Evil Leaders Rebuked

1 The righteous man perishes, and no man atakes it to heart;

And devout men are taken away, while no one understands.

For the righteous man is taken away from bevil,

2 He enters into peace;

They rest in their 1beds,

Each one who awalked in his upright way.

3 “But come here, you sons of a asorceress,

bOffspring of an adulterer and 1a cprostitute.

4 “Against whom do you jest?

Against whom do you open wide your mouth

And stick out your tongue?

Are you not children of arebellion,

Offspring of deceit,

5 Who inflame yourselves among the 1aoaks,

bUnder every luxuriant tree,

Who cslaughter the children in the 2ravines,

Under the clefts of the crags?

6 “Among the 1asmooth stones of the 2ravine

Is your portion, 3they are your lot;

Even to them you have bpoured out a drink offering,

You have made a grain offering.

Shall I 4crelent concerning these things?

7 “Upon a ahigh and lofty mountain

You have bmade 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 auncovered yourself,

And have gone up and made your bed wide.

And you have made an agreement for yourself with them,

You have loved their 1bed,

You have looked on their 2manhood.

9 “You have journeyed to the king with oil

And increased your perfumes;

You have asent your envoys a great distance

And made them go down to 1Sheol.

10 “You were tired out by the length of your road,

Yet you did not say, ‘aIt is hopeless.’

You found 1renewed strength,

Therefore you did not 2faint.

11 “Of awhom were you worried and fearful

When you lied, and did bnot remember Me

1Nor cgive Me a thought?

Was I not silent even for a long time

So you do not fear Me?

12 “I will adeclare your righteousness and your bdeeds,

But they will not profit you.

13 “When you cry out, alet 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 btakes refuge in Me will cinherit the land

And will dpossess My holy mountain.”

14 And it will be said,

“aBuild up, build up, prepare the way,

Remove every obstacle out of the way of My people.”

15 For thus says the ahigh and exalted One

Who 1blives forever, whose name is Holy,

“I cdwell on a high and holy place,

And also with the dcontrite and lowly of spirit

In order to erevive the spirit of the lowly

And to revive the heart of the contrite.

16 “For I will anot contend forever,

bNor will I always be angry;

For the spirit would grow faint before Me,

And the cbreath of those whom I have made.

17 “Because of the iniquity of his aunjust gain I was angry and struck him;

I hid My face and was angry,

And he went on bturning away, in the way of his heart.

18 “I have seen his ways, but I will aheal him;

I will blead him and crestore comfort to him and to his mourners,

19 Creating the 1apraise of the lips.

bPeace, peace to him who is cfar and to him who is near,”

Says the Lord, “and I will heal him.”

20 But the awicked are like the tossing sea,

For it cannot be quiet,

And its waters toss up refuse and mud.

21 “aThere is no peace,” says bmy God, “for the wicked.”