Evil Leaders Rebuked
The righteous man perishes, and no man aputs it upon his heart;
And men of lovingkindness are gathered away, while no one understands.
For the righteous man is gathered away from bevil,
2 He enters into peace;
They rest in their beds,
Each one who awalked in his upright way.
3 “But draw near, you sons of a asoothsayer,
bSeed of an adulterer and a cprostitute.
4 Against whom do you jest?
Against whom do you open wide your mouth
And stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of atransgression,
Seed of lying,
5 Who inflame yourselves among the aoaks,
bUnder every green tree,
Who cslaughter the children in the ravines,
Under the clefts of the cliffs?
6 Among the asmooth stones of the ravine
Is your portion, they are your lot;
Even to them you have bpoured out a drink offering;
You have made a grain offering.
Shall I crelent concerning these things?
7 Upon a mountain alofty and lifted up
You have bmade your bed.
You also went up there to offer sacrifice.
8 Behind the door and the doorpost
You have set up your memorial;
Indeed, far removed from Me, you have auncovered yourself,
And have gone up and made your bed wide,
And you have cut a covenant for yourself with them;
You have loved their bed;
You have looked on their manhood.
9 You have journeyed to the king with oil
And increased your perfumes;
You have asent your envoys a great distance
And made them go down to Sheol.
10 You were tired out by the length of your road,
Yet you did not say, ‘aIt is hopeless.’
You found renewed strength;
Therefore you did not faint.
11 “Of awhom were you anxious and fearful
When you lied and did bnot remember Me,
Nor even cput Me upon your heart?
Was I not silent even for a long time
So you do not fear Me?
12 I will adeclare your righteousness and your bdeeds,
But they will not profit you.
13 When you cry out, alet your collection of idols deliver you.
But the wind will lift all of them up,
And a breath will take them away.
But he who btakes refuge in Me will cinherit the land
And will dpossess My holy mountain.”
Yahweh Revives the Spirit of the Lowly
14 And it will be said,
“aBuild up, build up, prepare the way,
Remove every stumbling block out of the way of My people.”
15 For thus says the One ahigh and lifted up
Who bdwells forever, whose name is Holy,
“I cdwell on a high and holy place,
And also with the dcrushed and lowly of spirit
In order to erevive the spirit of the lowly
And to revive the heart of the crushed.
16 For I will anot contend forever,
bNor will I always be angry;
For the spirit would grow faint before Me,
And the cbreath of those whom I have made.
17 Because of the iniquity of his agreedy gain I was angry and struck him;
I hid My face and was angry,
And he went on bturning away, in the way of his heart.
18 I have seen his ways, but I will aheal him;
I will blead him and cpay him and his mourners in full with comfort,
19 Creating the apraise of the lips.
bPeace, peace to him who is cfar and to him who is near,”
Says Yahweh, “and I will heal him.”
20 But the awicked are like the tossing sea,
For it cannot be quiet,
And its waters toss up refuse and mud.
21 “aThere is no peace,” says bmy God, “for the wicked.”