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
New English Translation
57 The godly[a] perish,
but no one cares.[b]
Honest people disappear,[c]
when no one[d] minds[e]
that the godly[f] disappear[g] because of[h] evil.[i]
2 Those who live uprightly enter a place of peace;
they rest on their beds.[j]
3 “But approach, you sons of omen readers,
you offspring of adulteresses and prostitutes![k]
4 At whom are you laughing?
At whom are you opening your mouth
and sticking out your tongue?
You are the children of rebels,
the offspring of liars,[l]
5 you who inflame your lusts[m] among the oaks[n] and under every green tree,
who slaughter children near the streams under the rocky overhangs.[o]
6 Among the smooth stones of the stream are the idols you love;
they, they are the object of your devotion.[p]
You pour out liquid offerings to them,
you make an offering.
Because of these things how can I relent from judgment?[q]
7 On every high, elevated hill you prepare your bed;
you go up there to offer sacrifices.
8 Behind the door and doorpost you put your symbols.[r]
Indeed,[s] you depart from me[t] and go up
and invite them into bed with you.[u]
You purchase favors from them;[v]
you love their bed,
and gaze longingly[w] on their naked bodies.[x]
9 You take olive oil as tribute[y] to your king,[z]
along with many perfumes.[aa]
You send your messengers to a distant place;
you go all the way to Sheol.[ab]
10 Because of the long distance you must travel, you get tired,[ac]
but you do not say, ‘I give up.’[ad]
You get renewed energy,[ae]
so you don’t collapse.[af]
11 Whom are you worried about?
Whom do you fear, that you would act so deceitfully
and not remember me
or think about me?[ag]
Because I have been silent for so long,[ah]
you are not afraid of me.[ai]
12 I will denounce your so-called righteousness and your deeds,[aj]
but they will not help you.
13 When you cry out for help, let your idols[ak] help you!
The wind blows them all away,[al]
a breeze carries them away.[am]
But the one who looks to me for help[an] will inherit the land
and will have access to[ao] my holy mountain.”
14 He says,[ap]
“Build it! Build it! Clear a way!
Remove all the obstacles out of the way of my people!”
15 For this is what the high and exalted one says,
the one who rules[aq] forever, whose name is holy:
“I dwell in an exalted and holy place,
but also with the discouraged and humiliated,[ar]
in order to cheer up the humiliated
and to encourage the discouraged.[as]
16 For I will not be hostile[at] forever
or perpetually angry,
for then man’s spirit would grow faint before me,[au]
the life-giving breath I created.
17 I was angry because of their sinful greed;
I attacked them and angrily rejected them,[av]
yet they remained disobedient and stubborn.[aw]
18 I have seen their behavior,[ax]
but I will heal them. I will lead[ay] them,
and I will provide comfort[az] to them and those who mourn with them.[ba]
19 I am the one who gives them reason to celebrate.[bb]
Complete prosperity[bc] is available both to those who are far away and those who are nearby,”
says the Lord, “and I will heal them.
20 But the wicked are like a surging sea
that is unable to be quiet;
its waves toss up mud and sand.
21 There will be no prosperity,” says my God, “for the wicked.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 57:1 tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the just man”; TEV “Good people.”
- Isaiah 57:1 tn Or perhaps, “understands.” Heb “and there is no man who sets [it] upon [his] heart.”
- Isaiah 57:1 tn Heb “Men of loyalty are taken away.” The Niphal of אָסַף (ʾasaf) here means “to die.”
- Isaiah 57:1 tn The Hebrew term בְּאֵין (beʾen) often has the nuance “when there is no.” See Prov 8:24; 11; 14; 14:4; 15:22; 26:20; 29:18.
- Isaiah 57:1 tn Or “realizes”; Heb “understands” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
- Isaiah 57:1 tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the just man.”
- Isaiah 57:1 tn Heb “are taken away.” The Niphal of אָסַף (ʾasaf) here means “to die.”
- Isaiah 57:1 tn The term מִפְּנֵי (mippene, “from the face of”) often has a causal nuance. It also appears with the Niphal of אָסַף (ʾasaph, “gather”) in 2 Chr 12:5: אֲשֶׁר־נֶאֶסְפוּ אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלַםִ מִפְּנֵי שִׁישָׁק (ʾasher-neʾespu ʾel-yerushalaim mippene shishaq, “who had gathered at Jerusalem because of [i.e., due to fear of] Shishak”).
- Isaiah 57:1 tn The translation assumes that this verse, in proverbial fashion, laments society’s apathy over the persecution of the godly. The second half of the verse observes that such apathy results in more widespread oppression. Since the next verse pictures the godly being taken to a place of rest, some interpret the second half of v. 1 in a more positive vein. According to proponents of this view, God removes the godly so that they might be spared suffering and calamity, a fact which the general populace fails to realize.
