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“But draw near here, you sons of a sorceress,
    you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes.
Whom do you mock?
    Against whom do you make a wide mouth
    and stick out your tongue?
Aren’t you children of disobedience
    and offspring of falsehood,
you who inflame yourselves among the oaks,
    under every green tree;
who kill the children in the valleys,
    under the clefts of the rocks?
Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion.
    They, they are your lot.
You have even poured a drink offering to them.
    You have offered an offering.
    Shall I be appeased for these things?
On a high and lofty mountain you have set your bed.
    You also went up there to offer sacrifice.
You have set up your memorial behind the doors and the posts,
    for you have exposed yourself to someone besides me,
    and have gone up.
You have enlarged your bed
    and made you a covenant with them.
    You loved what you saw on their bed.
You went to the king with oil,
    increased your perfumes,
    sent your ambassadors far off,
    and degraded yourself even to Sheol.[a]
10 You were wearied with the length of your ways;
    yet you didn’t say, ‘It is in vain.’
You found a reviving of your strength;
    therefore you weren’t faint.

11 “Whom have you dreaded and feared,
    so that you lie,
    and have not remembered me, nor laid it to your heart?
Haven’t I held my peace for a long time,
    and you don’t fear me?
12 I will declare your righteousness;
    and as for your works, they will not benefit you.
13 When you cry,
    let those whom you have gathered deliver you;
but the wind will take them.
    a breath will carry them all away:
but he who takes refuge in me will possess the land,
    and will inherit my holy mountain.”

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Footnotes

  1. 57:9 Sheol is the place of the dead.

Pagan Religion Denounced

But come here,
you witch’s sons,
offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute![a]
Who are you mocking?
Who are you opening your mouth
and sticking out your tongue at?
Isn’t it you, you rebellious children,(A)
you offspring 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 envoys far away(F)
and sent them down even to Sheol.
10 You became weary on your many journeys,
but you did not say, “It’s hopeless!” (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?
I have kept silent for a long time, haven’t I?[f](H)
So you do not fear me.
12 I will announce your righteousness,
and your works—they will not profit you.

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