1 The blessed death of the righteous. 3 God reproves the Jews for their whorish idolatry. 13 He gives Evangelical promises to the penitent.

¹ 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.

² He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness. ¶

³ But draw near here, you sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore.

⁴ Against whom do you sport yourselves? against whom make you a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue? are you not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood,

⁵ Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clefts of the rocks?

⁶ Among the smooth stones of the stream is your portion; they, they are your lot: even to them have you poured a drink offering, you have offered a meat offering. Should I receive comfort in these?

⁷ On a lofty and high mountain have you set your bed: even thither went you up to offer sacrifice.

⁸ Behind the doors also and the posts have you set up your remembrance: for you have discovered yourself to another than me, and are gone up; you have enlarged your bed, and made you a covenant with them; you loved their bed where you saw it.

⁹ And you went to the king with ointment, and did increase your perfumes, and did send your messengers far off, and did debase yourself even to hell.

¹⁰ You are wearied in the greatness of your way; yet said you not, There is no hope: you have found the life of your hand; therefore you were not grieved.

¹¹ And of whom have you been afraid or feared, that you have lied, and have not remembered me, nor laid it to your heart? have not I held my peace even of old, and you fear me not?

¹² I will declare your righteousness, and your works; for they shall not profit you. ¶

¹³ When you cry, let your companies deliver you; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them: but he that puts his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain;

¹⁴ And shall say, Cast you up, cast you up, prepare the way, take up the stumbling block out of the way of my people.

¹⁵ For thus says the high and lofty One that inhabits 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.

¹⁶ For 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.

¹⁷ For 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.

¹⁸ I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts to him and to his mourners.

¹⁹ I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, says the LORD; and I will heal him.

²⁰ But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.

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