Isaiah 26
1 In that day this song shall be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city. He will appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks.
In that day will this song be made in the land of Judah: We have a strong town; he will make salvation our walls and towers.
2 Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps faith may enter in.
Let the doors be open, so that the upright nation which keeps faith may come in.
3 Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusts in thee.
The man whose heart is unmoved you will keep in peace, because his hope is in you.
4 Trust ye in Jehovah forever, for in Jehovah, even Jehovah, is an everlasting rock.
Let your hope be in the Lord for ever: for the Lord Jah is an unchanging Rock.
5 For he has brought down those who dwell on high. The lofty city, he lays it low. He lays it low even to the ground. He brings it even to the dust.
For he has made low those who are lifted up, all the people of the town of pride: he makes it low, crushing it down to the earth; he makes it low in the dust.
6 The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.
It will be crushed under the feet of the poor and the steps of those who are in need.
7 The way of the just is uprightness. Thou who are upright directs the path of the just.
The way of the good man is straight; the road of the upright is made smooth by you.
8 Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Jehovah, we have waited for thee, to thy name. Even to thy memorial, is the desire of our soul.
We have been waiting for you, O Lord; the desire of our soul is for the memory of your name.
9 With my soul I have desired thee in the night. Yea, with my spirit within me I will seek thee earnestly. For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
In the night the desire of my soul has been for you; early will my spirit be searching for you; for when your punishments come on the earth, the people of the world will get the knowledge of righteousness.
10 Let favor be shown to a wicked man, yet he will not learn righteousness. In the land of uprightness he will deal wrongfully, and will not behold the majesty of Jehovah.
Even if you are kind to the evil-doer, he will not go after righteousness; even in the land of the upright he will still go on in his wrongdoing, and will not see the glory of the Lord.
11 Jehovah, thy hand is lifted up, yet they do not see. But they shall see thy zeal for the people, and be put to shame. Yea, fire shall devour thine adversaries.
Lord, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see: let them see ... yes, your haters will be burned up in the fire.
12 Jehovah, thou will ordain peace for us, for thou have also wrought all our works for us.
Lord, you will give us peace: for all our works are the outcome of your purpose.
13 O Jehovah our God, other lords besides thee have had dominion over us, but by thee only we will make mention of thy name.
O Lord, our God, other lords than you have had rule over us; but in you only is our salvation, and no other name will we take on our lips.
14 Being dead, they shall not live. Being deceased, they shall not rise. Therefore thou have visited and destroyed them, and made all remembrance of them to perish.
The dead will not come back to life: their spirits will not come back to earth; for this cause you have sent destruction on them, so that the memory of them is dead.
15 Thou have increased the nation, O Jehovah, thou have increased the nation. Thou are glorified. Thou have enlarged all the borders of the land.
You have made the nation great, O Lord, you have made it great; glory is yours: you have made wide the limits of the land.
16 Jehovah, in trouble they have visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.
Lord, in trouble our eyes have been turned to you, we sent up a prayer when your punishment was on us.
17 As a woman with child, who draws near the time of her delivery, is in pain and cries out in her pangs, so we have been before thee, O Jehovah.
As a woman with child, whose time is near, is troubled, crying out in her pain; so have we been before you, O Lord.
18 We have been with child. We have been in pain. We have as it were brought forth wind. We have not wrought any deliverance in the earth, nor have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have given birth to wind; no salvation has come to the earth through us, and no children have come into the world.
19 Thy dead shall live. My dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, ye who dwell in the dust, for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast forth the dead.
Your dead will come back; their dead bodies will come to life again. Those in the dust, awaking from their sleep, will send out a song; for your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the shades.
20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors around thee. Hide thyself for a little moment until the indignation be passed over.
Come, my people, into your secret places, and let your doors be shut: keep yourself safe for a short time, till his wrath is over.
21 For, behold, Jehovah comes forth out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
For the Lord is coming out of his place to send punishment on the people of the earth for their evil-doing: the earth will let the blood drained out on her be seen, and will keep her dead covered no longer.