- Isaiah 57:2 tn Heb “he enters peace, they rest on their beds, the one who walks straight ahead of himself.” The tomb is here viewed in a fairly positive way as a place where the dead are at peace and sleep undisturbed.
- Isaiah 57:3 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “offspring of an adulterer [masculine] and [one who] has committed adultery.” Perhaps the text has suffered from transposition of vav (ו) and tav (ת) and מְנָאֵף וַתִּזְנֶה (menaʾef vattizneh) should be emended to מְנָאֶפֶת וְזֹנָה (menaʾefet vezonah, “an adulteress and a prostitute”). Both singular nouns would be understood in a collective sense. Most modern English versions render both forms as nouns.
- Isaiah 57:4 tn Heb “Are you not children of rebellion, offspring of a lie?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “Of course you are!”
- Isaiah 57:5 tn Heb “inflame yourselves”; NRSV “burn with lust.” This verse alludes to the practice of ritual sex that accompanied pagan fertility rites.
- Isaiah 57:5 tn The term אֵלִים (ʾelim) may be from a root meaning “mighty ones,” referring to mighty trees. The form may also refer to “gods,” a less common masculine plural of (ʾel). This would fit the context of idolatry (lusting after gods).
- Isaiah 57:5 sn This apparently alludes to the practice of child sacrifice (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT).
- Isaiah 57:6 tn Heb “among the smooth stones of the stream [is] your portion, they, they [are] your lot.” The next line indicates idols are in view.
- Isaiah 57:6 tn The text reads literally as a question, “Because of these am I relenting?” However, the initial letter he may be dittographic (note the final he [ה] on the preceding word). In this case one could understand the verb in the sense of “Because of these I will seek vengeance,” as in 1:24. If the prefixed interrogative particle is retained at the beginning of the sentence, then the question is rhetorical, with the Niphal of נָחָם (nakham) probably being used in the sense of “relent, change one’s mind.”
- Isaiah 57:8 tn The precise referent of זִכָּרוֹן (zikkaron) in this context is uncertain. Elsewhere the word refers to a memorial or commemorative sign. Here it likely refers to some type of idolatrous symbol.
- Isaiah 57:8 tn Or “for” (KJV, NRSV).
- Isaiah 57:8 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “from me you uncover.” The translation assumes an emendation of the Piel form גִּלִּית (gillit, “you uncover”), which has no object expressed here, to the Qal גָּלִית (galit, “you depart”).
- Isaiah 57:8 tn Heb “you make wide your bed” (NASB similar).
- Isaiah 57:8 tc Heb “and you [second masculine singular, unless the form be taken as third feminine singular] cut for yourself [feminine singular] from them.” Most English translations retain the MT reading in spite of at least three problems. This section makes significant use of feminine verbs and noun suffixes because of the sexual imagery. The verb in question is likely a second person masculine singular verb. Nevertheless, this kind of fluctuation in gender appears elsewhere (GKC 127-28 §47.k and 462 §144.p; cf. Jer 3:5; Ezek 22:4; 23:32; cf. J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:473, n. 13). Secondly, when this verbal root signifies establishing a covenant, it is normally accompanied by the noun for “covenant” (בְּרִית, berit). Finally, this juxtaposition of the verb “to cut” and “covenant” normally is followed by the preposition “with,” while here it is “from.” The translation above assumes an emendation of וַתִּכְרָת (vatikhrat, “and you cut”) to וְכָרִית (vekharit, “and you purchase”) from the root כָּרָה (kharah); see HALOT 497 s.v. II כרה.
- Isaiah 57:8 tn The Hebrew text has simply חָזָה (khazah, “gaze”). The adverb “longingly” is interpretive (see the context, where sexual lust is depicted).
- Isaiah 57:8 tn Heb “[at] a hand you gaze.” The term יָד (yad, “hand”) probably has the sense of “power, manhood” here, where it is used, as in Ugaritic, as a euphemism for the genitals. See HALOT 387 s.v. I יָד.
- Isaiah 57:9 tn Heb “you journey with oil.”
- Isaiah 57:9 tn Heb “the king.” Since the context refers to idolatry and child sacrifice (see v. 5), some emend מֶלֶך (melekh, “king”) to “Molech.” Perhaps Israel’s devotion to her idols is likened here to a subject taking tribute to a ruler.
- Isaiah 57:9 tn Heb “and you multiply your perfumes.”
- Isaiah 57:9 sn Israel’s devotion to her idols is inordinate, irrational, and self-destructive.
- Isaiah 57:10 tn Heb “by the greatness [i.e., “length,” see BDB 914 s.v. רֹב 2] of your way you get tired.”
- Isaiah 57:10 tn Heb “it is hopeless” (so NAB, NASB, NIV); NRSV “It is useless.”
