English Standard Version

New Living Translation

Israel’s Futile Idolatry

The righteous man perishes,
and no one lays it to heart;
devout men are taken away,
while no one understands.
For the righteous man is taken away from calamity;

1

Good 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.

2

he enters into peace;
they rest in their beds
who walk in their uprightness.

2

For those who follow godly paths
will rest in peace when they die.
Idolatrous Worship Condemned

3

But you, draw near,
sons of the sorceress,
offspring of the adulterer and the loose woman.

3

“But you — come here, you witches’ children,
you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes!

4

Whom are you mocking?
Against whom do you open your mouth wide
and stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of transgression,
the offspring of deceit,

4

Whom do you mock,
making faces and sticking out your tongues?
You children of sinners and liars!

5

you who burn with lust among the oaks,a
under every green tree,
who slaughter your children in the valleys,
under the clefts of the rocks?

5

You 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.

6

Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion;
they, they, are your lot;
to them you have poured out a drink offering,
you have brought a grain offering.
Shall I relent for these things?

6

Your 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?

7

On a high and lofty mountain
you have set your bed,
and there you went up to offer sacrifice.

7

You have committed adultery on every high mountain.
There you have worshiped idols
and have been unfaithful to me.

8

Behind the door and the doorpost
you have set up your memorial;
for, deserting me, you have uncovered your bed,
you have gone up to it,
you have made it wide;
and you have made a covenant for yourself with them,
you have loved their bed,
you have looked on nakedness.b

8

You 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.

9

You journeyed to the king with oil
and multiplied your perfumes;
you sent your envoys far off,
and sent down even to Sheol.

9

You have gone to Molecha
with olive oil and many perfumes,
sending your agents far and wide,
even to the world of the dead.b

10

You were wearied with the length of your way,
but you did not say, “It is hopeless”;
you found new life for your strength,
and so you were not faint.c

10

You grew weary in your search,
but you never gave up.
Desire gave you renewed strength,
and you did not grow weary.

11

Whom did you dread and fear,
so that you lied,
and did not remember me,
did not lay it to heart?
Have I not held my peace, even for a long time,
and you do not fear me?

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?

12

I will declare your righteousness and your deeds,
but they will not profit you.

12

Now I will expose your so-called good deeds.
None of them will help you.

13

When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you!
The wind will carry them all off,
a breath will take them away.
But he who takes refuge in me shall possess the land
and shall inherit my holy mountain.

13

Let’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

14

Comfort for the Contrite

And it shall be said,
“Build up, build up, prepare the way,
remove every obstruction from my people’s way.”

14

God says, “Rebuild the road!
Clear away the rocks and stones
so my people can return from captivity.”

15

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
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 lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.

15

The 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.

16

For I will not contend forever,
nor will I always be angry;
for the spirit would grow faint before me,
and the breath of life that I made.

16

For 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.

17

Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry,
I struck him; I hid my face and was angry,
but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart.

17

I was angry,
so I punished these greedy people.
I withdrew from them,
but they kept going on their own stubborn way.

18

I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;
I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners,

18

I have seen what they do,
but I will heal them anyway!
I will lead them.
I will comfort those who mourn,

19

creating the fruit of the lips.
Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the Lord,
“and I will heal him.

19

bringing words of praise to their lips.
May they have abundant peace, both near and far,”
says the LORD, who heals them.

20

But the wicked are like the tossing sea;
for it cannot be quiet,
and its waters toss up mire and dirt.

20

“But those who still reject me are like the restless sea,
which is never still
but continually churns up mud and dirt.

21

There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

21

There is no peace for the wicked,”
says my God.

Parallel

English Standard Version

New Living Translation

Isaiah 57

Isaiah 57