Isaiah 57
57
Israel’s Futile Idolatry
1The righteous perishes,
And no man takes it to heart;
#Ps. 12:1Merciful men are taken away,
#1 Kin. 14:13While no one considers
That the righteous is taken away from evil.
2He shall enter into peace;
They shall rest in #2 Chr. 16:14their beds,
Each one walking in his uprightness.
3“But come here,
#Is. 1:4; Matt. 16:4You sons of the sorceress,
You offspring of the adulterer and the harlot!
4Whom do you ridicule?
Against whom do you make a wide mouth
And stick out the tongue?
Are you not children of transgression,
Offspring of falsehood,
5Inflaming yourselves with gods #2 Kin. 16:4under every green tree,
#2 Kin. 23:10; Ps. 106:37, 38; Jer. 7:31; Ezek. 16:20Slaying the children in the valleys,
Under the clefts of the rocks?
6Among the smooth #Jer. 3:9; Hab. 2:19stones of the stream
Is your portion;
They, they, are your lot!
Even to them you have poured a drink offering,
You have offered a grain offering.
Should I receive comfort in #Jer. 5:9, 29; 9:9these?
7“On#Jer. 3:6; Ezek. 16:16 a lofty and high mountain
You have set #Ezek. 23:41your bed;
Even there you went up
To offer sacrifice.
8Also behind the doors and their posts
You have set up your remembrance;
For you have uncovered yourself to those other than Me,
And have gone up to them;
You have enlarged your bed
And made a covenant with them;
#Ezek. 16:26You have loved their bed,
Where you saw their nudity.
9#Hos. 7:11You went to the king with ointment,
And increased your perfumes;
You sent your #Ezek. 23:16, 40messengers far off,
And even descended to Sheol.
10You are wearied in the length of your way;
#Jer. 2:25; 18:12Yet you did not say, ‘There is no hope.’
You have found the life of your hand;
Therefore you were not grieved.
11“And #Prov. 29:25; Is. 51:12, 13of whom have you been afraid, or feared,
That you have lied
And not remembered Me,
Nor taken it to your heart?
Is it not because #Ps. 50:21; Eccl. 8:11; Is. 42:14I have held My peace from of old
That you do not fear Me?
12I will declare your righteousness
And your works,
For they will not profit you.
13When you cry out,
Let your collection of idols deliver you.
But the wind will carry them all away,
A breath will take them.
But he who puts his trust in Me shall possess the land,
And shall inherit My holy mountain.”
Healing for the Backslider
14And one shall say,
#Is. 40:3; 62:10; Jer. 18:15“Heap it up! Heap it up!
Prepare the way,
Take the stumbling block out of the way of My people.”
15For thus says the High and Lofty One
Who inhabits eternity, #Job 6:10; Luke 1:49whose name is Holy:
#Ps. 68:35; Zech. 2:13“I dwell in the high and holy place,
#Ps. 34:18; 51:17; Is. 66:2With him who has a contrite and humble spirit,
#Ps. 147:3; Is. 61:1–3To revive the spirit of the humble,
And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
16#Ps. 85:5; 103:9; (Mic. 7:18)For I will not contend forever,
Nor will I always be angry;
For the spirit would fail before Me,
And the souls #Num. 16:22; Job 34:14; Heb. 12:9which I have made.
17For the iniquity of #Is. 2:7; 56:11; Jer. 6:13his covetousness
I was angry and struck him;
#Is. 8:17; 45:15; 59:2I hid and was angry,
#Is. 9:13And he went on backsliding in the way of his heart.
18I have seen his ways, and #Jer. 3:22will heal him;
I will also lead him,
And restore comforts to him
And to #Is. 61:2his mourners.
19“I create #Is. 6:7; 51:16; 59:21; Heb. 13:15the fruit of the lips:
Peace, peace #Acts 2:39; Eph. 2:17to him who is far off and to him who is near,”
Says the Lord,
“And I will heal him.”
20#Job 15:20; Prov. 4:16; Jude 13But the wicked are like the troubled sea,
When it cannot rest,
Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
21“There#Is. 48:22 is no peace,”
Says my God, “for the wicked.”
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Isaiah 57: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Isaiah 57
57
God's Faithful People Suffer
1God's faithful people
are dragged off and killed,
and no one even cares.
Evil sweeps them away,
2but in death they find peace
for obeying God.#57.1,2 Evil … God: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
The Lord Condemns Idolatry
3You people are unfaithful!
You go to fortunetellers,
and you worship idols.
Now pay close attention!
4Who are you making fun of?
Who are you sneering at?
Look how your sins
have made fools of you.
5All you think about is sex
under those green trees
where idols are worshiped.
You sacrifice your children
on altars built in valleys
under rocky slopes.
6You have chosen to worship
idols made of stone;#57.6 You have … stone: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
you have given them offerings
of wine and grain.
Should I be pleased?
7You have spread out your beds
on the tops of high mountains,
where you sacrifice to idols.
8Even in your homes
you have placed pagan symbols
all around your huge beds.
Yes, you have rejected me,
sold yourselves to your lovers,
and gone to bed with them.#57.8 them: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 8.
9You smear on olive oil
and all kinds of perfume
to worship the god Molech.#57.9 the god Molech: Or “the king.” In Hebrew “Molech” and “king” sound alike.
You even seek advice
from spirits of the dead.
10Though you tired yourself out
by running after idols,
you refused to stop.
Your desires were so strong
that they kept you going.
11Did you forget about me
and become unfaithful
because you were more afraid
of someone else?
Have I been silent so long#57.11 so long: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
that you no longer fear me?
12You think you're so good,
but I'll point out the truth.
13Ask your idols to save you
when you are in trouble.
Be careful though—
it takes only a faint breath
to blow them over.
But if you come to me
for protection,
this land and my holy mountain
will always belong to you.
The Lord Helps the Helpless
14The Lord says,
“Clear the road!
Get it ready for my people.”
15 #
3 Macc 2.2; 2.15. Our holy God lives forever
in the highest heavens,
and this is what he says:
Though I live high above
in the holy place,
I am here to help those
who are humble
and depend only on me.
16My people, I won't stay angry
and keep on accusing you.
After all, I am your Creator.
I don't want you to give up
in complete despair.
17Your greed made me furious.
That's why I punished you
and refused to be found,
while you kept returning
to your old sinful ways.
18I know what you are like!
But I will heal you, lead you,
and give you comfort,
until those who are mourning
19 #
Eph 2.17. start singing my praises.#57.18,19 until … praises: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
No matter where you are,
I, the Lord, will heal you#57.19 heal you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
and give you peace.
20The wicked are a restless sea
tossing up mud.
21 #
Is 48.22. But I, the Lord, have promised
that none who are evil
will live in peace.
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.