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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Isaiah 57: LEB
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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®)
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