| King James Bible | Berean Study Bible |
| 1The 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. | 1The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; devout men are swept away, while no one considers that the righteous are guided from the presence of evil. |
| 2He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness. | 2Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest, lying down in death. |
| 3But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore. | 3“But come here, you sons of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes! |
| 4Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue? are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood, | 4Whom are you mocking? At whom do you snarl and stick out your tongue? Are you not children of transgression, offspring of deceit, |
| 5Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks? | 5who burn with lust among the oaks, under every luxuriant tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks? |
| 6Among the smooth stones of the stream is thy portion; they, they are thy lot: even to them hast thou poured a drink offering, thou hast offered a meat offering. Should I receive comfort in these? | 6Your portion is among the smooth stones of the valley; indeed, they are your lot. Even to them you have poured out a drink offering and offered a grain offering. Should I relent because of these? |
| 7Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed: even thither wentest thou up to offer sacrifice. | 7On a high and lofty hill you have made your bed, and there you went up to offer sacrifices. |
| 8Behind the doors also and the posts hast thou set up thy remembrance: for thou hast discovered thyself to another than me, and art gone up; thou hast enlarged thy bed, and made thee a covenant with them; thou lovedst their bed where thou sawest it. | 8Behind the door and doorpost you have set up your memorial. Forsaking Me, you uncovered your bed; you climbed up and opened it wide. And you have made a pact with those whose bed you have loved; you have gazed upon their nakedness. |
| 9And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell. | 9You went to Molech with oil and multiplied your perfumes. You have sent your envoys a great distance; you have descended even to Sheol itself. |
| 10Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet saidst thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found the life of thine hand; therefore thou wast not grieved. | 10You are wearied by your many journeys, but you did not say, “There is no hope!” You found renewal of your strength; therefore you did not grow weak. |
| 11And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? have not I held my peace even of old, and thou fearest me not? | 11Whom have you dreaded and feared, so that you lied and failed to remember Me or take this to heart? Is it not because I have long been silent that you do not fear Me? |
| 12I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works; for they shall not profit thee. | 12I will expose your righteousness and your works, and they will not profit you. |
| 13When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them: but he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain; | 13When you cry out, let your companies of idols deliver you! Yet the wind will carry off all of them, a breath will take them away. But he who seeks refuge in Me will inherit the land and possess My holy mountain.” |
| 14And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people. | 14And it will be said, “Build it up, build it up, prepare the way, take every obstacle out of the way of My people.” |
| 15For 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. | 15For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and humble in spirit, to restore the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite. |
| 16For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made. | 16For I will not accuse you forever, nor will I always be angry; for then the spirit of man would grow weak before Me, with the breath of those I have made. |
| 17For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart. | 17I was enraged by his sinful greed, so I struck him and hid My face in anger; yet he kept turning back to the desires of his heart. |
| 18I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners. | 18I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, |
| 19I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him. | 19bringing praise to their lips. Peace, peace to those far and near,” says the LORD, “and I will heal them.” |
| 20But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. | 20But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea, for it cannot be still, and its waves churn up mire and muck. |
| 21There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. | 21“There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.” |
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