| New King James Version | New Living Translation |
| 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. | 1Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. |
| 2He shall enter into peace; They shall rest in their beds, Each one walking in his uprightness. | 2For those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die. Idolatrous Worship Condemned |
| 3“But come here, You sons of the sorceress, You offspring of the adulterer and the harlot! | 3“But you—come here, you witches’ children, you offspring of adulterers 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, | 4Whom do you mock, making faces and sticking out your tongues? You children of sinners and liars! |
| 5Inflaming yourselves with gods under every green tree, Slaying the children in the valleys, Under the clefts of the rocks? | 5You worship your idols with great passion beneath the oaks and under every green tree. You sacrifice your children down in the valleys, among the jagged rocks in the cliffs. |
| 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? | 6Your gods are the smooth stones in the valleys. You worship them with liquid offerings and grain offerings. They, not I, are your inheritance. Do you think all this makes me happy? |
| 7“On a lofty and high mountain You have set your bed; Even there you went up To offer sacrifice. | 7You have committed adultery on every high mountain. There you have worshiped idols and have been unfaithful to me. |
| 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. | 8You have put pagan symbols on your doorposts and behind your doors. You have left me and climbed into bed with these detestable gods. You have committed yourselves to them. You love to look at their naked bodies. |
| 9You went to the king with ointment, And increased your perfumes; You sent your messengers far off, And even descended to Sheol. | 9You have gone to Molech with olive oil and many perfumes, sending your agents far and wide, even to the world of the dead. |
| 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. | 10You grew weary in your search, but you never gave up. Desire gave you renewed strength, and you did not grow weary. |
| 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? | 11“Are you afraid of these idols? Do they terrify you? Is that why you have lied to me and forgotten me and my words? Is it because of my long silence that you no longer fear me? |
| 12I will declare your righteousness And your works, For they will not profit you. | 12Now I will expose your so-called good deeds. None of them will 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.” | 13Let’s see if your idols can save you when you cry to them for help. Why, a puff of wind can knock them down! If you just breathe on them, they fall over! But whoever trusts in me will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain.” God Forgives the Repentant |
| 14And one shall say, “Heap it up! Heap it up! Prepare the way, Take the stumbling block out of the way of My people.” | 14God says, “Rebuild the road! Clear away the rocks and stones so my people can return from captivity.” |
| 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. | 15The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts. |
| 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 fight against you forever; I will not always be angry. If I were, all people would pass away— all the souls I have made. |
| 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, so I punished these greedy people. I withdrew from them, but they kept going on their own stubborn way. |
| 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 what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them. I will comfort 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.” | 19bringing words of praise to their lips. May they have abundant peace, both near and far,” says the LORD, who heals them. |
| 20But the wicked are like the troubled sea, When it cannot rest, Whose waters cast up mire and dirt. | 20“But those who still reject me are like the restless sea, which is never still but continually churns up mud and dirt. |
| 21“There is no peace,” Says my God, “for the wicked.” | 21There is no peace for the wicked,” says my God. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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