1 T he righteous hath perished, And there is none laying to heart, And men of kindness are gathered, Without any considering that from the face of evil Gathered is the righteous one.

“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 entereth into peace, they rest on their beds, is going straightforward.

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

3 A nd ye, come near hither, O sons of a sorceress, seed of an adulterer, Even thou dost commit whoredom.

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 enlarge ye the mouth? Prolong ye the tongue? Are not ye children of transgression? a false seed?

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 W ho are inflamed among oaks, under every green tree, Slaughtering the children in valleys, Under 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 things of a brook thy portion, They -- they thy lot, Also to them thou hast poured out an oblation, Thou hast caused a present to ascend, For these things am I comforted?

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 O n a mountain, high and exalted, Thou hast set thy couch, Also thither thou hast gone up to make a sacrifice.

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

8 A nd behind the door, and the post, Thou hast set up thy memorial, For from Me thou hast removed, and goest up, Thou hast enlarged thy couch, And dost covenant for thyself among them, Thou hast loved their couch, the station thou sawest,

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 goest joyfully to the king in ointment, And dost multiply thy perfumes, And sendest thine ambassadors afar off, And humblest thyself 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 I n the greatness of thy way thou hast laboured, Thou hast not said, `It is desperate.' The life of thy hand thou hast found, Therefore thou hast not been sick.

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 been afraid, and fearest, That thou liest, and Me hast not remembered? Thou hast not laid to thy heart, Am not I silent, even from of old? And Me thou fearest not?

“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 declare thy righteousness, and thy works, And they do not profit thee.

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

13 W hen thou criest, let thy gatherings deliver thee, And all of them carry away doth wind, Take away doth vanity, And whoso is trusting in Me inheriteth the land, And doth possess My holy mountain.

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 he hath said, `Raise up, raise up, prepare a way, Lift a stumbling-block 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 said the high and exalted One, Inhabiting eternity, and holy His name: `In the high and holy place I dwell, And with the bruised and humble of spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of bruised ones,'

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, not to the age do I strive, nor for ever am I wroth, For the spirit from before Me is feeble, And the souls I have made.

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 F or the iniquity of his dishonest gain, I have been wroth, and I smite him, Hiding -- and am wroth, And he goeth on turning back 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 H is ways I have seen, and I heal him, yea, I lead him, And recompense comforts to him and to his mourning ones.

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 P roducing the fruit of the lips, `Peace, peace,' to the far off, and to the near, And I have healed him, said Jehovah.

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 A nd the wicked as the driven out sea, For to rest it is not able, And its waters cast out filth and mire.

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, said my God, to the wicked!

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