< 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The righteous one, hath perished, And not a man, hath taken it to heart—Yea the men of lovingkindness, have been withdrawn No one considering, That from the presence of calamity, hath the righteous been withdrawn.
2 He enters into peace, they rest on their beds, [Each] is going straightforward.
He entereth into peace, Let them rest upon their couches, —Each one who went on a straight path.
3 “And you, come near here, O sons of a sorceress, seed of an adulterer, Even you commit whoredom.
But, ye, …draw near hither, Ye sons of divination, —Ye seed of an adulterer when your mother committed unchastity!
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?
Against whom would ye disport yourselves? Against whom would ye widen the mouth and lengthen the tongue, —Are not, ye, Children of transgression, A Seed of falsehood.
5 Who are inflamed among oaks, under every green tree, Slaughtering the children in valleys, Under clefts of the rocks.
Who inflame yourselves With the terebinths, Under every green tree—Slaying the children, In the torrent-valleys, Under the clefts of the crags:
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?
Among the smooth stones of the torrent—valley, is thy portion. They, they, are thy lot; Even to them, hast thou Poured out a drink-offering. Caused to ascend a gift. Over these things, can I cease to grieve?
7 On a mountain, high and exalted, You have set your bed, You have also gone up there to make a sacrifice.
On a mountain high and uplifted, hast thou set thy couch, —Even thither, hast thou gone 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,
And behind the door and the post, hast thou set thy symbol, For, with another than me, hast thou uncovered thyself and gone up—Hast widened thy couch, And hast solemnised for thyself a covenant from them, Thou hast loved their couch a sign, hast thou seen;
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 )
And hast gone to the king with oil, And hast multiplied thy perfumes, —And hast sent thy messengers afar, And…lowered thyself as far as hades! (Sheol )
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.
With the length of thy journey, thou wast wearied, Thou didst not say, Hopeless! The reviving of thy power, thou didst find, For this cause, hast thou not become sick.
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?
Whom then hadst thou been anxious about and feared that thou shouldest speak falsely, When me, thou rememberedst not, caredst not for me? Did not, I, keep silence even from age-past times, Although me, thou wouldest not fear?
12 I declare your righteousness, and your works, And they do not profit you.
I, will expose thy righteousness, —And thy works—but they will 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 makest outcry, let thy gathered throngs deliver thee! But all of them, shall A wind, catch up—A breath, take away! Whereas he that seeketh refuge in me, Shall inherit the land, And possess 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.”
And one said—Cast ye up—cast ye up, prepare ye a way, —Lift the stumbling-block out of 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 he that is high and lifted up—Inhabiting futurity, And, holy, is his name: A high and holy place, will I inhabit, Also with the crushed and lowly in spirit, To revive the spirit of the lowly, and To revive the heart of them who are crushed; —
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 not age-abidingly, will I contend, Nor perpetually, will I be wroth, —For, spirit, before me, would faint, Even the breathing souls, which, I, had made.
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.
Because of his iniquitous gain, was I wroth—and smote him Hiding myself that I might be wroth, —But he went on turning aside in the way of his own 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.
His ways, have I beheld, That I might heal him, —And guide him, And restore consolations 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.
Creating the fruit of the lips—Prosperity! Prosperity! For him that is far off and for him that is near saith Yahweh, So should I 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 lawless, are like the sea when tossed, —For, rest, it cannot! But its waters toss out mire and dirt.
21 “There is no peace,” said my God, “for the wicked!”
No well-being, saith my God, to the lawless!