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

“The man who is right and good dies, and no one cares. Very good men are taken away, while no one understands. But the man who is right with God is taken away from what is sinful,

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

and goes where there is peace. They have rest in their graves, each one who walked in the right way.

3 ¶ But come here, ye sons of the sorceress, generation of the adulterer and the whore.

But come here, you sons of a witch, children of a man who does sex sins and a woman who sells the use of her body.

4 A gainst whom do ye sport yourselves? Against whom do ye make a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue? Are ye not rebellious sons, a lying seed of transgression,

Against whom are you making fun? Against whom do you open your mouth wide and put out your tongue? Are you not children of sin, the young ones of lies?

5 i nflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clefts of the rocks?

You burn with desire with your false gods under every green tree. You put your children on the altar of your false gods in the valleys under high rocks that hang over.

6 A mong the smooth stones of the valley is thy portion; they, they are thy lot: even unto them hast thou poured a drink offering, thou hast offered a present. Should I not avenge these things?

Your part is among the smooth stones of the valley. They are what you get. You have poured out drink gifts to them and given grain gifts. Should I be pleased about these things?

7 U pon the lofty and high mountain thou hast set thy bed: even there thou didst go up to offer sacrifice.

You have made your bed on a high mountain. And you went up there to give your gifts in worship.

8 B ehind the doors also and the posts thou hast 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 didst love their bed wherever thou didst see it.

You have put up your false gods behind the door on the other side. You have turned away from Me and have taken the covering off yourself. You have gone up and made your bed wide. You have made an agreement for yourselves with them. You have loved their bed, and have looked upon their bodies.

9 A nd thou didst go to the king with ointment and didst multiply thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even unto Sheol.

You have traveled to the king with oil and much perfume. You have sent your men with gifts a very long way, and made them go down to the place of the dead.

10 T hou became wearied in the multitude of thy ways; yet thou didst not say, There is no remedy: thou hast found that which thou wast searching for; therefore thou repented not.

You were tired because your road was so long, yet you did not say, ‘There is no hope.’ You found new strength, so you did not become weak.

11 A nd of whom hast thou reverenced or feared? Why dost thou lie; that thou hast not remembered me, nor have I come to thy thought? Have I not held my peace even of old, and thou hast never feared me?

“Of whom were you afraid, when you lied, and did not remember Me or think about Me? Have I not been quiet for a long time, so you are not afraid of Me?

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

I will make known how right you are and what you have done, but it will not help you.

13 ¶ When thou criest, let thy companions deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them: but he that waits in me shall have the land by inheritance and shall possess the mountain of my holiness.

When you cry out, let the false gods that you have take you out of trouble. The wind will carry them away. A breath will take them away. But he who comes to Me to be safe will receive the land. My holy mountain will be his.” God’s Promise for Help

14 A nd shall say, Clear away, clear away, level the way, take away the stumblingblocks out of the way of my people.

It will be said, “Build up, build up, make the way ready. Take everything out of the way of My people.”

15 F or thus has said the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is The Holy One; I dwell in the high place and in holiness and with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to cause the spirit of the humble to live and to cause the heart of the contrite ones to live.

For the high and honored One Who lives forever, Whose name is Holy, says, “I live in the high and holy place. And I also live with those who are sorry for their sins and have turned from them and are not proud. I give new strength to the spirit of those without pride, and also to those whose hearts are sorry for their sins.

16 F or I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for by me is the spirit covered by the body, and I have made the souls.

I will keep on fighting against you, and will not always be angry, for then your spirit would become weak before Me, the ones to whom I gave life.

17 ¶ For the iniquity of his covetousness I was wroth and smote him: I hid my face and was wroth, and he went on rebelliously in the way of his heart.

Because of the sin of his desire to get more of everything, I was angry. I punished him and hid My face in anger. He went on sinning, following the way of his own heart.

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

I have seen his ways and will heal him. I will lead him and give comfort to him and to those who have sorrow for him.

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

I will make the lips to praise. Peace, peace to him who is far and to him who is near,” says the Lord, “and I will heal him.”

20 B ut the wicked are like the sea in tempest, that cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

But the sinful are like the troubled sea, for it cannot rest. Its waters throw up mud and dirt.

21 T here is no peace, saith my God, for the wicked.

“There is no peace,” says my God, “for the sinful.”