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Isaiah 57
1599 Geneva Bible
Isaiah 57
1599 Geneva Bible
57 1 God taketh away the good, that he should not see the horrible plagues to come. 3 Of the wicked idolaters, 9 and their vain confidence.
1 The righteous perisheth, and no man considereth it in heart, and merciful men are taken away, and no man understandeth that the righteous is taken away [a]from the evil to come.
2 [b]Peace shall come: they shall rest in their beds, everyone that walketh before him.
3 But you [c]witches’ children, come hither, the seed of the adulterer and of the whore.
4 On whom have ye jested? upon whom have ye gaped and thrust out your tongue? are not ye rebellious children, and a false seed?
5 Inflamed with idols under every green tree? and sacrificing the [d]children in the valleys under the tops of the rocks?
6 Thy portion is in the smooth stones [e]of the river: they, they are thy lot: even to them hast thou poured a drink offering: thou hast offered a sacrifice. Should I delight in [f]these?
7 Thou hast made thy [g]bed upon a very high mountain: thou wentest up thither, even thither wentest thou to offer sacrifice.
8 Behind the [h]doors also and posts hast thou set up thy remembrance: for thou hast discovered thyself to another, than me, and wentest up, and didst [i]enlarge thy bed, and make a covenant between thee and them, and lovedst their bed in every place where thou sawest it.
9 Thou wentest [j]to the kings with oil, and didst increase thine ointments, and send thy messengers far off, and didst humble thyself unto hell.
10 Thou weariedst thyself in thy manifold journeys, yet saidest thou not, [k]There is no hope: thou [l]hast found life by thine hand, therefore thou wast not grieved.
11 And whom didst thou reverence or fear, seeing thou hast [m]lied unto me, and hast not remembered me, neither set thy mind thereon? is it not because I hold my peace, and that of long [n]time? therefore thou fearest not me.
12 I will declare thy righteousness [o]and thy works, and they shall not profit thee.
13 When thou cryest, let them that thou hast gathered together, deliver thee: but the wind [p]shall take them all away: vanity shall pull them away: but he that trusteth in me shall inherit the land, and shall possess mine holy Mountain.
14 [q]And he shall say, Cast up, cast up: prepare the way: take up the stumbling blocks out of the way of my people.
15 For thus saith he that is high and excellent, he that inhabiteth the eternity, whose Name is the Holy one, I dwell in the high and holy place: with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble, and to give life to them that are of a contrite heart.
16 For I will not contend forever: neither will I be always wroth, [r]for the spirit should fail before me: and I have made the breath.
17 For his [s]wicked covetousness I am angry with him, and have smitten him: I hid me, and was angry, yet he went away, and turned after the way of his own heart.
18 I have seen his ways, and will [t]heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comfort unto him, and to those that lament him.
19 I create the [u]fruit of the lips, to be peace: peace unto them that are [v]far off, and to them that are near, saith the Lord: for I will heal him.
20 But the wicked are like the raging sea, that [w]cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 57:1 From the plague that is at hand, and also because God will punish the wicked.
- Isaiah 57:2 The soul of the righteous shall be in joy, and their body shall rest in the grave unto the time of the resurrection, because they walked before the Lord.
- Isaiah 57:3 He threateneth the wicked hypocrites, who under the pretence of the name of God’s people, derided God’s word and his promises: boasting openly that they were the children of Abraham, but because they were not faithful and obedient as Abraham was, he calleth them bastards, and the children of sorcerers, which forsook God, and fled to wicked means for succor.
- Isaiah 57:5 Read Lev. 18:21; 2 Kings 23:10.
- Isaiah 57:6 Meaning, every place was polluted with their idolatry: or every fair stone that they found, they made an idol of it.
- Isaiah 57:6 In the sacrifices which you offering before these idols, thought you did serve God.
- Isaiah 57:7 To wit, thine altars in an open place, like an impudent harlot, that careth not for the sight of her husband.
- Isaiah 57:8 Instead of setting up the word of God in the open places on the posts and doors to have it in remembrance, Deut. 6:9 and 27:1, thou hast set up signs and marks of thine idolatry in every place.
- Isaiah 57:8 That is, didst increase thine idolatry more and more.
- Isaiah 57:9 Thou didst seek the favor of the Assyrians by gifts and presents to help thee against the Egyptians: and when they failed thou soughtest to the Babylonians, and more and more didst torment thyself.
- Isaiah 57:10 Although thou sawest all thy labors to be in vain, yet wouldest thou never acknowledge thy fault, and leave off.
