| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1The righteous perishes, And no man takes it to heart; Merciful men are taken away, While no one considers That the righteous is taken away from evil. | 1The godly perish, but no one cares. Honest people disappear, when no one minds that the godly disappear because of evil. |
| 2He shall enter into peace; They shall rest in their beds, Each one walking in his uprightness. | 2Those who live uprightly enter a place of peace; they rest on their beds. |
| 3“But come here, You sons of the sorceress, You offspring of the adulterer and the harlot! | 3But approach, you sons of omen readers, you offspring of adulteresses and prostitutes! |
| 4Whom do you ridicule? Against whom do you make a wide mouth And stick out the tongue? Are you not children of transgression, Offspring of falsehood, | 4At whom are you laughing? At whom are you opening your mouth and sticking out your tongue? You are the children of rebels, the offspring of liars, |
| 5Inflaming yourselves with gods under every green tree, Slaying the children in the valleys, Under the clefts of the rocks? | 5you who practice ritual sex under the oaks and every green tree, who slaughter children near the streams under the rocky overhangs. |
| 6Among the smooth stones of the stream Is your portion; They, they, are your lot! Even to them you have poured a drink offering, You have offered a grain offering. Should I receive comfort in these? | 6Among the smooth stones of the stream are the idols you love; they, they are the object of your devotion. You pour out liquid offerings to them, you make an offering. Because of these things I will seek vengeance. |
| 7“On a lofty and high mountain You have set your bed; Even there you went up To offer sacrifice. | 7On every high, elevated hill you prepare your bed; you go up there to offer sacrifices. |
| 8Also behind the doors and their posts You have set up your remembrance; For you have uncovered yourself to those other than Me, And have gone up to them; You have enlarged your bed And made a covenant with them; You have loved their bed, Where you saw their nudity. | 8Behind the door and doorpost you put your symbols. Indeed, you depart from me and go up and invite them into bed with you. You purchase favors from them, you love their bed, and gaze longingly on their genitals. |
| 9You went to the king with ointment, And increased your perfumes; You sent your messengers far off, And even descended to Sheol. | 9You take olive oil as tribute to your king, along with many perfumes. You send your messengers to a distant place; you go all the way to Sheol. |
| 10You are wearied in the length of your way; Yet you did not say, ‘There is no hope.’ You have found the life of your hand; Therefore you were not grieved. | 10Because of the long distance you must travel, you get tired, but you do not say, 'I give up.' You get renewed energy, so you don't collapse. |
| 11“And of whom have you been afraid, or feared, That you have lied And not remembered Me, Nor taken it to your heart? Is it not because I have held My peace from of old That you do not fear Me? | 11Whom are you worried about? Whom do you fear, that you would act so deceitfully and not remember me or think about me? Because I have been silent for so long, you are not afraid of me. |
| 12I will declare your righteousness And your works, For they will not profit you. | 12I will denounce your so-called righteousness and your deeds, but they will not help you. |
| 13When you cry out, Let your collection of idols deliver you. But the wind will carry them all away, A breath will take them. But he who puts his trust in Me shall possess the land, And shall inherit My holy mountain.” | 13When you cry out for help, let your idols help you! The wind blows them all away, a breeze carries them away. But the one who looks to me for help will inherit the land and will have access to my holy mountain." |
| 14And one shall say, “Heap it up! Heap it up! Prepare the way, Take the stumbling block out of the way of My people.” | 14He says, "Build it! Build it! Clear a way! Remove all the obstacles out of the way of my people!" |
| 15For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones. | 15For this is what the high and exalted one says, the one who rules forever, whose name is holy: "I dwell in an exalted and holy place, but also with the discouraged and humiliated, in order to cheer up the humiliated and to encourage the discouraged. |
| 16For I will not contend forever, Nor will I always be angry; For the spirit would fail before Me, And the souls which I have made. | 16For I will not be hostile forever or perpetually angry, for then man's spirit would grow faint before me, the life-giving breath I created. |
| 17For the iniquity of his covetousness I was angry and struck him; I hid and was angry, And he went on backsliding in the way of his heart. | 17I was angry because of their sinful greed; I attacked them and angrily rejected them, yet they remained disobedient and stubborn. |
| 18I have seen his ways, and will heal him; I will also lead him, And restore comforts to him And to his mourners. | 18I have seen their behavior, but I will heal them and give them rest, and I will once again console those who mourn. |
| 19“I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near,” Says the LORD, “And I will heal him.” | 19I am the one who gives them reason to celebrate. Complete prosperity is available both to those who are far away and those who are nearby," 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 the wicked are like a surging sea that is unable to be quiet; its waves toss up mud and sand. |
| 21“There is no peace,” Says my God, “for the wicked.” | 21There will be no prosperity," says my God, "for the wicked." |
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