Isaiah 57

¹The righteous perish,

and no one takes it to heart;

devout men are taken away,

while no one considers

that the righteous are taken away

from the presence of evil.

²Those who walk uprightly enter into peace;

they find rest, lying down in death.

³“But come here, you sons of a sorceress,

you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes!

⁴Whom are you mocking?

At whom do you sneer and stick out your tongue?

Are you not children of transgression,

offspring of deceit,

⁵who burn with lust among the oaks,

under every luxuriant tree,

who slaughter your children in the valleys,

under the clefts of the rocks?

⁶Your portion is among the smooth stones of the valley;

indeed, they are your lot.

Even to them you have poured out a drink offering

and offered a grain offering.

Should I relent because of these?

⁷On a high and lofty hill you have made your bed,

and there you went up to offer sacrifices.

⁸Behind the door and doorpost

you have set up your memorial.

Forsaking Me, you uncovered your bed;

you climbed up and opened it wide.

And you have made a pact with those whose bed you have loved;

you have gazed upon their nakedness.

⁹You went to Molech^a with oil

and multiplied your perfumes.

You have sent your envoys^b a great distance;

you have descended even to Sheol itself.

¹⁰You are wearied by your many journeys,

but you did not say, “There is no hope!”

You found renewal of your strength;

therefore you did not grow weak.

¹¹Whom have you dreaded and feared,

so that you lied and failed

to remember Me or take this to heart?

Is it not because I have long been silent

that you do not fear Me?

¹²I will expose your righteousness and your works,

and they will not profit you.

¹³When you cry out,

let your companies of idols deliver you!

Yet the wind will carry off all of them,

a breath will take them away.

But he who seeks refuge in Me will inherit the land

and possess My holy mountain.”

¹⁴And it will be said,

“Build it up, build it up, prepare the way,

take every obstacle out of the way of My people.”

¹⁵For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,

who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:

“I dwell in a high and holy place,

and with the oppressed and humble in spirit,

to restore the spirit of the lowly

and revive the heart of the contrite.

¹⁶For I will not accuse you forever,

nor will I always be angry;

for then the spirit of man would grow weak before Me—

the breath of life I have made.

¹⁷I was enraged by his sinful greed,

so I struck him and hid My face in anger;

yet he kept turning back

to the desires of his heart.

¹⁸I have seen his ways,

but I will heal him;

I will guide him and restore comfort

to him and his mourners,

¹⁹bringing praise to their lips.

Peace, peace to those far and near,” says the LORD,

“and I will heal them.”

²⁰But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea,

for it cannot be still,

and its waves churn up mire and muck.

²¹“There is no peace,” says my God,

“for the wicked.”