Isaiah 57
New King James Version
Israel’s Futile Idolatry
57 The righteous perishes,
And no man takes it to heart;
(A)Merciful men are taken away,
(B)While no one considers
That the righteous is taken away from [a]evil.
2 He shall enter into peace;
They shall rest in (C)their beds,
Each one walking in his uprightness.
3 “But come here,
(D)You sons of the sorceress,
You offspring of the adulterer and the harlot!
4 Whom do you ridicule?
Against whom do you make a wide mouth
And stick out the tongue?
Are you not children of transgression,
Offspring of falsehood,
5 Inflaming yourselves with gods (E)under every green tree,
(F)Slaying the children in the valleys,
Under the clefts of the rocks?
6 Among the smooth (G)stones of the stream
Is your portion;
They, they, are your lot!
Even to them you have poured a drink offering,
You have offered a grain offering.
Should I receive comfort in (H)these?
7 “On(I) a lofty and high mountain
You have set (J)your bed;
Even there you went up
To offer sacrifice.
8 Also behind the doors and their posts
You have set up your remembrance;
For you have uncovered yourself to those other than Me,
And have gone up to them;
You have enlarged your bed
And [b]made a covenant with them;
(K)You have loved their bed,
Where you saw their [c]nudity.
9 (L)You went to the king with ointment,
And increased your perfumes;
You sent your (M)messengers far off,
And even descended to Sheol.
10 You are wearied in the length of your way;
(N)Yet you did not say, ‘There is no hope.’
You have found the life of your hand;
Therefore you were not grieved.
11 “And (O)of whom have you been afraid, or feared,
That you have lied
And not remembered Me,
Nor taken it to your heart?
Is it not because (P)I have [d]held My peace from of old
That you do not fear Me?
12 I will declare your righteousness
And your works,
For they will not profit you.
13 When you cry out,
Let your collection of idols deliver you.
But the wind will carry them all away,
A breath will take them.
But he who puts his trust in Me shall possess the land,
And shall inherit My holy mountain.”
Healing for the Backslider
14 And one shall say,
(Q)“Heap it up! Heap it up!
Prepare the way,
Take the stumbling block out of the way of My people.”
15 For thus says the High and Lofty One
Who inhabits eternity, (R)whose name is Holy:
(S)“I dwell in the high and holy place,
(T)With him who has a contrite and humble spirit,
(U)To revive the spirit of the humble,
And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
16 (V)For I will not contend forever,
Nor will I always be angry;
For the spirit would fail before Me,
And the souls (W)which I have made.
17 For the iniquity of (X)his covetousness
I was angry and struck him;
(Y)I hid and was angry,
(Z)And he went on [e]backsliding in the way of his heart.
18 I have seen his ways, and (AA)will heal him;
I will also lead him,
And restore comforts to him
And to (AB)his mourners.
19 “I create (AC)the fruit of the lips:
Peace, peace (AD)to him who is far off and to him who is near,”
Says the Lord,
“And I will heal him.”
20 (AE)But the wicked are like the troubled sea,
When it cannot rest,
Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
21 “There(AF) is no peace,”
Says my God, “for the wicked.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 57:1 Lit. the face of evil
- Isaiah 57:8 Lit. cut
- Isaiah 57:8 Lit. hand, a euphemism
- Isaiah 57:11 remained silent
- Isaiah 57:17 Or turning back
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
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised
Israel’s Futile Idolatry
57 The righteous perish,
and no one takes it to heart;
the devout are taken away,
while no one understands.
For the righteous are taken away from calamity,
2 and they enter into peace;
those who walk uprightly
will rest on their couches.
3 But as for you, come here,
you children of a sorceress,
you offspring of an adulterer and a whore.[a]
4 Whom are you mocking?
Against whom do you open your mouth wide
and stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of transgression,
the offspring of deceit—
5 you that burn with lust among the oaks,
under every green tree;
you that slaughter your children in the valleys,
under the clefts of the rocks?
6 Among the smooth stones of 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 be appeased for these things?
7 Upon 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 symbol;
for, in deserting me,[b] you have uncovered your bed,
you have gone up to it,
you have made it wide;
and you have made a bargain for yourself with them,
you have loved their bed,
you have gazed on their nakedness.[c]
9 You journeyed to Molech[d] with oil,
and multiplied your perfumes;
you sent your envoys far away,
and sent down even to Sheol.
10 You grew weary from your many wanderings,
but you did not say, ‘It is useless.’
You found your desire rekindled,
and so you did not weaken.
11 Whom did you dread and fear
so that you lied,
and did not remember me
or give me a thought?
Have I not kept silent and closed my eyes,[e]
and so you do not fear me?
12 I will concede your righteousness and your works,
but they will not help you.
13 When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you!
The wind will carry them off,
a breath will take them away.
But whoever takes refuge in me shall possess the land
and inherit my holy mountain.
A Promise of Help and Healing
14 It shall be said,
‘Build up, build up, prepare the way,
remove every obstruction from my people’s way.’
15 For thus says the high and lofty one
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also with those who are contrite and humble in spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.
16 For I will not continually accuse,
nor will I always be angry;
for then the spirits would grow faint before me,
even the souls that I have made.
17 Because of their wicked covetousness I was angry;
I struck them, I hid and was angry;
but they kept turning back to their own ways.
18 I have seen their ways, but I will heal them;
I will lead them and repay them with comfort,
creating for their mourners the fruit of the lips.[f]
19 Peace, peace, to the far and the near, says the Lord;
and I will heal them.
20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea
that cannot keep still;
its waters toss up mire and mud.
