Isaiah 57
Expanded Bible
Israel Does Not Follow God
57 ·Those who are right with God [The righteous] ·may die [perish; pass away],
but no one ·pays attention [cares; L sets/takes it to heart].
·Good people [The devout; People of lovingkindness/loyalty/covenant love] are taken away [C by death],
but no one understands.
·Those who do right [The righteous] are being taken away ·from [to be spared from; or by the power of] evil
2 and are given peace.
Those who ·live [walk] ·as God wants [uprightly]
·find rest in death [L rest on their beds].
3 “Come here, you ·magicians [L sons/children of a sorceress]!
Come here, you ·children [offspring; seed] of prostitutes and adulterers!
4 Of whom are you ·making fun [mocking; ridiculing]?
Whom are you ·insulting [sneering at; L opening your mouth at]?
At whom do you stick out your tongue?
You ·turn against God [L are children of rebellion],
and you are ·liars [L the offspring/seed of liars].
5 You ·have sexual relations [burn with lust; L inflame yourselves] beneath the oaks and under every green tree [C a reference to pagan fertility rites].
You ·kill [slaughter] children in the ·ravines [valleys]
and ·sacrifice them in the rocky places [L under the rocky clefts; C child sacrifices, like those associated with the Phoenician god Molech; Lev. 18:21; 2 Kin. 23:19; Jer. 32:35].
6 You take the smooth rocks from the ·ravines [valleys]
as your portion.
·To them you are devoted [L They, they are your lot].
You pour drink offerings ·on them to worship them [L out to them],
and you give grain [L gift; tribute] offerings [Lev. 2:1] to them.
·Do you think this makes me want to show you mercy [Should I relent because of these things; or Should I be happy about these things]?
7 You make your bed on every hill and mountain,
and there you offer sacrifices.
8 You have hidden your ·idols [signs; pagan symbols; memorials]
behind your doors and doorposts.
You have ·left [deserted] me, and you have uncovered ·yourself [or your bed].
You have ·pulled back the covers [opened it] and climbed into bed.
You have made an ·agreement [pact; covenant] with those whose beds you love,
and you have looked at their nakedness [C euphemisms for sexual relations, here referring to pagan worship].
9 You ·use your oils and perfumes
to look nice for [L went with oil and increased your perfumes for] ·Molech [or the king].
You have sent your messengers to faraway lands;
you even tried to send them to ·the place of the dead [or the grave; L Sheol].
10 You were tired from doing these things,
but you never ·gave up [L said, “It is hopeless”].
You found ·new strength [L the life of your hand],
so you did not ·quit [faint; grow weary].
11 “Whom ·were you so afraid of [L did you fear or dread]
that you lied to me?
You have not remembered me
or even ·thought about me [L set/taken it to heart].
·I [or Is It because I…?] have been quiet for a long time.
Is that why you are not afraid of me?
12 I will tell about your ‘·goodness [righteousness]’ and ·what you do [your works],
and those things will ·do you no good [not profit/help you].
13 When you cry out for help,
let ·the gods you have gathered [your collection of idols] ·help [save; rescue] you.
The wind will blow them all away;
just a ·puff of wind [breath] will take them away.
But the person who depends on me will ·receive [inherit] the land
and ·own [possess] my holy mountain.”
The Lord Will Save His People
14 Someone will say, “Build ·a road [up; or it]! Build ·a road [up; or it]! Prepare the way [40:3; 62:10]!
·Make the way clear [Remove the obstacles] for my people.”
15 And this is the reason: God lives forever and is holy.
He is high and ·lifted up [exalted].
He says, “I live in a high and holy place,
but I also live with people who are ·sad [contrite] and ·humble [lowly in spirit].
I ·give new life to [revive the spirit of] those who are ·humble [lowly]
and to those whose hearts are ·broken [contrite; repentant].
16 I will not ·accuse [or contend/fight against them] forever,
nor will I always be angry,
because then ·human life [the spirit] would grow weak.
·Human beings [L The breath], whom I created, would die.
17 I was angry because ·they were dishonest in order to make money [of their sinful greed].
I punished them and ·turned away from them [L hid my face] in anger,
but they ·continued to do evil [L turned away in the way of their heart].
18 I have seen ·what they have done [their ways], but I will heal them.
I will guide them and comfort them and those who ·felt sad for them [mourn].
·They will all praise me [I will create praise on their lips; L …creating fruit of lips].
