Isaiah 57
1 The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.
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.
2 He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.
He enters into peace, they rest on their beds, [Each] is going straightforward.
3 But come here, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the harlot.
“And you, come near here, O sons of a sorceress, seed of an adulterer, Even you commit whoredom.
4 Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, and stick out the tongue? are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood,
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?
5 Inflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clefts of the rocks?
Who are inflamed among oaks, under every green tree, Slaughtering the children in valleys, Under clefts of the rocks.
6 Among the smooth stones of the stream is thy portion; they, they are thy lot: even to them hast thou poured a drink offering, thou hast offered a meat offering. Should I receive comfort in these?
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?
7 Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed: even there thou wentest up to offer sacrifice.
On a mountain, high and exalted, You have set your bed, You have also gone up there to make a sacrifice.
8 Behind the doors also and the door posts hast thou set up thy remembrance: for thou hast uncovered thyself to another than me, and hast gone up; thou hast enlarged thy bed, and made thee a covenant with them; thou didst love their bed where thou sawest it.
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,
9 And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even to hell. (Sheol h7585)
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)
10 Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet saidst thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found the life of thy hand; therefore thou wast not grieved.
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.
11 And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? have not I held my peace even of old, and thou fearest me not?
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?
12 I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works; for they shall not profit thee.
I declare your righteousness, and your works, And they do not profit you.
13 When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them: but he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain;
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.”
14 And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people.
And He has said, “Raise up, raise up, prepare a way, Lift a stumbling-block out of the way of My people.”
15 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.
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,
16 For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always angry: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls whom I have made.
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.
17 For the iniquity of his covetousness I was angry, and smote him: I hid myself, and was angry, and he went on backsliding in the way of his heart.
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.
18 I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts to him and to his mourners.
I have seen his ways, and I heal him, indeed, I lead him, And repay comforts to him and to his mourning ones.
19 I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him.
Producing the fruit of the lips, Peace, peace, to the far off, and to the near, And I have healed him,” said YHWH.
20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
And the wicked [are] as the driven out sea, For it is not able to rest, And its waters cast out filth and mire.
21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.
“There is no peace,” said my God, “for the wicked!”
