Isaiah 57

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 thinks about it. Kind people are taken away. No one notices this: God takes good people away before trouble comes.

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

2They go into peace. They lie down and rest. Each one lived in a right way.

Note"Rest in their beds" here means resting in the grave after death.

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

3But come here, you children of a woman who did magic spells. Your parents 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 open your mouth wide at? Who do you stick out your tongue at? You are children who break God's rules. You came from lies.

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

5You burn with wild desire for false gods under every green tree. You kill your children in the valleys, under the rocky cliffs.

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?

6You picked the smooth stones from the stream bed. Those stones are what you chose. You poured out wine to them. You gave them gifts of grain. Should that make me feel better?

NoteA "meat offering" in old English means a gift of grain, not meat.

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 tall, high hill. You went up there to kill animals as gifts to false gods.

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 signs. You left me and uncovered your bed. You climbed in and made it wide. You made a deal with them. You loved their bed, and you looked at them with no clothes on.

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 oil. You added more and more perfume. You sent your messengers far away. You went all the way down to the place of the dead.

Note"Hell" here means the place of the dead, deep under the ground. The word for "king" is also the name of a god people worshiped, Molech.

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.

10Your many long trips wore you out. But you never said, "There is no hope." 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 to me? You forgot me. You did not think about me at all. I have been quiet for a long time. Is that why you show me no respect?

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

12I will show everyone the good things you think you did. I will show your works. None of it will help you.

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 crowd of idols save you! The wind will blow them all away. One puff of breath will take them. But whoever trusts me will get the land. He will own 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 someone will say, "Build the road! Build the road! Get it ready. Take every stone 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.

15God is high above all. He lives forever. His name is Holy. He says, "I live in a high and holy place. I also live with people who are humble and truly sorry. I make their spirits strong again. I bring their sorry hearts back to life."

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 argue forever. I will not stay angry always. If I did, people's spirits would give out. The people I made would grow weak.

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.

17He wanted more and more, and that was wrong. So I was angry and punished him. I hid my face in anger. But he kept going his own stubborn way.

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 acts. Still, I will make him well. I will lead him. I will comfort him and the people who cry 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 words of praise on their lips. Peace, peace to those far away and near, says the LORD. And I will make them well.

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 sea in a storm. It cannot be still. Its waves stir up mud and dirt.

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

21"There is no peace," says my God, "for people who do evil."