19 ·I will give peace, real peace [L Peace, peace], to those far and near,
and I will heal them,” says the Lord.
20 But ·evil people [the wicked] are like the ·angry [surging; tossing] sea,
which cannot rest,
whose waves toss up ·waste [mire; muck] and mud.
21 “There is no peace for ·evil people [the wicked],” says my God.
Isaiah 57
New American Standard Bible
Evil Leaders Rebuked
57 The righteous person perishes, and no one (A)takes it to heart;
And devout people are taken away, while no one understands.
For the righteous person is taken away from (B)evil,
2 He enters into peace;
They rest in their [a]beds,
Each one who (C)walked in his upright way.
3 “But come here, you sons of a (D)sorceress,
(E)Offspring of an adulterer and [b]a (F)prostitute!
4 Of whom do you make fun?
Against whom do you open wide your mouth
And stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of (G)rebellion,
Offspring of deceit,
5 Who inflame yourselves among the (H)oaks,
(I)Under every luxuriant tree,
Who (J)slaughter the children in the [c]ravines,
Under the clefts of the rocks?
6 Among the [d](K)smooth stones of the [e]ravine
Is your portion, [f]they are your lot;
Even to them you have (L)poured out a drink offering,
You have made a grain offering.
Should I [g](M)relent of these things?
7 On a (N)high and lofty mountain
You have (O)made your bed.
You also went up there to offer sacrifice.
8 Behind the door and the doorpost
You have set up your sign;
Indeed, far removed from Me, you have (P)uncovered yourself,
And have gone up and made your bed wide.
And you have made an agreement for yourself with them,
You have loved their bed,
You have looked at their [h]manhood.
9 You have journeyed to the king with oil
And increased your perfumes;
You have (Q)sent your messengers a great distance
And made them go down to [i]Sheol.
10 You were tired out by the length of your road,
Yet you did not say, ‘(R)It is hopeless!’
You found [j]renewed strength,
Therefore you did not [k]faint.
11 “Of (S)whom were you worried and fearful
When you lied, and did (T)not remember Me
[l]Nor (U)give Me a thought?
Was I not silent, even for a long time,
So you do not fear Me?
12 I will (V)declare your righteousness and your (W)deeds,
And they will not benefit you.
13 When you cry out, (X)let your collection of idols save you.
But the wind will carry them all up,
And a breath will take them away.
But the one who (Y)takes refuge in Me will (Z)inherit the land
And (AA)possess My holy mountain.”
14 And it will be said,
“(AB)Build up, build up, prepare the way,
Remove every obstacle from the way of My people.”
15 For this is what the (AC)high and exalted One
Who [m](AD)lives forever, whose name is Holy, says:
“I (AE)dwell in a high and holy place,
And also with the (AF)contrite and lowly of spirit
In order to (AG)revive the spirit of the lowly
And to revive the heart of the contrite.
16 For I will (AH)not contend forever,
(AI)Nor will I always be angry;
For the spirit would grow faint before Me,
And the (AJ)breath of those whom I have made.
17 Because of the wrongful act of his (AK)unjust gain I was angry and struck him;
I hid My face and was angry,
And he went on (AL)turning away, in the way of his heart.
18 I have seen his ways, but I will (AM)heal him;
I will (AN)lead him and (AO)restore comfort to him and to his mourners,
19 Creating the [n](AP)praise of the lips.
(AQ)Peace, peace to him who is (AR)far away and to him who is near,”
Says the Lord, “and I will heal him.”
20 But the (AS)wicked are like the tossing sea,
For it cannot be quiet,
And its waters toss up refuse and mud.
21 “(AT)There is no peace,” says (AU)my God, “for the wicked.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 57:2 I.e., graves
- Isaiah 57:3 As in ancient versions; MT she prostitutes herself
- Isaiah 57:5 Or wadis
- Isaiah 57:6 I.e., symbols of fertility gods
- Isaiah 57:6 Or wadi
- Isaiah 57:6 Lit they, they
- Isaiah 57:6 Or repent
- Isaiah 57:8 Lit hand
- Isaiah 57:9 I.e., the netherworld
- Isaiah 57:10 Lit the life of your hand
- Isaiah 57:10 Or become sick
- Isaiah 57:11 Lit You did not set it upon your heart
- Isaiah 57:15 Or dwells in eternity
- Isaiah 57:19 Lit fruit of the lips
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
