Isaiah

¹ and no one gives them a thought. God-fearing people are carted off and no one even notices. The right-living people are out of their misery, they're finally at rest.

² and now they're finally at peace.

³ Sons of a slut, daughters of a whore.

⁴ sneering, and sticking out your tongue? Do you have any idea what wretches you've turned out to be? A race of rebels, a generation of liars.

⁵ and fornicate at whim. You kill your children at any convenient spot— any cave or crevasse will do.

⁶ and set up your sex-and-religion shrines. You've chosen your fate. Your worship will be your doom.

⁷ to practice your foul sex-and-death religion.

⁸ you assemble your precious gods and goddesses. Deserting me, you've gone all out, stripped down and made your bed your place of worship. You've climbed into bed with the 'sacred' whores and loved every minute of it, adoring every curve of their naked bodies.

⁹ and lavish perfumes on yourselves. You send scouts to search out the latest in religion, send them all the way to hell and back.

¹⁰ and never see what a waste it all is. You've always found strength for the latest fad, never got tired of trying new religions.

¹¹ leaving me high and dry, forgetting you ever knew me? Because I don't yell and make a scene do you think I don't exist?

¹² and expose the absurdity of it all.

¹³ A good wind will blow them away. They're smoke, nothing but smoke. "But anyone who runs to me for help will inherit the land, will end up owning my holy mountain!"

¹⁴ Clear the way, remove the rocks from the road my people will travel."

¹⁵ who lives in Eternity, whose name is Holy: "I live in the high and holy places, but also with the low-spirited, the spirit-crushed, And what I do is put new spirit in them, get them up and on their feet again.

¹⁶ I'm not going to be angry forever. Otherwise, people would lose heart. These souls I created would tire out and give up.

¹⁷ I struck him hard and turned away in anger, while he kept at his stubborn, willful ways.

¹⁸ I decided to heal him, lead him, and comfort him, creating a new language of praise for the mourners.

¹⁹ "and yes, I will heal them.

²⁰ that can't quiet down. The waves stir up garbage and mud.

²¹ There's no peace," God says, "for the wicked.