- Isaiah 57:10 He derideth their unprofitable diligence, which thought to have made all sure, and yet were deceived.
- Isaiah 57:11 Broken promise with me.
- Isaiah 57:11 Meaning, that the wicked abuse God’s lenity, and grow to further wickedness.
- Isaiah 57:12 That is, thy naughtiness, idolatries, and impieties which the wicked call God’s service: thus he derideth their obstinacy.
- Isaiah 57:13 Meaning, the Assyrians and others, whose help they looked for.
- Isaiah 57:14 God shall say to Darius and Cyrus.
- Isaiah 57:16 I will not use my power against frail man, whose life is but a blast.
- Isaiah 57:17 That is, for the vices and faults of the people, which is meant here by covetousness.
- Isaiah 57:18 Though they were obstinate, yet I did not withdraw my mercy from them.
- Isaiah 57:19 That is, I frame the speech and words of my messengers which shall bring peace.
- Isaiah 57:19 As well to him that is in captivity as to him that remaineth at home.
- Isaiah 57:20 Their evil conscience doth ever torment them, and therefore they can never have rest, read Isa. 48:22.
Isaiah 57
New International Version
Isaiah 57
New International Version
57 The righteous perish,(A)
and no one takes it to heart;(B)
the devout are taken away,
and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away
to be spared from evil.(C)
2 Those who walk uprightly(D)
enter into peace;
they find rest(E) as they lie in death.
3 “But you—come here, you children of a sorceress,(F)
you offspring of adulterers(G) and prostitutes!(H)
4 Who are you mocking?
At whom do you sneer
and stick out your tongue?
Are you not a brood of rebels,(I)
the offspring of liars?
5 You burn with lust among the oaks(J)
and under every spreading tree;(K)
you sacrifice your children(L) in the ravines
and under the overhanging crags.
6 The idols(M) among the smooth stones of the ravines are your portion;
indeed, they are your lot.
Yes, to them you have poured out drink offerings(N)
and offered grain offerings.
In view of all this, should I relent?(O)
7 You have made your bed on a high and lofty hill;(P)
there you went up to offer your sacrifices.(Q)
8 Behind your doors and your doorposts
you have put your pagan symbols.
Forsaking me, you uncovered your bed,
you climbed into it and opened it wide;
you made a pact with those whose beds you love,(R)
and you looked with lust on their naked bodies.(S)
9 You went to Molek[a](T) with olive oil
and increased your perfumes.(U)
You sent your ambassadors[b](V) far away;
you descended to the very realm of the dead!(W)
10 You wearied(X) yourself by such going about,
but you would not say, ‘It is hopeless.’(Y)
You found renewal of your strength,(Z)
and so you did not faint.
11 “Whom have you so dreaded and feared(AA)
that you have not been true to me,
and have neither remembered(AB) me
nor taken this to heart?(AC)
Is it not because I have long been silent(AD)
that you do not fear me?
12 I will expose your righteousness and your works,(AE)
and they will not benefit you.
13 When you cry out(AF) for help,
let your collection of idols save(AG) you!
The wind will carry all of them off,
a mere breath will blow(AH) them away.
But whoever takes refuge(AI) in me
will inherit the land(AJ)
and possess my holy mountain.”(AK)
Comfort for the Contrite
14 And it will be said:
“Build up, build up, prepare the road!(AL)
Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”(AM)
15 For this is what the high and exalted(AN) One says—
he who lives forever,(AO) whose name is holy:
“I live in a high(AP) and holy place,
but also with the one who is contrite(AQ) and lowly in spirit,(AR)
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and to revive the heart of the contrite.(AS)
16 I will not accuse(AT) them forever,
nor will I always be angry,(AU)
for then they would faint away because of me—
the very people(AV) I have created.
17 I was enraged by their sinful greed;(AW)
I punished them, and hid(AX) my face in anger,
yet they kept on in their willful ways.(AY)
18 I have seen their ways, but I will heal(AZ) them;
I will guide(BA) them and restore comfort(BB) to Israel’s mourners,
19 creating praise on their lips.(BC)
Peace, peace,(BD) to those far and near,”(BE)
says the Lord. “And I will heal them.”
20 But the wicked(BF) are like the tossing sea,(BG)
which cannot rest,
whose waves cast up mire(BH) and mud.
21 “There is no peace,”(BI) says my God, “for the wicked.”(BJ)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 57:9 Or to the king
- Isaiah 57:9 Or idols
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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