Isaiah 57
57
Israel’s Futile Idolatry
1#2Ki 22:20; Ps 12:1 The righteous man perishes,
and no man lays it to heart;
and merciful men are taken away
while no one understands,
for the righteous man is taken away
from the evil to come.
2#2Ch 16:14; Eze 32:25 He shall enter into peace;
they shall rest in their beds,
each one walking in his uprightness.
3#Mt 16:4 But draw near to here, you sons of a sorceress,
offspring of an adulterer and prostitute.
4#Ps 35:21; Isa 1:4 Whom do you mock?
Against whom do you open wide your mouth
and stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of transgression,
offspring of falsehood,
5#2Ki 16:3–4; Isa 1:29 inflaming yourselves with idols
under every green tree,
slaying the children in the valleys
under the clefts of the rocks?
6#Jer 3:9; 7:18 Among the smooth stones of the stream is your portion;
they are your lot.
Even to them you have poured out a drink offering;
you have offered a grain offering.
Should I relent concerning these things?
7#Eze 16:16; 23:41 On a lofty and high mountain you have set your bed;
even there you went up to offer sacrifice.
8Behind the doors and the doorposts
you have set up your memorial;
far removed from Me, you have uncovered yourself;
you have enlarged your bed and made a covenant with them;
you have loved their bed,
you have looked on their nakedness.
9#Eze 23:16 You went to the king with ointment,
and increased your perfumes,
and sent your messengers far off,
and made them go down to Sheol.
10#Jer 2:25; 18:12 You were wearied by the length of your road;
yet you did not say, “There is no hope.”
You have found renewed strength;
therefore, you did not faint.
11#Ps 50:21; Pr 29:25 Of whom were you afraid or fearful
when you lied
and you did not remember Me,
nor give Me a thought?
Have I not held My peace for a long time
so that you do not fear Me?
12#Mic 3:2–4 I will declare your righteousness, and your works,
yet they shall not profit you.
13#Ps 37:9; 37:3 When you cry out,
let your collection of idols deliver you.
But the wind shall carry them all away,
a breath shall take them away.
But he who puts his trust in Me
shall possess the land
and shall inherit My holy mountain.
Healing for the Contrite
14#Isa 62:10; 40:3And it shall be said,
“Build up, build up, prepare the way,
take up every stumbling block out of the way of My people.”
15#Ps 34:18; 138:6 For thus says the High and Lofty One
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
I dwell in the high and holy place
and also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble,
and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
16#Ps 85:5; Mic 7:18 For I will not contend forever,
nor will I always be angry;
for the spirit would grow faint before Me,
and the souls whom I have made.
17#Isa 56:11; Jer 6:13 For the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry and struck him;
I hid My face and was wrathful,
and he went on turning away in the way of his heart.
18#Jer 3:22 I have seen his ways but will heal him;
I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners,
19#Ac 2:39; Heb 13:15 by creating the fruit of the lips.
Peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near,
says the Lord, and I will heal him.
20#Job 18:5–14; Isa 3:11 But the wicked are like the troubled
sea when it cannot rest,
whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
21#Isa 48:22 There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked.
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Military Bible Association
Isaiah 57
57
1The righteous person perishes,
and no one takes it to heart;
the faithful are taken away,
with no one realizing
that the righteous person is taken away
because of#57:1 Or taken away from the presence of evil.
2He will enter into peace —
they will rest on their beds#57:2 Either their deathbeds or their graves —
everyone who lives uprightly.
Pagan Religion Denounced
3But come here,
you witch’s sons,
offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute!#57:3 Lit and she acted as a prostitute
4Who are you mocking?
Who are you opening your mouth
and sticking out your tongue at?
Isn’t it you, you rebellious children,#Is 30:1,9
you offspring of liars,
5who burn with lust among the oaks,
under every green tree,#2Kg 16:4; Jr 2:20; 3:13
who slaughter children in the wadis
below the clefts of the rocks?#2Kg 23:10; Ps 106:37–38; Jr 7:31; Ezk 16:20–21
6Your 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?
7You have placed your bed
on a high and lofty mountain;#Jr 3:6; Ezk 16:16
you also went up there to offer sacrifice.
8You have set up your memorial
behind the door and doorpost.
For away from me, you stripped,
went up, and made your bed wide,#Ezk 23:17–18
and you have made a bargain#57:8 Lit you cut for yourself with them.
You have loved their bed;
you have gazed on their genitals.#57:8 Lit hand#57:8 In Hb, the word “hand” is probably a euphemism for genitals.
9You went to the king with oil
and multiplied your perfumes;
you sent your envoys far away#Ezk 16:26–29
and sent them down even to Sheol.
10You became weary on your many journeys,
but you did not say, “It’s hopeless!” #Jr 2:25; 18:12
You found a renewal of your strength;#57:10 Lit found life of your hand
therefore you did not grow weak.
11Who 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?#57:11 LXX reads And I, when I see you, I pass by#Ps 50:21; Is 42:14
So you do not fear me.
12I will announce your righteousness,
and your works — they will not profit you.
13When 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#Ps 37:3,9; Is 25:4
and possess my holy mountain.#Is 65:9
Healing and Peace
14He said,
“Build it up, build it up, prepare the way,
remove every obstacle from my people’s way.”#Is 62:10; Jr 18:15
15For the High and Exalted One,
who lives forever, whose name is holy,#Lk 1:49 says this:
“I live in a high and holy place,
and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit,#Ps 34:18; 51:17; Is 66:2
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and revive the heart of the oppressed.#Ps 147:3; Is 61:1–3
16For I will not accuse you forever,
and I will not always be angry;#Gn 6:3; Ps 103:9; Jr 3:12
for then the spirit would grow weak before me,
even the breath, which I have made.
17Because of his sinful greed I was angry,#Is 2:7; 56:11; Jr 6:13
so I struck him; I was angry and hid;
but he went on turning back to the desires of his heart.
18I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;
I will lead him and restore comfort
to him and his mourners,#Is 61:1–3
19creating words of praise.”#57:19 Lit creating fruit of the lips#Is 6:7; 51:16; 59:21; Heb 13:15
The Lord says,
“Peace, peace to the one who is far or near,#Ac 2:39; Eph 2:17
and I will heal him.
20But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea,#Ps 107:29
for it cannot be still,
and its water churns up mire and muck.
21There is no peace for the wicked,”
says my God.#Is 48:22; 59:8
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