Yesha 'yahu (Isa) 57
57
1The righteous person perishes,
and nobody gives it a thought.
Godly men are taken away,
and no one understands
that the righteous person is taken away
from the evil yet to come.
2Yes, those who live uprightly
will have peace as they rest on their couches.
3“But you, you witches’ children, come here,
you spawn of adulterers and whores!
4Whom are you making fun of?
At whom are you laughing and sticking out your tongue?
Aren’t you rebellious children,
just a brood of liars?
5You go into heat among the oak trees,
under every spreading tree.
You kill the children in the valleys
under the cracks in the rocks.
6Your place is among the smooth stones in the vadi;
these, these are what you deserve;
you pour out drink offerings to them,
you offer grain offerings to them.
Should I calmly ignore these things?
7You set up your bed on a high, lofty mountain;
you also went up there to offer sacrifices.
8Behind door and doorpost
you set up your [lewd] memorial;
then, far from me, you uncovered your bed,
climbed up on it and opened it wide,
made an agreement with some of them,
whose bed you loved when you saw their hand beckoning.
9You went to the king with scented oil;
you added to your perfumes;
you sent your envoys far away,
even down to Sh’ol.
10Though worn out by so much travel,
you did not say, ‘All hope is gone’;
rather, finding your strength renewed,
you did not grow weak.
11Of whom have you been so afraid,
so fearful that you lied?
But me you don’t remember,
you don’t give me a thought!
I have held my peace so long
that you no longer fear me.
12I will expose your [so-called] ‘righteousness’;
and what you have done won’t help you.
13When you cry, will those [idols] you gathered rescue you?
The wind will carry them all away,
a puff of air will take them off.
But whoever takes refuge in me will possess
the land and inherit my holy mountain.”
14Then he will say,
“Keep building! Keep building! Clear the way!
Remove everything blocking my people’s path!”
15For thus says the High, Exalted One
who lives forever, whose name is Holy:
“I live in the high and holy place
but also with the broken and humble,
in order to revive the spirit of the humble
and revive the hearts of the broken ones.
16For I will not fight them forever
or always nurse my anger;
otherwise their spirits would faint before me,
the creatures I myself have made.
17It was because of their flagrant greed
that I was angry and struck them;
I hid myself and was angry,
but they continued on their own rebellious way.
18I have seen their ways, and I will heal them;
I will lead them and give comfort
to them and to those who mourn for them —
19I will create the right words:
‘Shalom shalom to those far off
and to those nearby!’ says Adonai;
‘I will heal them!’”
20But the wicked are like the restless sea —
unable to be still,
its waters toss up mud and dirt.
21There is no shalom, says my God,
for the wicked.
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Yesha 'yahu (Isa) 57: CJB
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Learn More About Complete Jewish BibleIsaiah 57
57
1Good people pass away;
the godly often die before their time.
But no one seems to care or wonder why.
No one seems to understand
that God is protecting them from the evil to come.
2For those who follow godly paths
will rest in peace when they die.
Idolatrous Worship Condemned
3“But you—come here, you witches’ children,
you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes!
4Whom do you mock,
making faces and sticking out your tongues?
You children of sinners and liars!
5You worship your idols with great passion
beneath the oaks and under every green tree.
You sacrifice your children down in the valleys,
among the jagged rocks in the cliffs.
6Your gods are the smooth stones in the valleys.
You worship them with liquid offerings and grain offerings.
They, not I, are your inheritance.
Do you think all this makes me happy?
7You have committed adultery on every high mountain.
There you have worshiped idols
and have been unfaithful to me.
8You have put pagan symbols
on your doorposts and behind your doors.
You have left me
and climbed into bed with these detestable gods.
You have committed yourselves to them.
You love to look at their naked bodies.
9You have gone to Molech#57:9a Or to the king.
with olive oil and many perfumes,
sending your agents far and wide,
even to the world of the dead.#57:9b Hebrew to Sheol.
10You grew weary in your search,
but you never gave up.
Desire gave you renewed strength,
and you did not grow weary.
11“Are you afraid of these idols?
Do they terrify you?
Is that why you have lied to me
and forgotten me and my words?
Is it because of my long silence
that you no longer fear me?
12Now I will expose your so-called good deeds.
None of them will help you.
13Let’s see if your idols can save you
when you cry to them for help.
Why, a puff of wind can knock them down!
If you just breathe on them, they fall over!
But whoever trusts in me will inherit the land
and possess my holy mountain.”
God Forgives the Repentant
14God says, “Rebuild the road!
Clear away the rocks and stones
so my people can return from captivity.”
15The high and lofty one who lives in eternity,
the Holy One, says this:
“I live in the high and holy place
with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.
I restore the crushed spirit of the humble
and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.
16For I will not fight against you forever;
I will not always be angry.
If I were, all people would pass away—
all the souls I have made.
17I was angry,
so I punished these greedy people.
I withdrew from them,
but they kept going on their own stubborn way.
18I have seen what they do,
but I will heal them anyway!
I will lead them.
I will comfort those who mourn,
19bringing words of praise to their lips.
May they have abundant peace, both near and far,”
says the Lord, who heals them.
20“But those who still reject me are like the restless sea,
which is never still
but continually churns up mud and dirt.
21There is no peace for the wicked,”
says my God.
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