Online Bible

The righteous man perishes at the hand of evil, and no one ^atakes it to heart;Faithful and devout men are taken away, while no one understandsThat the righteous person is taken away to be spared from disaster and ^bevil.2 He enters into peace through death;They rest in their beds (graves) ,Each one who ^awalked uprightly following God’s will, living with integrity.3 “But come here, you sons of a ^asorceress raised in deception and superstition,^bOffspring of an adulterer and a ^cprostitute.4 “Of whom do you make fun?Against whom do you open wide your mouthAnd stick out your tongue?Are you not children of ^arebellion (sin) ,Offspring of deceit,5 Who inflame yourselves with lust in pagan rites among the ^aoaks (terebinth trees) ,^bUnder every green and leafy tree,Who ^cslaughter the children in sacrifice in the ravinesUnder the clefts of the rocks?6 “Among the ^asmooth stones of the ravineIs your portion, they (the idols) are your lot;Even to them you have ^bpoured out a drink offering,You have offered a grain offering.Should I ^cbe quiet concerning these things leaving them unpunished—bearing them with patience?7 “Upon a high and ^alofty mountainYou have openly and shamelessly ^bmade your idolatrous and adulterous bed;Even there you went up to offer sacrifice to idols, in spiritual unfaithfulness to Me.8 “Behind the door and the doorpostYou have set up your pagan symbol;Indeed, far removed from Me, you have ^auncovered yourself,And have gone up and made your bed wide.And you have made a new agreement for yourself with the adulterers,You have loved their bed,You have looked with passion on their ¹manhood. Deut 6:5, 6, 9; 11:18, 209 “You have gone to ¹the king of a pagan land with oilAnd increased your ²perfumes;You have ^asent your messengers a great distanceAnd made them go down to Sheol (the realm of the dead) .10 “You were wearied by the length of your road,Yet you did not say, ‘^aIt is no use.’You found ¹renewed strength,Therefore you did not grow weak.

11 “About ^awhom were you worried and fearfulThat you lied and did ^bnot ¹remember Me,Nor ²^cgive Me a thought?Was I not silent even for a long timeAnd as a result you do not fear Me?12 “I will ^adeclare your hypocritical righteousness and your ^bdeeds,But they will not benefit you.13 “When you cry out for help, ^alet your ridiculous collection of idols save you.But the wind will carry them all away,A mere breath will take them.But he who ^btakes refuge in Me will ^cpossess the land JudeaAnd will ^dinherit My holy mountain.” Ps 37:9, 11; 69:35, 36; Is 49:8; Matt 5:5; Heb 12:22

14 And it will be said,“^aBuild up, build up, clear the way.Remove the stumbling block out of the way of the spiritual return of My people.”15 For the ^ahigh and exalted OneHe who ^binhabits eternity, Whose name is Holy says this,“I ^cdwell on the high and holy place,But also with the ¹^dcontrite and humble in spiritIn order to ^erevive the spirit of the humbleAnd to revive the heart of the contrite overcome with sorrow for sin. Matt 5:316 “For I will ^anot contend forever,^bNor will I always be angry;For if I did stay angry the spirit of man would grow weak before Me,And the ^cbreath of those whom I have created.17 “Because of the wickedness of his ^aunjust gain I was angry and struck him;I hid My face and was angry,And he went on ^bturning away and backsliding, in the way of his own willful heart.18 “I have seen his willful ways, but I will ^aheal him;I will ^blead him also and will ^crestore comfort to him and to those who mourn for him, Is 61:1, 2; 66:1019 As I create the ¹^apraise of his lips,^bPeace, peace, to him who is ^cfar away both Jew and Gentile and to him who is near!”Says the LORD;“And I will heal him making his lips blossom anew with thankful praise.” Acts 2:39; Eph 2:13-17, 18; Heb 13:1520 But the ^awicked are like the tossing sea,For it cannot be quiet,And its waters toss up mire and mud.21 “^aThere is no peace,” says ^bmy God, “for the wicked.”