Read Scripture ad-free with Bible Gateway Plus—trusted Study Bibles and commentaries beside every verse. Try it FREE for 7 days.
Log In/Sign Up

#
Isaiah 57
New King James Version

### Israel’s Futile Idolatry

57 The righteous perishes,
And no man takes it to heart;
(A)Merciful men are taken away,
(B)While no one considers
That the righteous is taken away from [a]evil.
2 He shall enter into peace;
They shall rest in (C)their beds,
Each one walking in his uprightness.

3 “But come here,
(D)You sons of the sorceress,
You offspring of the adulterer and the harlot!
4 Whom do you ridicule?
Against whom do you make a wide mouth
And stick out the tongue?
Are you not children of transgression,
Offspring of falsehood,
5 Inflaming yourselves with gods (E)under every green tree,
(F)Slaying the children in the valleys,
Under the clefts of the rocks?
6 Among the smooth (G)stones of the stream
Is your portion;
They, they, are your lot!
Even to them you have poured a drink offering,
You have offered a grain offering.
Should I receive comfort in (H)these?

7 “On(I) a lofty and high mountain
You have set (J)your bed;
Even there you went up
To offer sacrifice.
8 Also behind the doors and their posts
You have set up your remembrance;
For you have uncovered yourself to those other than Me,
And have gone up to them;
You have enlarged your bed
And [b]made a covenant with them;
(K)You have loved their bed,
Where you saw their [c]nudity.
9 (L)You went to the king with ointment,
And increased your perfumes;
You sent your (M)messengers far off,
And even descended to Sheol.
10 You are wearied in the length of your way;
(N)Yet you did not say, ‘There is no hope.’
You have found the life of your hand;
Therefore you were not grieved.

11 “And (O)of whom have you been afraid, or feared,
That you have lied
And not remembered Me,
Nor taken it to your heart?
Is it not because (P)I have [d]held My peace from of old
That you do not fear Me?
12 I will declare your righteousness
And your works,
For they will not profit you.
13 When you cry out,
Let your collection of idols deliver you.
But the wind will carry them all away,
A breath will take them.
But he who puts his trust in Me shall possess the land,
And shall inherit My holy mountain.”

### Healing for the Backslider

14 And one shall say,
(Q)“Heap it up! Heap it up!
Prepare the way,
Take the stumbling block out of the way of My people.”

15 For thus says the High and Lofty One
Who inhabits eternity, (R)whose name is Holy:
(S)“I dwell in the high and holy place,
(T)With him who has a contrite and humble spirit,
(U)To revive the spirit of the humble,
And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
16 (V)For I will not contend forever,
Nor will I always be angry;
For the spirit would fail before Me,
And the souls (W)which I have made.
17 For the iniquity of (X)his covetousness
I was angry and struck him;
(Y)I hid and was angry,
(Z)And he went on [e]backsliding in the way of his heart.
18 I have seen his ways, and (AA)will heal him;
I will also lead him,
And restore comforts to him
And to (AB)his mourners.

19 “I create (AC)the fruit of the lips:
Peace, peace (AD)to him who is far off and to him who is near,”
Says the Lord,
“And I will heal him.”
20 (AE)But the wicked are like the troubled sea,
When it cannot rest,
Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

21 “There(AF) is no peace,”
Says my God, “for the wicked.”

#### Footnotes

1. Isaiah 57:1 Lit. the face of evil
2. Isaiah 57:8 Lit. cut
3. Isaiah 57:8 Lit. hand, a euphemism
4. Isaiah 57:11 remained silent
5. Isaiah 57:17 Or turning back

#### Cross references

1. Isaiah 57:1 : Ps. 12:1
2. Isaiah 57:1 : 1 Kin. 14:13
3. Isaiah 57:2 : 2 Chr. 16:14
4. Isaiah 57:3 : Is. 1:4; Matt. 16:4
5. Isaiah 57:5 : 2 Kin. 16:4
6. Isaiah 57:5 : 2 Kin. 23:10; Ps. 106:37, 38; Jer. 7:31; Ezek. 16:20
7. Isaiah 57:6 : Jer. 3:9; Hab. 2:19
8. Isaiah 57:6 : Jer. 5:9, 29; 9:9
9. Isaiah 57:7 : Jer. 3:6; Ezek. 16:16
10. Isaiah 57:7 : Ezek. 23:41
11. Isaiah 57:8 : Ezek. 16:26
12. Isaiah 57:9 : Hos. 7:11
13. Isaiah 57:9 : Ezek. 23:16, 40
14. Isaiah 57:10 : Jer. 2:25; 18:12
15. Isaiah 57:11 : Prov. 29:25; Is. 51:12, 13
16. Isaiah 57:11 : Ps. 50:21; Eccl. 8:11; Is. 42:14
17. Isaiah 57:14 : Is. 40:3; 62:10; Jer. 18:15
18. Isaiah 57:15 : Job 6:10; Luke 1:49
19. Isaiah 57:15 : Ps. 68:35; Zech. 2:13
20. Isaiah 57:15 : Ps. 34:18; 51:17; Is. 66:2
21. Isaiah 57:15 : Ps. 147:3; Is. 61:1–3
22. Isaiah 57:16 : Ps. 85:5; 103:9; [Mic. 7:18]
23. Isaiah 57:16 : Num. 16:22; Job 34:14; Heb. 12:9
24. Isaiah 57:17 : Is. 2:7; 56:11; Jer. 6:13
25. Isaiah 57:17 : Is. 8:17; 45:15; 59:2
26. Isaiah 57:17 : Is. 9:13
27. Isaiah 57:18 : Jer. 3:22
28. Isaiah 57:18 : Is. 61:2
29. Isaiah 57:19 : Is. 6:7; 51:16; 59:21; Heb. 13:15
30. Isaiah 57:19 : Acts 2:39; Eph. 2:17
31. Isaiah 57:20 : Job 15:20; Prov. 4:16; Jude 13
32. Isaiah 57:21 : Is. 48:22

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

#### Bible Gateway Recommends

NKJV, Woman's Study Bible, Red Letter, Full-Color: Receiving God's Truth for Balance, Hope, and Transformation
Retail: $49.99
Our Price: $34.99
Save: $15.00 (30%)
Buy Now
NKJV, The Bible Study Bible, Comfort Print: A Study Guide for Every Chapter of the Bible
Retail: $49.99
Our Price: $34.99
Save: $15.00 (30%)
Buy Now
NKJV, Spirit-Filled Life Bible, Third Edition, Red Letter Edition, Comfort Print: Kingdom Equipping Through the Power of the Word
Retail: $59.99
Our Price: $41.99
Save: $18.00 (30%)
Buy Now
NKJV, Gift and Award Bible, Red Letter Edition, Comfort Print: Holy Bible, New King James Version
Retail: $9.99
Our Price: $6.99
Save: $3.00 (30%)
Buy Now
NKJV Study Bible, Full-Color, Comfort Print: The Complete Resource for Studying God’s Word
Retail: $59.99
Our Price: $41.99
Save: $18.00 (30%)
Buy Now
NKJV, Chronological Study Bible, Comfort Print: Holy Bible, New King James Version
Retail: $49.99
Our Price: $34.99
Save: $15.00 (30%)
Buy Now
View more titles