Isaiah

The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.

1Good people die, and no one takes it to heart. Kind people are swept away, and no one understands. They are taken away from the trouble that is coming.

2He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.

2Each one who walked the right way enters into peace. They rest, lying down in death.

3But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore.

3But come over here, you children of a woman who worked magic. You come from parents who broke their marriage promises and sold their bodies.

4Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue? are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood,

4Who are you making fun of? Who do you sneer at and stick out your tongue at? You are children of sin and lies.

5Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks?

5You burn with desire for your idols under every green tree. You kill your children in the valleys, under the overhanging rocks.

6Among the smooth stones of the stream is thy portion; they, they are thy lot: even to them hast thou poured a drink offering, thou hast offered a meat offering. Should I receive comfort in these?

6The smooth stones from the streambed are what you chose. Those stones are all you get. You poured out wine to them and gave them grain. Should that please me?

NoteA "meat offering" in the KJV is not meat. In 1611 "meat" meant food of any kind, and this offering was made of grain.

7Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed: even thither wentest thou up to offer sacrifice.

7You made your bed on a high, tall mountain. You went up there to kill animals as gifts to idols.

8Behind the doors also and the posts hast thou set up thy remembrance: for thou hast discovered thyself to another than me, and art gone up; thou hast enlarged thy bed, and made thee a covenant with them; thou lovedst their bed where thou sawest it.

8Behind your doors and doorposts you set up your idol's sign. You left me, uncovered your bed, climbed up, and made it wide. You made a deal with them. You loved their bed and stared at it.

9And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell.

9You went to the king with olive oil, and you piled on perfume. You sent messengers far away. You brought yourself low, all the way down to the place of the dead.

Note"The king" may stand for Molech, a god that people gave their children to. The KJV word "hell" here means the place of the dead, deep below the earth.

10Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet saidst thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found the life of thine hand; therefore thou wast not grieved.

10All your traveling wore you out, but you never said, "It is hopeless." You found new strength, so you did not give up.

11And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? have not I held my peace even of old, and thou fearest me not?

11Who were you so afraid of that you lied and forgot me? You never gave me a thought. I have been silent a long time. Is that why you do not fear me?

12I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works; for they shall not profit thee.

12I will show everyone the good deeds you claim, and all your works. They will do you no good at all.

13When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them: but he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain;

13When you cry for help, let your pile of idols save you! The wind will blow them all away. A puff of breath will carry them off. But whoever trusts in me will own the land and receive my holy mountain.

14And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people.

14And it will be said, "Build up the road! Build it up! Get it ready. Take every rock out of my people's way."

15For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; 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 revive the heart of the contrite ones.

15This is what the high and honored One says, the one who lives forever, whose name is Holy: "I live in a high and holy place. I also live with people who are crushed and humble. I bring their spirits back to life, and I heal their broken hearts."

16For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made.

16I will not accuse people forever, and I will not stay angry always. If I did, their spirit would give out, and so would the life I made.

17For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart.

17His greedy sin made me angry, so I struck him. I hid my face and stayed angry. But he kept going his own stubborn way.

Note"Frowardly" is an old word meaning stubbornly, turning away from what is right.

18I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.

18I have seen the way he lives, and I will still heal him. I will lead him. I will comfort him and those who mourn with him.

19I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him.

19I put praise on their lips. Peace, peace to the one far away and to the one near, says the LORD. And I will heal them.

20But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

20But wicked people are like the churning sea. It can never be still. Its waves stir up mud and dirt.

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

21My God says, "There is no peace for the wicked."