uncoverest, and ascendest, and enlargest thy bed. Thou makest an agreement with them; Thou desirest their bed; Thou choosest a place.
9 And go joyfully to the king in ointment, And multiply your perfumes, And send your ambassadors far off, And humble yourself to Sheol. (Sheol h7585)
Thou goest to the king with oil, And takest much precious perfume; Thou sendest thine ambassadors afar, Yea, down to the under-world. (Sheol h7585)
10 You have labored in the greatness of your way, You have not said, It is desperate. You have found the life of your hand, Therefore you have not been sick.
In the length of thy journeys thou hast wearied thyself, But thou sayest not, “I will desist”; Thou yet findest life in thy hand, Therefore thou art not discouraged.
11 And of whom have you been afraid, and fear, That you lie, and have not remembered Me? You have not laid [it] to your heart, Am I not silent, even from of old? And you do not fear Me?
On account of whom art thou anxious, and of whom art thou afraid, that thou hast proved false, And hast not remembered me, nor laid it to heart? Behold, I have been silent a long time; Therefore thou fearest me not.
12 I declare your righteousness, and your works, And they do not profit you.
But now I announce thy deliverance, And thy works do not profit thee.
13 When you cry, let your gatherings deliver you, And wind carries all of them away, Vanity takes away, And whoever is trusting in Me inherits the land, And possesses My holy mountain.”
When thou criest, let thy host of idols deliver thee! But the wind shall bear them all away; A breath shall take them off; But he that putteth his trust in me Shall possess the land, And shall inherit my holy mountain.
14 And He has said, “Raise up, raise up, prepare a way, Lift a stumbling-block out of the way of My people.”
Men shall say, Cast up, cast up, prepare the road; Remove every obstruction from the way of my people!
15 For thus said the high and exalted One, Inhabiting eternity, and His Name [is] holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, And with the bruised and humble of spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of bruised ones,
For thus saith the high and lofty One That inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place; With him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit; To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
16 For I do not strive for all time, nor am I angry forever, For the spirit is feeble before Me, And the souls I have made.
For I will not contend forever, Nor will I be always angry; For life would fail before me, And the souls which I created.
17 For the iniquity of his dishonest gain, I have been angry, and I strike him, Hiding—and am angry, And he goes on turning back in the way of his heart.
For the guilt of his covetousness I was angry; I smote him, I hid myself, and was angry; But yet he went on perversely in the way of his heart.
18 I have seen his ways, and I heal him, indeed, I lead him, And repay comforts to him and to his mourning ones.
I have seen his ways, yet will I heal him; I will guide him, and I will restore comfort To him and to his mourners;
19 Producing the fruit of the lips, Peace, peace, to the far off, and to the near, And I have healed him,” said YHWH.
I create the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is nigh, Saith Jehovah; I will heal him.
20 And the wicked [are] as the driven out sea, For it is not able to rest, And its waters cast out filth and mire.
But the wicked is like the troubled sea, Which cannot rest, Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
21 “There is no peace,” said my God, “for the wicked!”
There is no peace, saith my God, for the wicked.
