The Blessed Death of the Righteous

1The righteous perisheth, and no man considereth it in heart: and mercifull men are taken away, and no man vnderstandeth that the righteous is taken away from the euill to come.

2Peace shall come: they shall rest in their beds, euery one that walketh before him.

God Condemns Idolatry

3But you witches children, come hither, the seede of the adulterer and of the whore.

4On whome haue ye iested? vpon whome haue ye gaped and thrust out your tongue? are not ye rebellious children, and a false seede?

5Inflamed with idoles vnder euery greene tree? and sacrificing the children in the valleys vnder the tops of the rocks?

6Thy portion is in the smooth stones of the riuer: they, they are thy lot: euen to them hast thou powred a drinke offering: thou hast offered a sacrifice. Should I delite in these?

7Thou hast made thy bed vpon a very hie mountaine: thou wentest vp thither, euen thither wentest thou to offer sacrifice.

8Behinde the doores also and postes hast thou set vp thy remembrance: for thou hast discouered thy selfe to another then me, and wentest vp, and diddest enlarge thy bed, and make a couenant betweene thee & them, and louedst their bed in euery place where thou sawest it.

9Thou wentest to the Kings with oyle, and diddest increase thine oyntments and sende thy messengers farre off, and diddest humble thy selfe vnto hell.

10Thou weariedst thy selfe in thy manifolde iourneys, yet saydest thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found life by thine hand, therefore thou wast not grieued.

11And whome diddest thou reuerence or feare, seeing thou hast lyed vnto me, and hast not remembred me, neither set thy minde thereon? is it not because I holde my peace, & that of long time? therefore thou fearest not me.

12I will declare thy righteousnes and thy workes, and they shall not profite thee.

13When thou cryest, let them that thou hast gathered together deliuer thee: but the winde shal take them all away: vanitie shal pull them away: but he that trusteth in me, shall inherite the lande, and shall possesse mine holy Mountaine.

Healing for the Repentant

14And he shall say, Cast vp, cast vp: prepare the way: take vp the stumbling blocks out of the way of my people.

15For thus sayth he that is hie and excellent, he that inhabiteth the eternitie, whose Name is the Holy one, I dwell in the high and holy place: with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirite to reuiue the spirite of the humble, and to giue life to them that are of a contrite heart.

16For I will not contende for euer, neither will I be alwayes wroth, for the spirite should fayle before me: and I haue made the breath.

17For his wicked couetousnesse I am angry with him, and haue smitten him: I hid mee and was angry, yet he went away, and turned after the way of his owne heart.

18I haue seene his wayes, and wil heale him: I wil leade him also, & restore comfort vnto him, and to those that lament him.

19I create the fruite of the lips, to be peace: peace vnto them that are farre off, and to them that are neere, sayth the Lorde: for I will heale him.

20But the wicked are like the raging sea, that can not rest, whose waters cast vp myre and dirt.

21There is no peace, sayth my God, to the wicked.