- Isaiah 57:10 tn Heb “the life of your hand you find.” The term חַיָּה (khayyah, “life”) is here used in the sense of “renewal” (see BDB 312 s.v.) while יָד (yad) is used of “strength.”
- Isaiah 57:10 tn Heb “you do not grow weak.”
- Isaiah 57:11 tn Heb “you do not place [it] on your heart.”
- Isaiah 57:11 tn Heb “Is it not [because] I have been silent, and from long ago?”
- Isaiah 57:11 sn God’s patience with sinful Israel has caused them to think that they can sin with impunity and suffer no consequences.
- Isaiah 57:12 tn Heb “I, I will declare your righteousness and your deeds.”
- Isaiah 57:13 tn The Hebrew text has קִבּוּצַיִךְ (qibbutsayikh, “your gatherings”), an otherwise unattested noun from the verbal root קָבַץ (qavats, “gather”). Perhaps this alludes to their religious assemblies and by metonymy to their rituals. Since idolatry is a prominent theme in the context, some understand this as a reference to a collection of idols. The second half of the verse also favors this view.
- Isaiah 57:13 tn Heb “all of them a wind lifts up.”
- Isaiah 57:13 tn Heb “a breath takes [them] away.”
- Isaiah 57:13 tn Or “seeks refuge in me.” “Seeking refuge” is a metonymy for “being loyal to.”
- Isaiah 57:13 tn Heb “possess, own.” The point seems to be that he will have free access to God’s presence, as if God’s temple mount were his personal possession.
- Isaiah 57:14 tn Since God is speaking throughout this context, perhaps we should emend the text to “and I say.” However, divine speech is introduced in v. 15.
- Isaiah 57:15 tn Heb “the one who dwells forever.” שֹׁכֵן עַד (shokhen ʿad) is sometimes translated “the one who lives forever,” and understood as a reference to God’s eternal existence. However, the immediately preceding and following descriptions (“high and exalted” and “holy”) emphasize his sovereign rule. In the next line, he declares, “I dwell in an exalted and holy [place],” which refers to the place from which he rules. Therefore it is more likely that שֹׁכֵן עַד (shokhen ʿad) means “I dwell [in my lofty palace] forever” and refers to God’s eternal kingship.
- Isaiah 57:15 tn Heb “and also with the crushed and lowly of spirit.” This may refer to the repentant who have humbled themselves (see 66:2) or more generally to the exiles who have experienced discouragement and humiliation.
- Isaiah 57:15 tn Heb “to restore the lowly of spirit and to restore the heart of the crushed.”
- Isaiah 57:16 tn Or perhaps, “argue,” or “accuse” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
- Isaiah 57:16 tn Heb “for a spirit from before me would be faint.”
- Isaiah 57:17 tn Heb “and I struck him, hiding, and I was angry.” פָּנִים (panim, “face”) is the implied object of “hiding.”
- Isaiah 57:17 tn Heb “and he walked [as an] apostate in the way of his heart.”
- Isaiah 57:18 tn Heb “his ways” (so KJV, NASB, NIV); TEV “how they acted.”
- Isaiah 57:18 tc The MT has וְאַנְחֵהוּ (veʾankhehu) from נָחָה (nakhah) “I will lead them,” but the consonantal text may also be read as וַאֲנִחֵהוּ (vaʾanikhehu) from נוּחַ (nuakh) “I will give them rest.” The MT is supported by Aquila and the Vulgate, though 1QIsaa omits the verb and the LXX and Targum offer mixed evidence.
- Isaiah 57:18 tn The verb וַאֲשַׁלֵּם (vaʾashallem), the Piel form of the verb שָׁלֵם (shalem), means “to make whole, make restitution, compensate, reward” (HALOT 1534, s.v.). The noun נִחֻמִים (nikhumim) uses the plural form for the abstract concept, “comfort.” The Lord will bestow comfort as restitution to Israel.
- Isaiah 57:18 tn Heb “to him and to his mourners.” Since Israel is represented by the singular pronoun “to him” (rendered as plural “them” for style throughout vv. 17-19), those who mourn for, or with, him are likely religious converts or others who sympathize with Israel (see J. D. W. Watts, Isaiah [WBC], 25:835).
- Isaiah 57:19 tc The Hebrew text has literally, “one who creates fruit of lips.” Perhaps the pronoun אֲנִי (ʾani) should be inserted after the participle; it may have been accidentally omitted by haplography: נוּב שְׂפָתָיִם [אֲנִי] בּוֹרֵי (boreʾ [ʾani] nuv sefatayim). “Fruit of the lips” is often understood as a metonymy for praise; perhaps it refers more generally to joyful shouts (see v. 18).
- Isaiah 57:19 tn Heb “Peace, peace.” The repetition of the noun emphasizes degree.
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.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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