Isaiah 57
1 The righteous perish, but no one considers it, and the people of covenant faithfulness are gathered away, but no one understands that the righteous is gathered away from the evil.
The righteous one, hath perished, And not a man, hath taken it to heart—Yea the men of lovingkindness, have been withdrawn No one considering, That from the presence of calamity, hath the righteous been withdrawn.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 in their beds, those who walk in their uprightness.
He entereth into peace, Let them rest upon their couches, —Each one who went on a straight path.
3 But come here, you sons of the sorceress, children of the adulterer and the woman who has prostituted herself.
But, ye, …draw near hither, Ye sons of divination, —Ye seed of an adulterer when your mother committed unchastity!
4 Whom are you merrily mocking? Against whom are you opening the mouth and sticking out the tongue? Are you not children of rebellion, children of deceit?
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 You heat yourselves up sleeping together under the oaks, under every green tree, you who kill your children in the dry riverbeds, under the rocky overhangs.
Who inflame yourselves With the terebinths, Under every green tree—Slaying the children, In the torrent-valleys, Under the clefts of the crags:
6 Among the smooth things of the river valley are the things that have been assigned to you. They are the object of your devotion. You pour out your drink offering to them and raise up a grain offering. In these things should I take pleasure?
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 You prepared your bed on a high mountain; you also went up there to offer sacrifices.
On a mountain high and uplifted, hast thou set thy couch, —Even thither, hast thou gone up, to offer sacrifice;
8 Behind the door and the doorposts you set up your symbols; you deserted me, made yourselves naked, and went up; you made your bed wide. You made a covenant with them; you loved their beds; you saw their private parts.
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 You went to Molech with oil; you multiplied perfumes. You send your ambassadors far away; you went down to Sheol. (Sheol h7585)
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 h7585)
10 You were tired from your long journey, but you never said, “It is hopeless.” You found life in your hand; therefore you did not weaken.
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 “Whom are you worried about? Whom do you fear so much that has caused you to act so deceitfully, so much that you would not remember me or think about me? Because I was silent for so long, you are no longer afraid of 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 will proclaim all your righteous acts and tell all that you have done, but they will not help you.
I, will expose thy righteousness, —And thy works—but they will not profit thee!
13 When you cry out, let your collection of idols rescue you. Instead the wind will carry them all away, a breath will carry them all away. Yet he who takes refuge in me will inherit the land and will take possession of 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 He will say, 'Build, build! Clear a way! Remove all the stumbling blocks from the path 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 this is what the high and elevated One says, who lives eternally, whose name is holy, “I live in the exalted and holy place, with him also that is of a crushed and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble ones, and to revive the heart of the contrite 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 will not accuse forever, nor will I be angry forever, for then man's spirit would faint before me, the lives that 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 Because of the sin of his violent gain, I was angry, and I punished him; I hid my face and was angry, but he went backward 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, but I will heal him. I will lead him and comfort and console those who mourn for him,
His ways, have I beheld, That I might heal him, —And guide him, And restore consolations to him and to his mourners:
19 and I create the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to those who are far off and to those who are near—says Yahweh—I will heal them.
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 But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, and its waters churn up mire and mud.
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 for the wicked one—says God.”
No well-being, saith my God, to the lawless!
