Isaiah 57:3-13
Lexham English Bible
3 “But[a] you, come near here, you children of a soothsayer,
offspring of an adulterer and she who commits fornication.
4 At whom do you make fun?
At whom do you open[b] your mouth and stick out[c] your tongue?
Are you not children of transgression,
offspring of deception,
5 who burn with lust among the oaks,
under every leafy tree,
who slaughter children in the valleys,
under the clefts of the rocks?
6 Your portion is among the smooth stones of the valley;
they, they are your lot;
indeed, to them you have poured out a drink offering,
you have brought a food offering.
Shall I relent concerning these things?
7 You have set your bed upon a high and lofty mountain;
indeed, you went up there to slaughter sacrifice.
8 And you have set your symbol behind the door and the doorpost;
for you depart[d] from me, and you go up;
you make your bed wide, and you make a deal with[e] them,
you have loved their bed; you have seen their genitals.[f]
9 And you climbed down to the king with oil,
and you made your perfumes numerous,
and you sent your envoys far away,[g]
and you sent down deep[h] to Sheol.
10 You grow weary by the greatness of your way,
but you did not say, ‘Despairing!’
You found the renewal[i] of your strength,[j]
therefore you do not grow weak.
11 And of whom were you afraid and feared, that you deceived
and did not remember me?
Did you not place it on your heart?
Have I not been silent, even from long ago,
and so you do not fear me?
12 I myself will declare your righteousness and your works,
but[k] they will not benefit you.
13 When you cry,[l] let your collection deliver you,
and the wind will carry all of them away;
a breath will take them away.
But[m] he who takes refuge in me shall take possession of the land,
and he shall inherit my holy mountain.”[n]
Footnotes
- Isaiah 57:3 Or “And”
- Isaiah 57:4 Literally “widen”
- Isaiah 57:4 Literally “make long”
- Isaiah 57:8 The reading tradition (Qere) has “uncover,” which makes no sense in context, but with different vowels it would be “depart”
- Isaiah 57:8 Literally “cut off for yourself from”
- Isaiah 57:8 Literally “hand”
- Isaiah 57:9 Literally “to from far”
- Isaiah 57:9 Literally “humiliated”
- Isaiah 57:10 Literally “life”
- Isaiah 57:10 Literally “hand;” compare the “hand” in verse 8
- Isaiah 57:12 Or “and”
- Isaiah 57:13 Literally “your crying”
- Isaiah 57:13 Or “And”
- Isaiah 57:13 Literally “mountain of holiness “
Isaiah 57:3-13
New Living Translation
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.”
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
