Isaiah 57
1 The righteous perish, and no one lays it to heart. Merciful men are taken away, and no one considers that the righteous is taken 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The righteous one, hath perished, And not a man, hath taken it to heart—Yea the men of lovingkindness, have been withdrawn No one considering, That from the presence of calamity, hath the righteous been withdrawn.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, each one who walks in his uprightness.
He entereth into peace, Let them rest upon their couches, —Each one who went on a straight path.
3 “But draw near here, you sons of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes.
But, ye, …draw near hither, Ye sons of divination, —Ye seed of an adulterer when your mother committed unchastity!
4 Whom do you mock? Against whom do you make a wide mouth and stick out your tongue? Aren’t you children of disobedience and offspring of falsehood,
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 who inflame yourselves among the oaks, under every green tree; who kill the children in the valleys, under the 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 Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion. They, they are your lot. You have even poured a drink offering to them. You have offered an offering. Shall I be appeased for 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 high and lofty mountain you have set your bed. You also went up there to offer sacrifice.
On a mountain high and uplifted, hast thou set thy couch, —Even thither, hast thou gone up, to offer sacrifice;
8 You have set up your memorial behind the doors and the posts, for you have exposed yourself to someone besides me, and have gone up. You have enlarged your bed and made you a covenant with them. You loved what you saw on their bed.
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 the king with oil, increased your perfumes, sent your ambassadors far off, and degraded yourself even 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 wearied with the length of your ways; yet you didn’t say, ‘It is in vain.’ You found a reviving of your strength; therefore you weren’t faint.
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 have you dreaded and feared, so that you lie, and have not remembered me, nor laid it to your heart? Haven’t I held my peace for a long time, and you don’t 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 will declare your righteousness; and as for your works, they will not benefit you.
I, will expose thy righteousness, —And thy works—but they will not profit thee!
13 When you cry, let those whom you have gathered deliver you, but the wind will take them. A breath will carry them all away, but he who takes refuge in me will possess the land, and will inherit 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 up, build up, prepare the way! Remove the 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 the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, says: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
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 contend forever, neither will I always be angry; for the spirit would faint before me, and the souls whom 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 I was angry because of the iniquity of his covetousness and struck him. I hid myself and was angry; and he went on backsliding 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 will heal him. I will lead him also, and restore comforts to him and to his mourners.
His ways, have I beheld, That I might heal him, —And guide him, And restore consolations to him and to his mourners:
19 I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace, to him who is far off and to him who is near,” says Yahweh; “and 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 troubled sea; for it can’t rest and its waters cast 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”, says my God, “for the wicked.”
No well-being, saith my God, to the lawless!
