Evil Leaders Rebuked

1The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart;
         And devout men are taken away, while no one understands.
         For the righteous man is taken away from evil,

2He enters into peace;
         They rest in their beds,
         Each one who walked in his upright way.

3“But come here, you sons of a sorceress,
         Offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute.

4“Against whom do you jest?
         Against whom do you open wide your mouth
         And stick out your tongue?
         Are you not children of rebellion,
         Offspring of deceit,

5Who inflame yourselves among the oaks,
         Under every luxuriant tree,
         Who slaughter the children in the ravines,
         Under the clefts of the crags?

6“Among the smooth stones of the ravine
         Is your portion, they are your lot;
         Even to them you have poured out a drink offering,
         You have made a grain offering.
         Shall I relent concerning these things?

7“Upon a high and lofty mountain
         You have made your bed.
         You also went up there to offer sacrifice.

8“Behind the door and the doorpost
         You have set up your sign;
         Indeed, far removed from Me, you have uncovered yourself,
         And have gone up and made your bed wide.
         And you have made an agreement 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 sent 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, ‘It is hopeless.’
         You found renewed strength,
         Therefore you did not faint.

11“Of whom were you worried and fearful
         When you lied, and did not remember Me
         Nor give Me a thought?
         Was I not silent even for a long time
         So you do not fear Me?

12“I will declare your righteousness and your deeds,
         But they will not profit you.

13“When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you.
         But the wind will carry all of them up,
         And a breath will take them away.
         But he who takes refuge in Me will inherit the land
         And will possess My holy mountain.”

14And it will be said,
         “Build up, build up, prepare the way,
         Remove every obstacle out of the way of My people.”

15For thus says the high and exalted One
         Who lives forever, whose name is Holy,
         “I dwell on a high and holy place,
         And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit
         In order to revive the spirit of the lowly
         And to revive the heart of the contrite.

16“For I will not contend forever,
         Nor will I always be angry;
         For the spirit would grow faint before Me,
         And the breath of those whom I have made.

17“Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry and struck him;
         I hid My face and was angry,
         And he went on turning away, in the way of his heart.

18“I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;
         I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners,

19Creating the praise of the lips.
         Peace, peace to him who is far and to him who is near,”
         Says the LORD, “and I will heal him.”

20But the wicked are like the tossing sea,
         For it cannot be quiet,
         And its waters toss up refuse and mud.

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

NASB ©1995

American Standard Version
The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart; and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come .

Douay-Rheims Bible
THE just perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart, and men of mercy are taken away, because there is none that understandeth; for the just man is taken away from before the face of evil.

Darby Bible Translation
The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart; and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from before the evil.

English Revised Version
The righteous perisheth and no man layeth it to heart; and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.

Webster's Bible Translation
The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.

World English Bible
The righteous perishes, and no man lays it to heart; and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil [to come].

Young's Literal Translation
The righteous hath perished, And there is none laying it to heart, And men of kindness are gathered, Without any considering that from the face of evil Gathered is the righteous one.Thirteenth Day. Holiness and Humility.
Thus saith the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the High and Holy place, with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.'--Isa. lvii. 15. Very wonderful is the revelation we have in Isaiah of God, the Holy One, as the Redeemer and the Saviour of His people. In the midst of the people whom He created and formed for Himself, He will as the Holy One dwell, showing forth …
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ

Man's Greatness and God's Greatness.
Preached June 20, 1852. MAN'S GREATNESS AND GOD'S GREATNESS. "For thus saith the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth Eternity, whose Name is Holy. I dwell in the high and holy place--with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit."--Isaiah lvii. 15. The origin of this announcement seems to have been the state of contempt in which religion found itself in the days of Isaiah. One of the most profligate monarchs that ever disgraced the page of sacred history, sat upon the throne of Judah. His …
Frederick W. Robertson—Sermons Preached at Brighton

