Isaiah 57:16

Mercy and compassion God's faithfulness Anger

¹⁴ And it will be said, “Build it up, build it up, prepare the way, take every obstacle out of the way of My people.”

¹⁵ For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and humble in spirit, to restore the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite.

For I will not accuse you forever, nor will I always be angry; for then the spirit of man would grow weak before Me, with the breath of those I have made.

¹⁷ I was enraged by his sinful greed, so I struck him and hid My face in anger; yet he kept turning back to the desires of his heart.

¹⁸ I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him and his mourners,

Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: For I will not accuse you forever, nor will I always be angry; for then the spirit of man would grow weak before Me, with the breath of those I have made.
KJV: 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.
WEB: For I will not contend forever, neither will I always be angry; for the spirit would faint before me, and the souls whom I have made.
ASV: For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth; for the spirit would faint before me, and the souls that I have made.
DARBY: For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth; for the spirit would fail before me, and the souls [which] I have made.
BLB: For I will not contend forever, and I will not be angry to the end. For the spirit from before My face would turn aside, and the souls I have made.

ÅB: For ikke til evig tid går jeg i rette, og ikke for alle tider er jeg vred; for da måtte ånden vansmekte for mitt åsyn, de sjeler som jeg har skapt.
OTB: For jeg vil ikke anklage for alltid, og jeg vil ikke alltid være vred, for da ville ånden bli matt for meg— den aller pust av dem jeg har skapt.
B1930: For ikke til evig tid går jeg i rette, og ikke for alle tider er jeg vred; for da måtte ånden vansmekte for mitt åsyn, de sjeler som jeg har skapt.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Micah 7:18
Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance— who does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion?
Read in context
Jeremiah 10:24
Correct me, O LORD, but only with justice— not in Your anger, or You will bring me to nothing.
Read in context
Psalms 103:9–16
He will not always accuse us, nor harbor His anger forever.
Read in context
Psalms 85:5
Will You be angry with us forever? Will You draw out Your anger to all generations?
Read in context
Hebrews 12:9
Furthermore, we have all had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not much more submit to the Father of our spirits and live?
Read in context
Psalms 78:38–39
And yet He was compassionate; He forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. He often restrained His anger and did not unleash His full wrath.
Read in context
Numbers 16:22
But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with the whole congregation?”
Read in context
Job 34:14–15
If He were to set His heart to it and withdraw His Spirit and breath,
Read in context