Isaiah 57

Revised Geneva Translation

57 The righteous perishes, and no man considers it in his heart. And merciful men are taken away, and no man understands that the righteous is taken away from evil.

² Peace shall come. They shall rest in their beds whose path is straight.

³ “But you, witches’ children, come here, the seed of the adulterer and of the whore.

⁴ “Of whom do you make sport? Upon whom have you gaped and thrust out your tongue? Are not you rebellious children, a false seed,

⁵ “inflamed with idols under every green tree and sacrificing the children in the valleys under the tops of the rocks?

⁶ “Your portion is in the smooth stones of the river. They, they are your lot. To them have you poured a drink offering. You have offered a sacrifice. Should I delight in these?

⁷ “You have made your bed upon a very high mountain. You went up there, even there, to offer sacrifice.

⁸ “You have also set up your remembrance behind the doors and posts. For you have uncovered yourself to one other than Me, and gone up, enlarged your bed, and made a covenant between yourself and them, and loved their bed in every place where you saw it.

⁹ “You went to the kings with oil and increased your ointments, sent your messengers far off, and humbled yourself into Hell.

¹⁰ “You wearied yourself in your manifold journeys. You did not say, ‘There is no hope.’ You have found life by your hand. Therefore you were not grieved.

¹¹ “And whom did you reverence or fear, seeing you have lied to Me, and have not remembered Me, or set your mind thereon? Is it not because I hold My peace, and for a long time, that you do not fear Me?

¹² “I will declare your righteousness and your works, and they shall not profit you.

¹³ “When you cry, let those whom you have gathered together deliver you. But the wind shall take them all away. Vanity shall pull them away. But he who trusts in Me shall inherit the land and shall possess My Holy Mountain.

¹⁴ “And He shall say, ‘Cast up! Cast up! Prepare the way! Take the stumbling blocks out of the way of My people!’”

¹⁵ For thus says He Who is high and excellent, He Who inhabits the eternity, Whose Name is the Holy One, “I dwell in the High and Holy Place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to give life to those who are of a contrite heart.

¹⁶ “For I will not contend forever. Nor will I always be angry. For the spirit should fail before me. And I have made the breath.

¹⁷ “I am angry with him for his wicked covetousness and have stricken him. I hid Myself and was angry. Yet he went away and turned after the way of his own heart.

¹⁸ “I have seen his ways and will heal him. I will also lead him and restore comfort to him, and to those who lament him.

¹⁹ “I create the fruit of the lips: peace—peace to those who are far off and to those who are near,” says the LORD, “—for I will heal him.

²⁰ “But the wicked are like the raging sea that cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

²¹ “There is no peace,” says my God, “to the wicked.”