Isaiah 57
57
Chapter 57
1When somebody who worships God dies,
nobody else may think much about it.
An honest person may suddenly die.
Nobody really understands what is happening.
God takes away his servants,
so that evil things will not hurt them any more.
2When somebody who has lived in a good way dies,
he goes to a place where there is peace.
In death, people like that rest on their beds.
3The Lord says,
‘But you magicians, come here!
You use magic to learn about future times.
You are the family of an adulteress and a prostitute.
4Who do you think you are laughing at?
Who are you insulting?
Who are you pointing at with your tongue?
You are people who have turned against God.
You love to tell lies.
5You worship your idols among the big trees,
and you have sex at the same time. #57:5 They worshipped false gods that they thought would give them many children. So they had sex in a wrong way when they met together.
You kill your children as sacrifices to your false gods.
You do that beside streams
and in caves among the rocks.
6You take big stones from the streams,
and they become your idols.
They are the gods that you love to worship.
You pour drink offerings over them.
You offer grain to them.
Because of what you do,
should I not punish you?
7You go up to the tops of high hills,
and you lie down there to have sex.
You go there to offer sacrifices to your gods.
8You put your images behind the doors of your rooms.
Then you turn your backs to me,
and you get into bed with your false gods.
You have made an agreement with them.
You pay money to have sex with your lovers.
You love to see their bare bodies.
9You take olive oil as a gift to your king,
and also many perfumes. #57:9 ‘your king’ may be Molech, the false god that they worshipped.
You send your people far away
to get news of other gods.
You even talk to the spirits of dead people.
10You become very tired,
because you travel so far.
But you would never say,
“This is useless!”
Instead, you find new strength,
and you do not stop.
11What idol are you so afraid of,
that you choose to deceive me?
You seem to have forgotten about me.
You do not think about me at all.
Have I been silent for too long?
Is that why you no longer respect me?
12Now I will speak against the things that you do.
You think that they are good and right,
but those things will not help you.
13Shout for help, if you like.
See if your group of idols can help you!
The wind will blow them all away.
Even a breath will carry them away.
But if people trust me to help them,
this land will belong to them.
They will worship me on my holy mountain.’ #57:13 ‘my holy mountain’ means Mount Zion in Jerusalem, where Solomon built God's temple.
The Lord promises to help his people
14The Lord says,
‘Build a road! Make it ready for my people to travel on!
Remove everything that would cause them to fall.’
15The Mighty God is far higher than all others. He rules from above and he lives for ever. His name is holy. He says,
‘I live in a high and holy place.
But I am also with anyone who is humble
and who is sorry when he does wrong things.
I will comfort people who are like that,
and I will give them hope.
16I will not always speak against my people.
I will not be angry with them for ever.
I do not want them to lose hope completely.
I myself gave life to them.
17I was angry with them because they were greedy,
which was a sin.
So I punished them.
I was angry and I turned away from them.
But they still refused to obey me.
They continued to do what they wanted to do.
18I have seen what they are doing.
But I will make them well again.
I will be a guide for them,
and I will comfort them again.
Then people who are sad and they are weeping
19will sing songs to praise me!
I will give them a reason to do that.
I will bring peace to all my people,
those who are far away,
and those who are near.
Yes, I will make them completely well again.’
That is what the Lord says.
20‘But wicked people are like a rough sea
with dangerous waves.
It cannot stay still.
Its waves throw up mud and dirt.
21There will never be peace for wicked people.’
That is what my God says.
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MissionAssist 2018
Isaiah 57
57
Idolatry is Adultery
1The righteous one perishes, and there is no one who takes#Or “sets” it to heart.
And men of faithfulness are gathered, while there is no one who understands,
for the righteous is gathered from the presence of wickedness.
2he enters into peace;
they will rest on their beds,
walking straight ahead of him.
3“But#Or “And” you, come near here, you children of a soothsayer,
offspring of an adulterer and she who commits fornication.
4At whom do you make fun?
At whom do you open#Literally “widen” your mouth and stick out#Literally “make long” your tongue?
Are you not children of transgression,
offspring of deception,
5who burn with lust among the oaks,
under every leafy tree,
who slaughter children in the valleys,
under the clefts of the rocks?
6Your portion is among the smooth stones of the valley;
they, they are your lot;
indeed, to them you have poured out a drink offering,
you have brought a food offering.
Shall I relent concerning these things?
7You have set your bed upon a high and lofty mountain;
indeed, you went up there to slaughter sacrifice.
8And you have set your symbol behind the door and the doorpost;
for you depart#The reading tradition (Qere) has “uncover,” which makes no sense in context, but with different vowels it would be “depart” from me, and you go up;
you make your bed wide, and you make a deal with#Literally “cut off for yourself from” them,
you have loved their bed; you have seen their genitals.#Literally “hand”
9And you climbed down to the king with oil,
and you made your perfumes numerous,
and you sent your envoys far away,#Literally “to from far”
and you sent down deep#Literally “humiliated” to Sheol.
10You grow weary by the greatness of your way,
but you did not say, ‘Despairing!’
You found the renewal#Literally “life” of your strength,#Literally “hand;” compare the “hand” in verse 8
therefore you do not grow weak.
11And of whom were you afraid and feared, that you deceived
and did not remember me?
Did you not place it on your heart?
Have I not been silent, even from long ago,
and so you do not fear me?
12I myself will declare your righteousness and your works,
but#Or “and” they will not benefit you.
13When you cry,#Literally “your crying” let your collection deliver you,
and the wind will carry all of them away;
a breath will take them away.
But#Or “And” he who takes refuge in me shall take possession of the land,
and he shall inherit my holy mountain.”#Literally “mountain of holiness “
Peace for the Contrite
14And one shall say, “Build up, build up! Clear the way!
Remove the obstacles#Hebrew “obstacle” from the way of my people!”
15For thus says the high and lofty one who resides forever, and whose name is holy:
“I reside in a high and holy place,
and with the contrite#Literally “crushed” and humble of spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.#Literally “crushed”
16For I will not attack forever,
and I will not be angry forever,
for the spirit will grow faint before me,
and the breaths that I myself I have made.
17I was angry because of his sin of gain, and I struck him;
I hid and I was angry, but#Or “and” he walked apostate, in the ways#Hebrew “way” of his heart.
18I have seen his ways,
but#Or “and” I will heal him;
and I will lead him
and give him and his mourners comfort as a recompense,
19creating fruit of lips.
Peace, peace to the far and near,” says Yahweh, “and I will heal him.
20But#Or “And” the wicked are like the churning sea, that is not able to keep quiet,
and its waters toss up mire and mud.
21There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”
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