הַצַּדִּ֣יק אָבָ֔ד וְאֵ֥ין אִ֖ישׁ שָׂ֣ם עַל־לֵ֑ב וְאַנְשֵׁי־חֶ֤סֶד נֶאֱסָפִים֙ בְּאֵ֣ין מֵבִ֔ין כִּֽי־מִפְּנֵ֥י הָרָעָ֖ה נֶאֱסַ֥ף הַצַּדִּֽיק׃ A righteous person perishes,
And no one considers;
The pious are taken away,
And no one gives thought
That because of evil
The righteous one was taken away.
יָב֣וֹא שָׁל֔וֹם יָנ֖וּחוּ עַל־מִשְׁכְּבוֹתָ֑ם הֹלֵ֖ךְ נְכֹחֽוֹ׃ {ס} Yet one who walked straightforward
Shall come to peace,
Shall have rest on their couch.aShall have rest on their couch Heb. “they…shall have rest on their couches.” Here, “couch” is a euphemism for the grave; cf. 2 Chron. 16.14.
וְאַתֶּ֥ם קִרְבוּ־הֵ֖נָּה בְּנֵ֣י עֹנְנָ֑ה זֶ֥רַע מְנָאֵ֖ף וַתִּזְנֶֽה׃ But as for you, come closer,
You children of a sorceress,
You offspring of an adulterer and a whore!ba whore Lit. “she acts the whore.”
עַל־מִי֙ תִּתְעַנָּ֔גוּ עַל־מִ֛י תַּרְחִ֥יבוּ פֶ֖ה תַּאֲרִ֣יכוּ לָשׁ֑וֹן הֲלוֹא־אַתֶּ֥ם יִלְדֵי־פֶ֖שַׁע זֶ֥רַע שָֽׁקֶר׃ With whom do you act so familiarly?
At whom do you open your mouth
And stick out your tongue?
Why, you are children of iniquity,
Offspring of treachery—
הַנֵּֽחָמִים֙ בָּאֵלִ֔ים תַּ֖חַת כׇּל־עֵ֣ץ רַֽעֲנָ֑ן שֹׁחֲטֵ֤י הַיְלָדִים֙ בַּנְּחָלִ֔ים תַּ֖חַת סְעִפֵ֥י הַסְּלָעִֽים׃ You who inflame yourselvescinflame yourselves In some frenzied idolatrous rite.
Among the terebinths,
Under every verdant tree;
Who slaughter children in the wadis,
AmongdAmong Heb. “under.” the clefts of the rocks.
בְּחַלְּקֵי־נַ֣חַל חֶלְקֵ֔ךְ הֵ֥ם הֵ֖ם גּוֹרָלֵ֑ךְ גַּם־לָהֶ֞ם שָׁפַ֥כְתְּ נֶ֙סֶךְ֙ הֶעֱלִ֣ית מִנְחָ֔ה הַ֥עַל אֵ֖לֶּה אֶנָּחֵֽם׃ With suchesuch The cult-trees referred to in v. 5. are your share and portion,fWith such are your share and portion Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
They, they are your allotment;
To them you have poured out libations,
Presented offerings.
Should I relent in the face of this?
עַ֤ל הַר־גָּבֹ֙הַּ֙ וְנִשָּׂ֔א שַׂ֖מְתְּ מִשְׁכָּבֵ֑ךְ גַּם־שָׁ֥ם עָלִ֖ית לִזְבֹּ֥חַ זָֽבַח׃ On a high and lofty hill
You have set your couch;
There, too, you have gone up
To perform sacrifices.
וְאַחַ֤ר הַדֶּ֙לֶת֙ וְהַמְּזוּזָ֔ה שַׂ֖מְתְּ זִכְרוֹנֵ֑ךְ כִּ֣י מֵאִתִּ֞י גִּלִּ֣ית וַֽתַּעֲלִ֗י הִרְחַ֤בְתְּ מִשְׁכָּבֵךְ֙ וַתִּכְרׇת־לָ֣ךְ מֵהֶ֔ם אָהַ֥בְתְּ מִשְׁכָּבָ֖ם יָ֥ד חָזִֽית׃ Behind the door and doorpost
You have directed your thoughts;
Abandoning Me, you have gone up
On the couch you made so wide.
You have made a covenant with them;gthem The cult-trees referred to in v. 5.
You have loved bedding with them;hthem The objects behind door and doorpost.
You have chosen lust.ilust Like Ugaritic yd, from root ydd, “to love.”
וַתָּשֻׁ֤רִי לַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ בַּשֶּׁ֔מֶן וַתַּרְבִּ֖י רִקֻּחָ֑יִךְ וַתְּשַׁלְּחִ֤י צִרַ֙יִךְ֙ עַד־מֵ֣רָחֹ֔ק וַתַּשְׁפִּ֖ילִי עַד־שְׁאֽוֹל׃ You have approachedjAbandoning Me … You have approached Meaning of Heb. uncertain. the kingkthe king Or “Molech.” with oil,
You have provided many perfumes.
And you have sent your envoys afar,
Even down to the netherworld.lI.e., you have brought tribute to alien cults as to a king.
בְּרֹ֤ב דַּרְכֵּךְ֙ יָגַ֔עַתְּ לֹ֥א אָמַ֖רְתְּ נוֹאָ֑שׁ חַיַּ֤ת יָדֵךְ֙ מָצָ֔את עַל־כֵּ֖ן לֹ֥א חָלִֽית׃ Though wearied by much travel,
You never said, “I give up!”
You found gratification for your lust,
And so you never cared.
