Isaiah 57:3-13

The Voice

³     But you, you two-faced witch’s spawn, come here.
        You are adultery’s children, prostitution’s offspring.
⁴     Who is it that you mock?
        Whom do you tease and taunt with your vulgar gestures?
    You are born of deceit and lies, and nursed on violence and wrong.
⁵     You get all excited by other deities and are stimulated by their rituals,
        prancing around lush trees and sacrificing innocent children
    In valleys and beneath cliffs, dark and sinister.
⁶     You’ve made your choice.
        You’ve thrown in your lot with idols and smooth stones in dark ravines,
    Wining and dining strange gods with offerings of drink and grain.
        And you expect Me to tolerate this?

⁷     You’ve made your bed in the “sacred places,”
        given offerings, and made prayers on high and lofty mountains.
⁸     You declare your obedience to Me, but all hidden away—as if I couldn’t see;
        behind the very door and doorpost, you set up your shrine.
    You turned your back on Me and snuck off to be intimate with other deities;
        you made promises to them and bound yourself to them all tight and close.
⁹     You offered oils and musky ointments to Molech, your lover-god,
        and sent your servants to exotic places far away,
    Sent them down even into the grave
        to increase your pleasure with a variety of deities.
¹⁰     And even when the journey wore you out, your lust drove you on.
        You did not give up, thinking it hopeless,
    But you found strength and renewed your resolve.
¹¹     Who are you afraid of?
        I don’t know why you lied to Me about it;
    You never seemed to care what I thought.
        Maybe I’ve been patient and quiet too long—
    Is that why you’ve lost all respect for Me?
¹²     I will tell the story of your righteousness and good deeds,
        but they can’t help you now.
¹³     Not even this hodge-podge of idols you call gods can help you.
        They’ll not come to your aid if you cry for help.
    They’re nothing. A gentle breeze could blow them away;
        a breath could topple them,
    But whoever stays true to Me, whoever looks to Me for help and support
        will inherit the land and possess My holy mountain.