| King James Bible | Holman Christian Standard 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 one perishes, and no one takes it to heart; faithful men are swept away, with no one realizing that the righteous one is swept away from the presence of evil. |
| 2He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness. | 2He will enter into peace-- they will rest on their beds-- everyone who lives uprightly. |
| 3But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore. | 3But come here, you sons of a sorceress, offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute! |
| 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, | 4Who is it you are mocking? Who is it you are opening your mouth and sticking out your tongue at? Isn't it you, you rebellious children, you race of liars, |
| 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 green tree, who slaughter children in the wadis below 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 wadi; indeed, they are your lot. You have even poured out a drink offering to them; you have offered a grain offering; should I be satisfied with these? |
| 7Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed: even thither wentest thou up to offer sacrifice. | 7You have placed your bed on a high and lofty mountain; you also went up there to offer sacrifice. |
| 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. | 8You have set up your memorial behind the door and doorpost. For away from Me, you stripped, went up, and made your bed wide, and you have made a bargain for yourself with them. You have loved their bed; you have gazed on their genitals. |
| 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 the king with oil and multiplied your perfumes; you sent your couriers far away and sent them down even to Sheol. |
| 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 became weary on your many journeys, but you did not say, "I give up!" You found a 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? | 11Who was it you dreaded and feared, so that you lied and didn't remember Me or take it to heart? Have I not kept silent for such a long time and 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--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 collection of idols deliver you! The wind will carry all of them off, a breath will take them away. But whoever takes 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. | 14He said," Build it up, build it up, prepare the way, remove every obstacle from My people's way." |
| 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 the High and Exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy says this:" I live in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the oppressed. |
| 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, and I will not always be angry; for then the spirit would grow weak before Me, even the breath of man, which 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. | 17Because of his sinful greed I was angry, so I struck him; I was angry and hid; but he went on 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 lead 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. | 19creating words of praise." The LORD says," Peace, peace to the one who is far or near, and I will heal him. |
| 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 waters churn up mire and muck. |
| 21There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. | 21There is no peace for the wicked," says my God." |
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