Isaiah 57
English Standard Version
Israel's Futile Idolatry
57 The righteous man perishes,
and no one lays it to heart;
(A)devout men are taken away,
while no one understands.
For the righteous man is taken away from calamity;
2 (B)he enters into peace;
they rest (C)in their beds
who walk in their uprightness.
3 But you, draw near,
sons of the sorceress,
(D)offspring of the adulterer and the loose woman.
4 Whom are you mocking?
Against whom (E)do you open your mouth wide
and stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of (F)transgression,
(G)the offspring of deceit,
5 you who burn with lust among (H)the oaks,[a]
under every green tree,
(I)who slaughter your children in the valleys,
under the clefts of the rocks?
6 Among the smooth stones of (J)the valley is your portion;
they, they, are your lot;
to them you have poured out a drink offering,
you have brought a grain offering.
Shall I relent for these things?
7 (K)On a high and lofty mountain
you have set your bed,
and there you went up to offer sacrifice.
8 Behind the door and the doorpost
you have set up your memorial;
for, deserting me, (L)you have uncovered your bed,
you have gone up to it,
(M)you have made it wide;
and you have made a covenant for yourself with them,
you have loved their bed,
you have looked on nakedness.[b]
9 You journeyed to the king with oil
and multiplied your perfumes;
(N)you sent your envoys far off,
and sent down even to Sheol.
10 You were wearied with the length of your way,
(O)but you did not say, “It is hopeless”;
you found new life for your strength,
and so you were not faint.[c]
11 (P)Whom did you dread and fear,
(Q)so that you lied,
and did not remember me,
did not lay it to heart?
(R)Have I not held my peace, even for a long time,
and you do not fear me?
12 I will declare your righteousness and your deeds,
but they will not profit you.
13 (S)When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you!
The wind will carry them all off,
a breath will take them away.
(T)But he who takes refuge in me shall possess the land
and shall inherit (U)my holy mountain.
Comfort for the Contrite
14 And it shall be said,
(V)“Build up, build up, prepare the way,
remove every obstruction from my people's way.”
15 For thus says (W)the One who is high and lifted up,
who inhabits eternity, whose name is (X)Holy:
(Y)“I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also (Z)with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
(AA)to revive the spirit of the lowly,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.
16 (AB)For I will not contend forever,
nor will I always be angry;
for the spirit would grow faint before me,
and the breath of life that I made.
17 Because of the iniquity of his (AC)unjust gain I was angry,
I struck him; I hid my face and was angry,
but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart.
18 I have seen his ways, (AD)but I will heal him;
I will lead him (AE)and restore comfort to him and his mourners,
19 (AF)creating (AG)the fruit of the lips.
(AH)Peace, peace, (AI)to the far and to the near,” says the Lord,
(AJ)“and I will heal him.
20 (AK)But the wicked are like the tossing sea;
for it cannot be quiet,
and its waters toss up mire and dirt.
21 (AL)There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 57:5 Or among the terebinths
- Isaiah 57:8 Or on a monument (see 56:5); Hebrew on a hand
- Isaiah 57:10 Hebrew and so you were not sick
Isaiah 57
Holman Christian Standard Bible
57 The righteous one perishes,
and no one takes it to heart;
faithful men are swept away,
with no one realizing
that the righteous one is swept away
from the presence[a] of 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 sons of a sorceress,
offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute![c]
4 Who is it you are mocking?
Who is it you are opening your mouth
and sticking out your tongue at?
Isn’t it you, you rebellious children,(A)
you race 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 couriers far away(F)
and sent them down even to Sheol.
10 You became weary on your many journeys,
but you did not say, “I give up!”(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?
Have I not kept silent for such a long time[h](H)
and you do not fear Me?
12 I will expose your righteousness,
and your works—they will not profit you.
13 When you cry out,
let your collection of idols deliver 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 of man, which I have made.
17 Because of his sinful greed I was angry,(P)
so I struck him; I was angry and hid;[i]
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.”[j](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 waters churn up mire and muck.
21 There is no peace for the wicked,”
says my God.(U)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 57:1 Or away because
- Isaiah 57:2 Either their deathbeds or their graves
- Isaiah 57:3 Lit and she acted as a prostitute
- Isaiah 57:8 Lit you cut
- Isaiah 57:8 Lit hand
- Isaiah 57:8 In Hb, the word hand is probably a euphemism for “genitals.”
- Isaiah 57:10 Lit found life of your hand
- Isaiah 57:11 LXX reads And I, when I see you, I pass by
- Isaiah 57:17 Lit him; hiding and I am angry
- Isaiah 57:19 Lit creating fruit of the lips
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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