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¹ BEHOLD, the righteous man has perished, and no one lays it to heart; and pious men are taken away, none considering that the righteous man is taken away from the evil to come.² And when peace comes, they shall relax, and make progress.

³ But you draw near hither, you sons of the afflicted one, the offspring of the adulterer and the whore.⁴ Against whom do you sport yourselves? Against whom do you open your mouth wide and draw out the tongue? Are you not children of iniquity, an offspring of falsehood,⁵ Comforting yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying children as sacrifices in the valleys under the cliffs of the rocks?⁶ Your portion and your heritage is in the parts of the valleys; even upon them you have poured a drink offering, you have offered meal offerings. Should I receive comfort in these things?⁷ Upon high and lofty mountains you have set your bed; even thither you went up to offer sacrifices.⁸ Behind the doors also and on the posts you have inscribed your remembrance; for you are carried away from me, and you are gone up, and you have enlarged your bed, and you have become one of them; you have loved their bed where you saw their nakedness.⁹ And you did praise the kings with frankincense, and did increase your perfumes, and you did send your messengers far off, and you have brought yourself low, even down to Sheol.¹⁰ You are wearied in the multitude of your corrupt ways; yet you did not say, I will cease; you have wasted away yourself with the guilt of your hands, therefore you did not make supplication.¹¹ And of whom have you been in dread and fear, that you have lied against me and have not remembered me nor laid it to your heart? Behold, I am the Holy One of old, and you did not revere me.¹² I will declare my righteousness, and your works shall not profit you.

¹³ When you cry, let those who gather around you deliver you; but the wind shall carry them all away, and the whirlwind shall take them; but those who put their trust in me shall inherit the land and shall possess my holy mountain;¹⁴ And shall say, Clear up, clear up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblocks out of the path of my people.¹⁵ For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, whose abode is high and holy, to the meek and the distressed in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of those who are in pain:¹⁶ I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth; for the spirit proceeds from before me, and the breath, I have made it.

¹⁷ Because of the iniquity of her treachery I was wroth and smote her; but she backslid and was wroth, and went away groaning in her heart.¹⁸ I have seen her ways, and I have healed her and have comforted her, and I have given comfort to her and to her mourners.¹⁹ I create the speech of the lips: peace, peace to those who are afar off and to those who are near, says the LORD; and I will heal them.²⁰ But the wicked are like the troubled sea, for it cannot rest, its waters cast up creeping things and mire.²¹ There is no peace to the wicked, says my God.