The Blessed Death of the Righteous
1 The righteous perish,
and no one takes it to heart.
Merciful men are taken away,
and no one considers
that the righteous one is taken away from evil.
2 He enters into peace.
They rest in their beds,
everyone who walks uprightly.
God Condemns Idolatry
3 “But come here, you sons of a sorceress,
you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes.
4 Whom do you mock?
Against whom do you make a face
and stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of rebels
and offspring of liars,
5 you who arouse yourselves with idols
among the oaks, under every green tree,
who sacrifice your children in the valleys,
under the clefts of the rocks?
6 Among the smooth stones of the valley,
that is your portion.
Yes, they are your lot.
You have even poured a drink offering to them.
You have offered up a grain offering.
Shall I be appeased with these things?
7 On a high and lofty mountain you have set your bed,
where you go to offer sacrifices to idols.
8 You have set up your memorial behind doors and posts.
Away from me, you have exposed yourself,
and have gone up, opened your bed,
and entered into an agreement with them.
You have loved their bed
and gazing on their nakedness.
9 You went to the king with oil,
adding to your perfumes,
sending your agents far off,
and degrading yourself to the depths of hell.
10 You wearied yourself with the depth of your ways,
yet you would never say, ‘This is worthless.’
You found a way of reviving of your strength,
therefore you did not grow weak.
11 Whom did you so greatly fear,
that you lied and did not remember me or take it to heart?
Is it not because I have held my peace for such a long time,
that now you do not fear me?
12 I will declare your righteousness,
and as for your works, they will not benefit you.
13 When you cry,
let the idols you have gathered deliver you,
but the wind will take them away.
One breath will carry them all away,
but he who takes refuge in me will possess the land
and will inherit my holy mountain.”
Healing for the Repentant
14 He says,
“Build up, build up, prepare the way!
Remove the obstacle out of the way of my people.”
15 For the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity,
whose name is Holy, says:
“I dwell in the high and holy place,
with the humble and contrite in spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.
16 For I will not contend with you forever,
nor will I always be angry,
for their spirits would faint before me,
the creatures whom I have made.
17 For their sinful covetousness,
I was angry and punished them.
In my anger, I hid myself from them,
yet they went on backsliding
in the ways of their wicked hearts.
18 I have seen their ways and will heal them.
I will lead them also,
and restore comfort to them and to their mourners.
19 I create the fruit of the lips.
Peace, peace, to both him who is far off and to him who is near,”
says the Lord. “I will heal them.”
20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea,
for it cannot rest and its waters stir up mire and mud.
21 “There is no peace”, says my God, “for the wicked.”