Pagan Religion Denounced

But come here,
you sons of a sorceress,
offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute![a]
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,
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)
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?
You have placed your bed
on a high and lofty mountain;(D)
you also went up there to offer sacrifice.
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[b] for yourself with them.
You have loved their bed;
you have gazed on their genitals.[c][d]
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;[e]
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[f](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)

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 57:3 Lit and she acted as a prostitute
  2. Isaiah 57:8 Lit you cut
  3. Isaiah 57:8 Lit hand
  4. Isaiah 57:8 In Hb, the word hand is probably a euphemism for “genitals.”
  5. Isaiah 57:10 Lit found life of your hand
  6. Isaiah 57:11 LXX reads And I, when I see you, I pass by

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