21 There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 57:3 Heb an adulterer and she plays the whore
- Isaiah 57:8 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- Isaiah 57:8 Or their phallus; Heb the hand
- Isaiah 57:9 Or the king
- Isaiah 57:11 Gk Vg: Heb silent even for a long time
- Isaiah 57:18 Meaning of Heb uncertain
Isaiah 57
1599 Geneva Bible
57 1 God taketh away the good, that he should not see the horrible plagues to come. 3 Of the wicked idolaters, 9 and their vain confidence.
1 The righteous perisheth, and no man considereth it in heart, and merciful men are taken away, and no man understandeth that the righteous is taken away [a]from the evil to come.
2 [b]Peace shall come: they shall rest in their beds, everyone that walketh before him.
3 But you [c]witches’ children, come hither, the seed of the adulterer and of the whore.
4 On whom have ye jested? upon whom have ye gaped and thrust out your tongue? are not ye rebellious children, and a false seed?
5 Inflamed with idols under every green tree? and sacrificing the [d]children in the valleys under the tops of the rocks?
6 Thy portion is in the smooth stones [e]of the river: they, they are thy lot: even to them hast thou poured a drink offering: thou hast offered a sacrifice. Should I delight in [f]these?
7 Thou hast made thy [g]bed upon a very high mountain: thou wentest up thither, even thither wentest thou to offer sacrifice.
8 Behind the [h]doors also and posts hast thou set up thy remembrance: for thou hast discovered thyself to another, than me, and wentest up, and didst [i]enlarge thy bed, and make a covenant between thee and them, and lovedst their bed in every place where thou sawest it.
9 Thou wentest [j]to the kings with oil, and didst increase thine ointments, and send thy messengers far off, and didst humble thyself unto hell.
10 Thou weariedst thyself in thy manifold journeys, yet saidest thou not, [k]There is no hope: thou [l]hast found life by thine hand, therefore thou wast not grieved.
11 And whom didst thou reverence or fear, seeing thou hast [m]lied unto me, and hast not remembered me, neither set thy mind thereon? is it not because I hold my peace, and that of long [n]time? therefore thou fearest not me.
12 I will declare thy righteousness [o]and thy works, and they shall not profit thee.
13 When thou cryest, let them that thou hast gathered together, deliver thee: but the wind [p]shall take them all away: vanity shall pull them away: but he that trusteth in me shall inherit the land, and shall possess mine holy Mountain.
14 [q]And he shall say, Cast up, cast up: prepare the way: take up the stumbling blocks out of the way of my people.
15 For thus saith he that is high and excellent, he that inhabiteth the eternity, whose Name is the Holy one, I dwell in the high and holy place: with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble, and to give life to them that are of a contrite heart.
16 For I will not contend forever: neither will I be always wroth, [r]for the spirit should fail before me: and I have made the breath.
17 For his [s]wicked covetousness I am angry with him, and have smitten him: I hid me, and was angry, yet he went away, and turned after the way of his own heart.
18 I have seen his ways, and will [t]heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comfort unto him, and to those that lament him.
19 I create the [u]fruit of the lips, to be peace: peace unto them that are [v]far off, and to them that are near, saith the Lord: for I will heal him.
20 But the wicked are like the raging sea, that [w]cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 57:1 From the plague that is at hand, and also because God will punish the wicked.
- Isaiah 57:2 The soul of the righteous shall be in joy, and their body shall rest in the grave unto the time of the resurrection, because they walked before the Lord.
- Isaiah 57:3 He threateneth the wicked hypocrites, who under the pretence of the name of God’s people, derided God’s word and his promises: boasting openly that they were the children of Abraham, but because they were not faithful and obedient as Abraham was, he calleth them bastards, and the children of sorcerers, which forsook God, and fled to wicked means for succor.
- Isaiah 57:5 Read Lev. 18:21; 2 Kings 23:10.
- Isaiah 57:6 Meaning, every place was polluted with their idolatry: or every fair stone that they found, they made an idol of it.
- Isaiah 57:6 In the sacrifices which you offering before these idols, thought you did serve God.
- Isaiah 57:7 To wit, thine altars in an open place, like an impudent harlot, that careth not for the sight of her husband.
- Isaiah 57:8 Instead of setting up the word of God in the open places on the posts and doors to have it in remembrance, Deut. 6:9 and 27:1, thou hast set up signs and marks of thine idolatry in every place.
- Isaiah 57:8 That is, didst increase thine idolatry more and more.
- Isaiah 57:9 Thou didst seek the favor of the Assyrians by gifts and presents to help thee against the Egyptians: and when they failed thou soughtest to the Babylonians, and more and more didst torment thyself.
- Isaiah 57:10 Although thou sawest all thy labors to be in vain, yet wouldest thou never acknowledge thy fault, and leave off.
- Isaiah 57:10 He derideth their unprofitable diligence, which thought to have made all sure, and yet were deceived.
- Isaiah 57:11 Broken promise with me.
- Isaiah 57:11 Meaning, that the wicked abuse God’s lenity, and grow to further wickedness.
- Isaiah 57:12 That is, thy naughtiness, idolatries, and impieties which the wicked call God’s service: thus he derideth their obstinacy.
- Isaiah 57:13 Meaning, the Assyrians and others, whose help they looked for.
- Isaiah 57:14 God shall say to Darius and Cyrus.
- Isaiah 57:16 I will not use my power against frail man, whose life is but a blast.
- Isaiah 57:17 That is, for the vices and faults of the people, which is meant here by covetousness.
- Isaiah 57:18 Though they were obstinate, yet I did not withdraw my mercy from them.
- Isaiah 57:19 That is, I frame the speech and words of my messengers which shall bring peace.
- Isaiah 57:19 As well to him that is in captivity as to him that remaineth at home.
- Isaiah 57:20 Their evil conscience doth ever torment them, and therefore they can never have rest, read Isa. 48:22.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
