Isaiah 57
57
Israel Does Not Follow God
1Those right with God may die,
but no one pays attention.
Good people are taken away,
but no one understands.
The people who do right are being taken away because of evil.
2But they are given peace.
The people who live the way God wants them to
find rest in death.
3“Come here, you magicians!
Come here, you sons of prostitutes and those who take part in adultery!
4Whom are you making fun of?
Whom are you insulting?
At whom do you stick out your tongue?
You turn against God,
and you are liars.
5You sin sexually under every green tree
to worship your false gods.
You kill children in the ravines
and sacrifice them in the rocky places.
6You take the smooth rocks from the ravines.
They are your portion.
You pour drink offerings on them to worship them.
You give grain offerings to them.
Do you think this makes me want to forgive you?
7You make your bed on every hill and mountain.
And there you offer sacrifices.
8You have hidden your idols
behind your doors and doorposts.
You have left me, and you have uncovered yourself.
You have pulled back the covers and climbed into bed.
You have made an agreement with
the ones whose beds you love.
And you have looked at their nakedness.
9You use your oils and perfumes
to look nice for Molech.
You have sent your messengers to faraway lands.
You even tried to send them to where the dead are.
10You have worked hard to do these things.
But you never gave up.
You found new strength.
So you did not quit.
11“Whom were you so afraid of
that you lied to me?
You have not remembered me
or even thought about me.
I have been quiet for a long time.
Is that why you are not afraid of me?
12I will tell about your ‘goodness’ and what you do.
And those things will do you no good.
13When you cry out for help,
let the false gods you have gathered help you.
The wind will blow them all away.
Just a puff of wind will take them away.
But the person who depends on me will receive the land.
He will have my holy mountain.”
The Lord Will Save His People
14The Lord says, “Build a road! Build a road! Prepare the way!
Make the way clear for my people.”
15God lives forever and is holy.
He is high and lifted up, and he says,
“I live in a high and holy place.
But I also live with people who are sad and humble.
I give new life to those who are humble.
I give new life to those whose hearts are broken.
16I will not accuse forever.
I will not always be angry.
If I continued to be angry, man’s life would grow weak.
Man, whom I created, would die.
17I was angry because they were dishonest in order to make money.
I punished them and turned away from them in anger.
But they continued to do evil.
18I have seen what they have done, but I will heal them.
I will guide them and comfort them.
And those who were sad will praise me.
19I will give peace, real peace, to those far and near.
And I will heal them,” says the Lord.
20But evil people are like the angry sea.
It cannot rest.
Its waves toss up waste and mud.
21“There is no peace for evil people,” says my God.
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Isaiah 57: ICB
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Isaiah 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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