וְאֶת־מִ֞י דָּאַ֤גְתְּ וַתִּֽירְאִי֙ כִּ֣י תְכַזֵּ֔בִי וְאוֹתִי֙ לֹ֣א זָכַ֔רְתְּ לֹא־שַׂ֖מְתְּ עַל־לִבֵּ֑ךְ הֲלֹ֨א אֲנִ֤י מַחְשֶׁה֙ וּמֵ֣עֹלָ֔ם וְאוֹתִ֖י לֹ֥א תִירָֽאִי׃ Whom do you dread and fear,
That you tell lies?mWhom do you dread and fear, / That you tell lies? Emendation yields “Them you dreaded and feared, / And so you gave them thought.”
But you gave no thought to Me,
You paid no heed.
It is because I have stood idly by so longnso long Emendation yields “and shut My eyes.”
That you have no fear of Me.
אֲנִ֥י אַגִּ֖יד צִדְקָתֵ֑ךְ וְאֶֽת־מַעֲשַׂ֖יִךְ וְלֹ֥א יוֹעִילֽוּךְ׃ I hereby pronounce judgment upon your deeds:ojudgment upon your deeds: Lit. “your retribution and your deeds.”
Your assorted [idols]pYour assorted [idols] Moved up from v. 13 for clarity. shall not avail you,
בְּזַֽעֲקֵךְ֙ יַצִּילֻ֣ךְ קִבּוּצַ֔יִךְ וְאֶת־כֻּלָּ֥ם יִשָּׂא־ר֖וּחַ יִקַּח־הָ֑בֶל וְהַחוֹסֶ֥ה בִי֙ יִנְחַל־אֶ֔רֶץ וְיִירַ֖שׁ הַר־קׇדְשִֽׁי׃ Shall not save you when you cry out.
They shall all be borne off by the wind,
Snatched away by a breeze.
But those who trust in Me shall inherit the land
And possess My sacred mount.
וְאָמַ֥ר סֹֽלּוּ־סֹ֖לּוּ פַּנּוּ־דָ֑רֶךְ הָרִ֥ימוּ מִכְשׁ֖וֹל מִדֶּ֥רֶךְ עַמִּֽי׃ {ס} [GOD] says:
Build up, build up a highway!
Clear a road!
Remove all obstacles
From the road of My people!
כִּי֩ כֹ֨ה אָמַ֜ר רָ֣ם וְנִשָּׂ֗א שֹׁכֵ֥ן עַד֙ וְקָד֣וֹשׁ שְׁמ֔וֹ מָר֥וֹם וְקָד֖וֹשׁ אֶשְׁכּ֑וֹן וְאֶת־דַּכָּא֙ וּשְׁפַל־ר֔וּחַ לְהַחֲיוֹת֙ ר֣וּחַ שְׁפָלִ֔ים וּֽלְהַחֲי֖וֹת לֵ֥ב נִדְכָּאִֽים׃ For thus said the One who high aloft
Forever dwells, whose name is holy:
I dwell on high, in holiness;
Yet with the contrite and the lowly in spirit—
Reviving the spirits of the lowly,
Reviving the hearts of the contrite.
כִּ֣י לֹ֤א לְעוֹלָם֙ אָרִ֔יב וְלֹ֥א לָנֶ֖צַח אֶקְצ֑וֹף כִּי־ר֙וּחַ֙ מִלְּפָנַ֣י יַעֲט֔וֹף וּנְשָׁמ֖וֹת אֲנִ֥י עָשִֽׂיתִי׃ For I will not always contend,
I will not be angry forever:
Nay, I who make spirits flag,qwho make spirits flag Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
Also create the breath of life.
בַּעֲוֺ֥ן בִּצְע֛וֹ קָצַ֥פְתִּי וְאַכֵּ֖הוּ הַסְתֵּ֣ר וְאֶקְצֹ֑ף וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ שׁוֹבָ֖ב בְּדֶ֥רֶךְ לִבּֽוֹ׃ For theirrtheir I.e., Israel’s. Cf. “My people,” v. 14. sinful greed I was angry;
I struck them and turned away in My wrath.
Though stubborn, they follow the way of their hearts,sThough stubborn, they follow the way of their hearts Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Emendation yields “When they have walked broken in the contrition of their hearts.”
דְּרָכָ֥יו רָאִ֖יתִי וְאֶרְפָּאֵ֑הוּ וְאַנְחֵ֕הוּ וַאֲשַׁלֵּ֧ם נִחֻמִ֛ים ל֖וֹ וְלַאֲבֵלָֽיו׃ I note how they fare and will heal them:
I will guide them and mete out solace to them,
And to the mourners among them
בּוֹרֵ֖א (נוב) [נִ֣יב] שְׂפָתָ֑יִם שָׁל֨וֹם ׀ שָׁל֜וֹם לָרָח֧וֹק וְלַקָּר֛וֹב אָמַ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה וּרְפָאתִֽיו׃ heartening,theartening Lit. “the vigor of”; cf. Eccl. 12.1 and postbiblical bori. comfortingucomforting The Heb. nib is otherwise unknown; its meaning is inferred from that of nid (cf. the verb nad “to condole”) in the parallel expression in Job 16.5. words:
It shall be well,
Well with the far and the near
—said GOD—
And I will heal them.
וְהָרְשָׁעִ֖ים כַּיָּ֣ם נִגְרָ֑שׁ כִּ֤י הַשְׁקֵט֙ לֹ֣א יוּכָ֔ל וַיִּגְרְשׁ֥וּ מֵימָ֖יו רֶ֥פֶשׁ וָטִֽיט׃ But the wicked are like the troubled sea
That cannot rest,
Whose waters toss up mire and mud.
אֵ֣ין שָׁל֔וֹם אָמַ֥ר אֱלֹהַ֖י לָרְשָׁעִֽים׃ {פ}
There is no safety
—said my God—
For the wicked.