Isaiah 57
1 The righteous hath perished, And there is none laying [it] to heart, And men of kindness are gathered, Without any considering that from the face of evil Gathered is the righteous one.
The just man perishes, and there is no one who acknowledges it in his heart; and men of mercy are taken away, for there is no one who understands. For the just man has been taken away before the face of malice.
2 He entereth into peace, they rest on their beds, [Each] is going straightforward.
Let peace arrive. Let he who has walked in his righteousness find rest on his bed.
3 And ye, come near hither, O sons of a sorceress, seed of an adulterer, Even thou dost commit whoredom.
But come here, you sons of the prophetess, you offspring of an adulterous man and a fornicating woman.
4 Against whom do ye sport yourselves? Against whom enlarge ye the mouth? Prolong ye the tongue? Are not ye children of transgression? a false seed?
Whom are you mocking? Against whom have you opened your mouth wide and wagged your tongue? Are you not sons of wickedness, a lying offspring,
5 Who are inflamed among oaks, under every green tree, Slaughtering the children in valleys, Under clefts of the rocks.
who are being consoled by idols under every leafy tree, immolating little children at the torrents, under the high rocks?
6 Among the smooth things of a brook [is] thy portion, They — they [are] thy lot, Also to them thou hast poured out an oblation, Thou hast caused a present to ascend, For these things am I comforted?
Your portion is in the currents of the torrent; this is your lot! And you yourselves have poured out libations to them; you have offered sacrifice. Should I not be angry over these things?
7 On a mountain, high and exalted, Thou hast set thy couch, Also thither thou hast gone up to make a sacrifice.
Upon a high and lofty mountain, you have placed your bed, and you have ascended to that place to immolate victims.
8 And behind the door, and the post, Thou hast set up thy memorial, For from Me thou hast removed, and goest up, Thou hast enlarged thy couch, And dost covenant for thyself among them, Thou hast loved their couch, the station thou sawest,
And behind the door, and beyond the post, you have set up your memorial. For you uncovered yourself next to me, and you received an adulterer. You widened your bed, and you formed a pact with them. You loved their bed with an open hand.
9 And goest joyfully to the king in ointment, And dost multiply thy perfumes, And sendest thine ambassadors afar off, And humblest thyself unto Sheol. (Sheol h7585)
And you have adorned yourself for the king with ointments, and you have increased your cosmetics. You have sent your representatives to distant places, and you have debased yourself all the way to Hell. (Sheol h7585)
10 In the greatness of thy way thou hast laboured, Thou hast not said, 'It is desperate.' The life of thy hand thou hast found, Therefore thou hast not been sick.
You have been wearied by the multitude of your own ways. Yet you did not say, “I will cease.” You have found life by your own hand; because of this, you have not prayed.
11 And of whom hast thou been afraid, and fearest, That thou liest, and Me hast not remembered? Thou hast not laid [it] to thy heart, Am not I silent, even from of old? And Me thou fearest not?
For whose sake have you been anxiously afraid, so that you would lie and not be mindful of me, nor consider me in your heart? For I am silent, and I am like someone who does not see, and so you have forgotten me.
12 I declare thy righteousness, and thy works, And they do not profit thee.
I will announce your justice, and your works will not benefit you.
13 When thou criest, let thy gatherings deliver thee, And all of them carry away doth wind, Take away doth vanity, And whoso is trusting in Me inheriteth the land, And doth possess My holy mountain.
When you cry out, let your followers free you. But the wind will carry them all away; a breeze will take them up. But he who has faith in me will inherit the earth and will possess my holy mountain.
14 And he hath said, 'Raise up, raise up, prepare a way, Lift a stumbling-block out of the way of My people.'
And I will say: “Make way! Grant passage! Move to the side of the path! Take the obstacles out of the way of my people!”
15 For thus said the high and exalted One, Inhabiting eternity, and holy [is] His name: 'In the high and holy place I dwell, And with the bruised and humble of spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of bruised ones,'
For this is said by the Most High, the Sublime One, who dwells in eternity. And his name is Holy, for he dwells in the exalted and holy place, and he acts with a restrained and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
16 For, not to the age do I strive, nor for ever am I wroth, For the spirit from before Me is feeble, And the souls I have made.
For I will not contend unceasingly, and I will not be angry to the end. For I will exhale my breath, and the Spirit will go forth from my face.
17 For the iniquity of his dishonest gain, I have been wroth, and I smite him, Hiding — and am wroth, And he goeth on turning back in the way of his heart.
Because of the iniquity of his avarice, I was angry, and I struck him down. I concealed my face from you, and I was angry. And he went astray by wandering in his heart.
18 His ways I have seen, and I heal him, yea, I lead him, And recompense comforts to him and to his mourning ones.
I saw his ways, and I healed him, and I led him back again, and I restored consolations to him and to those who mourn for him.
19 Producing the fruit of the lips, 'Peace, peace,' to the far off, and to the near, And I have healed him, said Jehovah.
I created the fruit of the lips: peace, peace to him who is far away, and peace to him who is near, said the Lord, and I healed him.
20 And the wicked [are] as the driven out sea, For to rest it is not able, And its waters cast out filth and mire.
But the impious are like the raging sea, which is not able to be quieted, and its waves stir up dirt and mud.
21 There is no peace, said my God, to the wicked!
There is no peace for the impious, says the Lord God.
