‏ Isaiah 57

Evil Leaders Rebuked

1The righteous man perishes, and no man puts it upon his heart;
And men of lovingkindness are gathered away, while no one understands.
For the righteous man is gathered away from evil,
2He enters into peace;
They rest in their ▼

▼Graves

beds,
Each one who walked in his upright way.
3“But draw near, you sons of a soothsayer,
Seed of an adulterer and ▼

▼As in ancient versions; Heb she prostitutes herself

a prostitute.
4“Against whom do you jest?
Against whom do you open wide your mouth
And stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of transgression,
Seed of lying,
5 Who inflame yourselves among the ▼

▼Or terebinths

oaks,
Under every green tree,
Who slaughter the children in the ▼

▼Or wadis

ravines,
Under the clefts of the cliffs?
6“Among the ▼

▼Symbols of fertility gods

smooth stones of the ▼

▼Or wadi

ravine
Is your portion, ▼

▼Lit they, they

they are your lot;
Even to them you have poured out a drink offering;
You have made a grain offering.
Shall I ▼

▼Or regret, be comforted; cf. 40:1

relent concerning these things?
7“Upon a mountain lofty and lifted up
You have made your bed.
You also went up there to offer sacrifice.
8“Behind the door and the doorpost
You have set up your memorial;
Indeed, far removed from Me, you have uncovered yourself,
And have gone up and made your bed wide,
And you have cut a covenant for yourself with them;
You have loved their ▼

▼Or lying down

bed;
You have looked on their ▼

▼Lit hand

manhood.
9“You have journeyed to the king with oil
And increased your perfumes;
You have sent your envoys a great distance
And made them go down to Sheol.
10“You were tired out by the length of your road,
Yet you did not say, ‘It is hopeless.’
You found ▼

▼Lit the life of your hand

renewed strength;
Therefore you did not ▼

▼Or become sick

faint.
11“Of whom were you anxious and fearful
When you lied and did not remember Me,
Nor even put Me upon your heart?
Was I not silent even for a long time
So you do not fear Me?
12“I will declare your righteousness and your deeds,
But they will not profit you.
13“When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you.
But the wind will lift all of them up,
And a breath will take them away.
But he who takes refuge in Me will inherit the land
And will possess My holy mountain.”

Yahweh Revives the Spirit of the Lowly

14And it will be said,
“Build up, build up, prepare the way,
▼

▼ Lit Make high, cf. 57:15; 6:1

Remove every stumbling block out of the way of My people.”
15For thus says the One high and lifted up
Who dwells forever, whose name is Holy,
“I dwell on a high and holy place,
And also with the crushed and lowly of spirit
In order to revive the spirit of the lowly
And to revive the heart of the crushed.
16“For I will not contend forever,
Nor will I always be angry;
For the spirit would grow faint before Me,
And the breath of those whom I have made.
17“Because of the iniquity of his greedy gain I was angry and struck him;
I hid My face and was angry,
And he went on turning away, in the way of his heart.
18“I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;
I will lead him and pay him and his mourners in full with comfort,
19Creating the ▼

▼Lit fruit of the lips

praise of the lips.
Peace, peace to him who is far and to him who is near,”
Says Yahweh, “and I will heal him.”
20But the wicked are like the tossing sea,
For it cannot be quiet,
And its waters toss up refuse and mud.
21“There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”