Isaiah 57

1 The righteous perisheth, and no man considereth it in heart: and mercifull men are taken away, and no man vnderstandeth that the righteous is taken away from the euill to come.

The upright man goes to his death, and no one gives a thought to it; and god-fearing men are taken away, and no one is troubled by it; for the upright man is taken away because of evil-doing, and goes into peace.

2 Peace shall come: they shall rest in their beds, euery one that walketh before him.

They are at rest in their last resting-places, every one going straight before him.

3 But you witches children, come hither, the seede of the adulterer and of the whore.

But come near, you sons of her who is wise in secret arts, the seed of her who is false to her husband, and of the loose woman.

4 On whome haue ye iested? vpon whome haue ye gaped and thrust out your tongue? are not ye rebellious children, and a false seede?

Of whom do you make sport? against whom is your mouth open wide and your tongue put out? are you not uncontrolled children, a false seed,

5 Inflamed with idoles vnder euery greene tree? and sacrificing the children in the valleys vnder the tops of the rocks?

You who are burning with evil desire among the oaks, under every green tree; putting children to death in the valleys, under the cracks of the rocks?

6 Thy portion is in the smooth stones of the riuer: they, they are thy lot: euen to them hast thou powred a drinke offering: thou hast offered a sacrifice. Should I delite in these?

Among the smooth stones of the valley is your heritage; they, even they, are your part: even to them have you made a drink offering and a meal offering. Is it possible for such things to be overlooked by me?

7 Thou hast made thy bed vpon a very hie mountaine: thou wentest vp thither, euen thither wentest thou to offer sacrifice.

You have put your bed on a high mountain: there you went up to make your offering.

8 Behinde the doores also and postes hast thou set vp thy remembrance: for thou hast discouered thy selfe to another then me, and wentest vp, and diddest enlarge thy bed, and make a couenant betweene thee and them, and louedst their bed in euery place where thou sawest it.

And on the back of the doors and on the pillars you have put your sign: for you have been false to me with another; you have made your bed wide, and made an agreement with them; you had a desire for their bed where you saw it

9 Thou wentest to the Kings with oyle, and diddest increase thine oyntments and sende thy messengers farre off, and diddest humble thy selfe vnto hell. (Sheol h7585)

And you went to Melech with oil and much perfume, and you sent your representatives far off, and went as low as the underworld. (Sheol h7585)

10 Thou weariedst thy selfe in thy manifolde iourneys, yet saydest thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found life by thine hand, therefore thou wast not grieued.

You were tired with your long journeys; but you did not say, There is no hope: you got new strength, and so you were not feeble.

11 And whome diddest thou reuerence or feare, seeing thou hast lyed vnto me, and hast not remembred me, neither set thy minde thereon? is it not because I holde my peace, and that of long time? therefore thou fearest not me.

And of whom were you in fear, so that you were false, and did not keep me in mind, or give thought to it? Have I not been quiet, keeping myself secret, and so you were not in fear of me?

12 I will declare thy righteousnes and thy workes, and they shall not profite thee.

I will make clear what your righteousness is like and your works; you will have no profit in them.

13 When thou cryest, let them that thou hast gathered together deliuer thee: but the winde shall take them all away: vanitie shall pull them away: but he that trusteth in me, shall inherite the lande, and shall possesse mine holy Mountaine.

Your false gods will not keep you safe in answer to your cry; but the wind will take them, they will be gone like a breath: but he who puts his hope in me will take the land, and will have my holy mountain as his heritage.

14 And he shall say, Cast vp, cast vp: prepare the way: take vp the stumbling blocks out of the way of my people.

And I will say, Make it high, make it high, get ready the way, take the stones out of the way of my people.

15 For thus sayth he that is hie and excellent, he that inhabiteth the eternitie, whose Name is the Holy one, I dwell in the high and holy place: with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirite to reuiue the spirite of the humble, and to giue life to them that are of a contrite heart.

For this is the word of him who is high and lifted up, whose resting-place is eternal, whose name is Holy: my resting-place is in the high and holy place, and with him who is crushed and poor in spirit, to give life to the spirit of the poor, and to make strong the heart of the crushed.

16 For I will not contende for euer, neither will I be alwayes wroth, for the spirite should fayle before me: and I haue made the breath.

For I will not give punishment for ever, or be angry without end: for from me breath goes out; and I it was who made the souls.

17 For his wicked couetousnesse I am angry with him, and haue smitten him: I hid mee and was angry, yet he went away, and turned after the way of his owne heart.

I was quickly angry with his evil ways, and sent punishment on him, veiling my face in wrath: and he went on, turning his heart from me.

18 I haue seene his wayes, and wil heale him: I wil leade him also, and restore comfort vnto him, and to those that lament him.

I have seen his ways, and I will make him well: I will give him rest, comforting him and his people who are sad.

19 I create the fruite of the lips, to be peace: peace vnto them that are farre off, and to them that are neere, sayth the Lord: for I will heale him.

I will give the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace, to him who is near and to him who is far off, says the Lord; and I will make him well.

20 But the wicked are like the raging sea, that can not rest, whose waters cast vp myre and dirt.

But the evil-doers are like the troubled sea, for which there is no rest, and its waters send up earth and waste.

21 There is no peace, sayth my God, to the wicked.

There is no peace, says my God, for the evil-doers.