Isaías 57

Israel’s Futile Idolatry

1 The righteous perishes,

And no man takes it to heart;

*Ps. 12:1Merciful men are taken away,

*1 Kin. 14:13While no one considers

That the righteous is taken away from evil.

2 He shall enter into peace;

They shall rest in *2 Chr. 16:14their beds,

Eachone walking in his uprightness.

3 "But come here,

*Is. 1:4; Matt. 16:4You sons of the sorceress,

You offspring of the adulterer and the harlot!

4 Whom do you ridicule?

Against whom do you make a wide mouth

And stick out the tongue?

Are you not children of transgression,

Offspring of falsehood,

5 Inflaming yourselves with gods *2 Kin. 16:4under every green tree,

*2 Kin. 23:10; Ps. 106:37, 38; Jer. 7:31; Ezek. 16:20Slaying the children in the valleys,

Under the clefts of the rocks?

6 Among the smooth *Jer. 3:9; Hab. 2:19stones of the stream

Is your portion;

They, they, are your lot!

Even to them you have poured a drink offering,

You have offered a grain offering.

Should I receive comfort in *Jer. 5:9, 29; 9:9these?

7 "On*Jer. 3:6; Ezek. 16:16 a lofty and high mountain

You have set *Ezek. 23:41your bed;

Even there you went up

To offer sacrifice.

8 Also behind the doors and their posts

You have set up your remembrance;

For you have uncovered yourself tothoseother than Me,

And have gone up to them;

You have enlarged your bed

And made acovenant with them;

*Ezek. 16:26You have loved their bed,

Where you saw their nudity.

9 *Hos. 7:11You went to the king with ointment,

And increased your perfumes;

You sent your *Ezek. 23:16, 40messengers far off,

And even descended to Sheol.

10 You are wearied in the length of your way;

*Jer. 2:25; 18:12Yet you did not say, ‘There is no hope.’

You have found the life of your hand;

Therefore you were not grieved.

11 "And *Prov. 29:25; Is. 51:12, 13of whom have you been afraid, or feared,

That you have lied

And not remembered Me,

Nor taken it to your heart?

Is it not because *Ps. 50:21; Eccl. 8:11; Is. 42:14I have held My peace from of old

That you do not fear Me?

12 I will declare your righteousness

And your works,

For they will not profit you.

13 When you cry out,

Let your collection ofidols deliver you.

But the wind will carry them all away,

A breath will take them.

But he who puts his trust in Me shall possess the land,

And shall inherit My holy mountain."

Healing for the Backslider

14 And one shall say,

*Is. 40:3; 62:10; Jer. 18:15"Heap it up! Heap it up!

Prepare the way,

Take the stumbling block out of the way of My people."

15 For thus says the High and Lofty One

Who inhabits eternity, *Job 6:10; Luke 1:49whose name is Holy:

*Ps. 68:35; Zech. 2:13"I dwell in the high and holy place,

*Ps. 34:18; 51:17; Is. 66:2With him who has a contrite and humble spirit,

*Ps. 147:3; Is. 61:1–3To revive the spirit of the humble,

And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

16 *Ps. 85:5; 103:9; (Mic. 7:18)For I will not contend forever,

Nor will I always be angry;

For the spirit would fail before Me,

And the souls *Num. 16:22; Job 34:14; Heb. 12:9which I have made.

17 For the iniquity of *Is. 2:7; 56:11; Jer. 6:13his covetousness

I was angry and struck him;

*Is. 8:17; 45:15; 59:2I hid and was angry,

*Is. 9:13And he went on backsliding in the way of his heart.

18 I have seen his ways, and *Jer. 3:22will heal him;

I will also lead him,

And restore comforts to him

And to *Is. 61:2his mourners.

19 "I create *Is. 6:7; 51:16; 59:21; Heb. 13:15the fruit of the lips:

Peace, peace *Acts 2:39; Eph. 2:17to himwhois far off and to himwhois near,"

Says the Lord,

"And I will heal him."

20 *Job 15:20; Prov. 4:16; Jude 13But the wicked are like the troubled sea,

When it cannot rest,

Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

21 "There*Is. 48:22 is no peace,"

Says my God, "for the wicked."