Isa 57 | ESV | STEP | 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 ;

‏ Isaiah 57

Israel’s Futile Idolatry

1 The righteous man perishes,
and no one lays it to heart;
^adevout men are taken away,
while no one understands.
For the righteous man is taken away from calamity;
2 ^bhe enters into peace;
they rest ^cin their beds
who walk in their uprightness.
3 But you, draw near,
sons of the sorceress,
^doffspring of the adulterer and the loose woman.
4 Whom are you mocking?
Against whom ^edo you open your mouth wide
and stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of ^ftransgression,
^gthe offspring of deceit,
5 you who burn with lust among ^hthe oaks, ^{▼▼Or among the terebinths}
under every green tree,
^jwho slaughter your children in the valleys,
under the clefts of the rocks?
6 Among the smooth stones of ^kthe 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?
7 ^lOn a high and lofty mountain
you have set your bed,
and there you went up to offer sacrifice.
8 Behind the door and the doorpost
you have set up your memorial;
for, deserting me, ^myou have uncovered your bed,
you have gone up to it,
ⁿyou have made it wide;
and you have made a covenant for yourself with them,
you have loved their bed,
you have looked on nakedness. ^{▼▼Or on a monument (see 56:5); Hebrew on a hand}
9 You journeyed to the king with oil
and multiplied your perfumes;
^pyou sent your envoys far off,
and sent down even to Sheol.
10 You were wearied with the length of your way,
^qbut you did not say, “It is hopeless”;
you found new life for your strength,
and so you were not faint. ^{▼▼Hebrew and so you were not sick}
11 ^sWhom did you dread and fear,
^tso that you lied,
and did not remember me,
did not lay it to heart?
^uHave I not held my peace, even for a long time,
and you do not fear me?
12 I will declare your righteousness and your deeds,
but they will not profit you.
13 ^vWhen you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you!
The wind will carry them all off,
a breath will take them away.
^wBut he who takes refuge in me shall possess the land
and shall inherit ^xmy holy mountain.

Comfort for the Contrite

14 And it shall be said,
^y“Build up, build up, prepare the way,
remove every obstruction from my people’s way.”
15 For thus says ^zthe One who is high and lifted up,
who inhabits eternity, whose name is ^aaHoly:
^ab“I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also ^acwith him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
^adto revive the spirit of the lowly,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.
16 ^aeFor 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.
17 Because of the iniquity of his ^afunjust 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.
18 I have seen his ways, ^agbut I will heal him;
I will lead him ^ahand restore comfort to him and his mourners,
19 ^aicreating ^ajthe fruit of the lips.
^akPeace, peace, ^alto the far and to the near,” says the Lord,
^am“and I will heal him.
20 ^anBut the wicked are like the tossing sea;
for it cannot be quiet,
and its waters toss up mire and dirt.
21 ^aoThere is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”