The Loftiness of God
ISAIAH lvii. 15. For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy, I dwell in the high and holy place; with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. This is a grand text; one of the grandest in the whole Old Testament; one of those the nearest to the spirit of the New. It is full of Gospel--of good news: but it is not the whole Gospel. It does not tell us the whole character …
Charles Kingsley—The Good News of God

Of the Joy of a Good Conscience
The testimony of a good conscience is the glory of a good man. Have a good conscience and thou shalt ever have joy. A good conscience is able to bear exceeding much, and is exceeding joyful in the midst of adversities; an evil conscience is ever fearful and unquiet. Thou shalt rest sweetly if thy heart condemn thee not. Never rejoice unless when thou hast done well. The wicked have never true joy, nor feel internal peace, for there is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.(1) And if they say …
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

Holy Raiment of One's Own Weaving.
"I dwell in the high and holy places." --Isa. lvii. 15. Holiness inheres in man's being. There is external holiness, e.g., that of the Levitical order, effected by washing or sprinkling with sacrificial blood; or official holiness, denoting separation for divine service, in which sense the prophets and apostles are called holy, and church-members are called holy and beloved. But these have nothing to do with the sanctification now under discussion. Sanctification as a gift of grace refers to a man's …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Comforts Belonging to Mourners
Having already presented to your view the dark side of the text, I shall now show you the light side, They shall be comforted'. Where observe: 1 Mourning goes before comfort as the lancing of a wound precedes the cure. The Antinomian talks of comfort, but cries down mourning for sin. He is like a foolish patient who, having a pill prescribed him, licks the sugar but throws away the pill. The libertine is all for joy and comfort. He licks the sugar but throws away the bitter pill of repentance. If …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

What the Ruler's Discrimination Should be Between Correction and Connivance, Between Fervour and Gentleness.
It should be known too that the vices of subjects ought sometimes to be prudently connived at, but indicated in that they are connived at; that things, even though openly known, ought sometimes to be seasonably tolerated, but sometimes, though hidden, be closely investigated; that they ought sometimes to be gently reproved, but sometimes vehemently censured. For, indeed, some things, as we have said, ought to be prudently connived at, but indicated in that they are connived at, so that, when the …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Of the Presence of God
Of the Presence of God The soul that is faithful in the exercise of love and adherence to God above described, is astonished to feel Him gradually taking possession of their whole being: it now enjoys a continual sense of that Presence, which is become as it were natural to it; and this, as well as prayer, is the result of habit. The soul feels an unusual serenity gradually being diffused throughout all its faculties; and silence now wholly constitutes its prayer; whilst God communicates an intuitive …
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer

Higher Degree of Prayer, which is that of the Simple Presence of God, or Active Contemplation.
The soul, faithfully exercising itself in the affection and love of its God, is astonished to find Him taking complete possession of it. His presence becomes so natural, that it would be impossible not to have it: it becomes habitual to the soul, which is also conscious of a great calm spreading over it. Its prayer is all silence, and God imparts to it an intrinsic love, which is the commencement of ineffable happiness. Oh, if I could describe the infinite degrees which follow! But I must stop here, …
Jeanne Marie Bouvières—A Short Method Of Prayer And Spiritual Torrents

The Geometry of Prayer
"Lord, teach us to pray."--Luke xi. 1. "The high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity."--Is. lvii. 15. I HAVE had no little difficulty in finding a fit text, and a fit title, for my present discourse. The subject of my present discourse has been running in my mind, and has been occupying and exercising my heart, for many years; or all my life indeed. And even yet, I feel quite unable to put the truth that is in my mind at all properly before you. My subject this morning is what I may call, in one …
Alexander Whyte—Lord Teach Us To Pray

Book iii. The Ascent: from the River Jordan to the Mount of Transfiguration.
{hebrew} In every passage of Scripture where thou findest the Majesty of God, thou also findest close by His Condescension (Humility). So it is written down in the Law [Deut. x. 17, followed by verse 18], repeated in the Prophets [Is. lvii. 15], and reiterated in the Hagiographa [Ps. lxviii. 4, followed by verse 5].' - Megill 31 a. …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

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