Isaiah 57
Christian Standard Bible
57 The righteous person perishes,
and no one takes it to heart;
the faithful are taken away,
with no one realizing
that the righteous person is taken away
because of[a] evil.
2 He will enter into peace—
they will rest on their beds[b]—
everyone who lives uprightly.
Pagan Religion Denounced
3 But come here,
you witch’s sons,
offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute![c]
4 Who are you mocking?
Who are you opening your mouth
and sticking out your tongue at?
Isn’t it you, you rebellious children,(A)
you offspring of liars,
5 who burn with lust among the oaks,
under every green tree,(B)
who slaughter children in the wadis
below the clefts of the rocks?(C)
6 Your portion is among the smooth stones of the wadi;
indeed, they are your lot.
You have even poured out a drink offering to them;
you have offered a grain offering;
should I be satisfied with these?
7 You have placed your bed
on a high and lofty mountain;(D)
you also went up there to offer sacrifice.
8 You have set up your memorial
behind the door and doorpost.
For away from me, you stripped,
went up, and made your bed wide,(E)
and you have made a bargain[d] for yourself with them.
You have loved their bed;
you have gazed on their genitals.[e][f]
9 You went to the king with oil
and multiplied your perfumes;
you sent your envoys far away(F)
and sent them down even to Sheol.
10 You became weary on your many journeys,
but you did not say, “It’s hopeless!” (G)
You found a renewal of your strength;[g]
therefore you did not grow weak.
11 Who was it you dreaded and feared,
so that you lied and didn’t remember me
or take it to heart?
I have kept silent for a long time, haven’t I?[h](H)
So you do not fear me.
12 I will announce your righteousness,
and your works—they will not profit you.
13 When you cry out,
let your collection of idols rescue you!
The wind will carry all of them off,
a breath will take them away.
But whoever takes refuge in me
will inherit the land(I)
and possess my holy mountain.(J)
Healing and Peace
14 He said,
“Build it up, build it up, prepare the way,
remove every obstacle from my people’s way.”(K)
15 For the High and Exalted One,
who lives forever, whose name is holy,(L) says this:
“I live in a high and holy place,
and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit,(M)
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and revive the heart of the oppressed.(N)
16 For I will not accuse you forever,
and I will not always be angry;(O)
for then the spirit would grow weak before me,
even the breath, which I have made.
17 Because of his sinful greed I was angry,(P)
so I struck him; I was angry and hid;
but he went on turning back to the desires of his heart.
18 I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;
I will lead him and restore comfort
to him and his mourners,(Q)
19 creating words of praise.”[i](R)
The Lord says,
“Peace, peace to the one who is far or near,(S)
and I will heal him.
20 But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea,(T)
for it cannot be still,
and its water churns up mire and muck.
21 There is no peace for the wicked,”
says my God.(U)
Footnotes
- 57:1 Or taken away from the presence of
- 57:2 Either their deathbeds or their graves
- 57:3 Lit and she acted as a prostitute
- 57:8 Lit you cut
- 57:8 Lit hand
- 57:8 In Hb, the word “hand” is probably a euphemism for genitals.
- 57:10 Lit found life of your hand
- 57:11 LXX reads And I, when I see you, I pass by
- 57:19 Lit creating fruit of the lips
Isaiah 57
New Living Translation
57 Good people pass away;
the godly often die before their time.
But no one seems to care or wonder why.
No one seems to understand
that God is protecting them from the evil to come.
2 For those who follow godly paths
will rest in peace when they die.
Idolatrous Worship Condemned
3 “But you—come here, you witches’ children,
you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes!
4 Whom do you mock,
making faces and sticking out your tongues?
You children of sinners and liars!
5 You worship your idols with great passion
beneath the oaks and under every green tree.
You sacrifice your children down in the valleys,
among the jagged rocks in the cliffs.
6 Your gods are the smooth stones in the valleys.
You worship them with liquid offerings and grain offerings.
They, not I, are your inheritance.
Do you think all this makes me happy?
7 You have committed adultery on every high mountain.
There you have worshiped idols
and have been unfaithful to me.
8 You have put pagan symbols
on your doorposts and behind your doors.
You have left me
and climbed into bed with these detestable gods.
You have committed yourselves to them.
You love to look at their naked bodies.
9 You have gone to Molech[a]
with olive oil and many perfumes,
sending your agents far and wide,
even to the world of the dead.[b]
10 You grew weary in your search,
but you never gave up.
Desire gave you renewed strength,
and you did not grow weary.
11 “Are you afraid of these idols?
Do they terrify you?
Is that why you have lied to me
and forgotten me and my words?
Is it because of my long silence
that you no longer fear me?
12 Now I will expose your so-called good deeds.
None of them will help you.
13 Let’s see if your idols can save you
when you cry to them for help.
Why, a puff of wind can knock them down!
If you just breathe on them, they fall over!
But whoever trusts in me will inherit the land
and possess my holy mountain.”
God Forgives the Repentant
14 God says, “Rebuild the road!
Clear away the rocks and stones
so my people can return from captivity.”
15 The high and lofty one who lives in eternity,
the Holy One, says this:
“I live in the high and holy place
with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.
I restore the crushed spirit of the humble
and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.
16 For I will not fight against you forever;
I will not always be angry.
If I were, all people would pass away—
all the souls I have made.
17 I was angry,
so I punished these greedy people.
I withdrew from them,
but they kept going on their own stubborn way.
18 I have seen what they do,
but I will heal them anyway!
I will lead them.
I will comfort those who mourn,
19 bringing words of praise to their lips.
May they have abundant peace, both near and far,”
says the Lord, who heals them.
20 “But those who still reject me are like the restless sea,
which is never still
but continually churns up mud and dirt.
21 There is no peace for the wicked,”
says my God.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
