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12 I will proclaim your justice[a]
    and your works;
    but they shall not help you.
13 [b]When you cry out,
    let your collection of idols save you.
All these the wind shall carry off,
    a mere breath shall bear them away;
But whoever takes refuge in me shall inherit the land,
    and possess my holy mountain.

The Way to Peace for God’s People

14 And I say:
Build up, build up, prepare the way,
    remove every obstacle from my people’s way.[c](A)

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Footnotes

  1. 57:12 Justice: here used sarcastically. The activity described in these verses is far from the justice which God demands of those who are aligned with the covenant (cf. 56:1, 4, 6). In the larger context of Third Isaiah and the whole of the Isaian tradition, justice is a key theological motif. The justice to which God calls Israel will eventually come to its fulfillment in an act of divine intervention (cf. 60:21; 61:3c). Until then, the people of God must strive to live in the ways of justice and right judgment (56:1).
  2. 57:13 In v. 6, the smooth stones of the valley are the portion which the unfaithful will receive as their due reward (cf. note on v. 6); while in v. 13c, an inheritance of the land and possession of God’s holy mountain will be the portion of the upright.
  3. 57:14 The way…my people’s way: the language and imagery are reminiscent of 40:1–2, but in this context, when the people have already returned, the physical road through the desert is replaced by the spiritual way that leads to redemption.

12 I will expose your righteousness and your works,(A)
    and they will not benefit you.
13 When you cry out(B) for help,
    let your collection of idols save(C) you!
The wind will carry all of them off,
    a mere breath will blow(D) them away.
But whoever takes refuge(E) in me
    will inherit the land(F)
    and possess my holy mountain.”(G)

Comfort for the Contrite

14 And it will be said:

“Build up, build up, prepare the road!(H)
    Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”(I)

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