Isaías 57

¹ The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth [it] to heart: and merciful men [are] taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken awayFrom the plague that is at hand, and also because God will punish the wicked.from the evil [to come].

² The soul of the righteous will be in joy, and their body will rest in the grave to the time of the resurrection, because they walked before the Lord.He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, [each one] walking [in] his uprightness.

³ But draw near here, yeHe threatens 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 calls them bastards and the children of sorcerers, who forsook God, and fled to wicked means for comfort.sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the harlot.

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?

⁵ Inflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying theRead (Lev_18:21; 2Ki_23:10).children in the valleys under the clefts of the rocks?

⁶ Among the smooth [stones]Meaning every place was polluted with their idolatry: or every fair stone they found they made into an idol.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 inIn the sacrifices which you offering before these idols thought you served God.these?

⁷ Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thyThat is, your altars in an open place, like an impudent harlot, that cares not for the sight of her husband.bed: even there thou wentest up to offer sacrifice.

⁸ Behind theInstead of setting up the word of God in the open places on the posts and doors to have it in remembrance, (Deu_6:9, Deu_27:1) you have set up signs and marks of your idolatry in every place.doors also and the door posts hast thou set up thy remembrance: for thou hast uncovered [thyself to another] than me, and hast gone up; thou hastThat is, increased your idolatry more and more.enlarged thy bed, and made thee [a covenant] with them; thou didst love their bed where thou sawest [it].

⁹ And thou wentestYou sought the favour of the Assyrians by gifts and presents to help you against the Egyptians and when they failed you sought the Babylonians, and more and more tormented yourself.to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase [thyself even] to hell.

¹⁰ Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; [yet] saidst thou not,Although you saw all your labours to be in vain, yet would you never acknowledge your fault and leave off.There is no hope: thouHe derides their unprofitable diligence, who thought to have made all sure, and yet were deceived.hast found the life of thy hand; therefore thou wast not grieved.

¹¹ And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hastBroken promises with me.lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid [it] to thy heart? have not I held my peace even ofMeaning, that the wicked abuse God's leniency, and grow to further wickedness.old, and thou fearest me not?

¹² I will declare thy righteousness,That is, your naughtiness, idolatry and impiety which the wicked call God's service: thus he derides their obstinacy.and thy works; for they shall not profit thee.

¹³ When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee; but the windMeaning, the Assyrians and others, whose help they looked for.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;

¹⁴ God will say to Darius and Cyrus.And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock 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.

¹⁶ For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always angry:I will not use my power against frail man, whose life is but a blast.for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls [which] I have made.

¹⁷ For theThat is, for the vices and faults of the people, which is here meant by covetousness.iniquity of his covetousness I was angry, and smote him: I hid myself, and was angry, and he went on backsliding in the way of his heart.

¹⁸ I have seen his ways, and willThough they were obstinate, yet I did not withdraw my mercy from them.heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts to him and to his mourners.

¹⁹ I create theThat is, I frame the speech and words of my messengers who will bring peace.fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to [him that is]As well to him that is in captivity as to him that remains at home.far off, and to [him that is] near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him.

²⁰ But the wicked [are] like the troubled sea, when itTheir evil conscience always torments them and therefore they can never have rest, (Isa_48:22).cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

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