< Isaiah 26 >

1 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; salvation is established as its walls and ramparts.
In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; His aid doth God appoint for walls and bulwarks.
2 Open the gates so a righteous nation may enter— one that remains faithful.
Open ye the gates, That the righteous nation may enter in, The nation that keepeth the truth.
3 You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast of mind, because he trusts in You.
Him that is of a steadfast mind Thou wilt keep in continual peace, Because he trusteth in thee.
4 Trust in the LORD forever, because GOD the LORD is the Rock eternal.
Trust ye in Jehovah forever, For the Lord Jehovah is an everlasting rock.
5 For He has humbled those who dwell on high; He lays the lofty city low. He brings it down to the ground; He casts it into the dust.
For he hath brought down the inhabitants of the fortress; The lofty city he hath laid low; He hath laid her low even to the ground; He hath levelled her with the dust.
6 Feet trample it down— the feet of the oppressed, the steps of the poor.
The foot trampleth upon her, The feet of the poor, the steps of the needy.
7 The path of the righteous is level; You clear a straight path for the upright.
The way of the upright is a smooth way; Thou, O most righteous, doth level the path of the upright!
8 Yes, we wait for You, O LORD; we walk in the path of Your judgments. Your name and renown are the desire of our souls.
In the way of thy judgments, O Jehovah, we have waited for thee; The desire of our souls is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
9 My soul longs for You in the night; indeed, my spirit seeks You at dawn. For when Your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.
My soul longeth for thee in the night, And my spirit within me seeketh thee in the morning; For when thy judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
10 Though grace is shown to the wicked man, he does not learn righteousness. In the land of righteousness he acts unjustly and fails to see the majesty of the LORD.
Though favor be shown to the wicked, He will not learn righteousness; In the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, And have no regard to the majesty of Jehovah.
11 O LORD, Your hand is upraised, but they do not see it. They will see Your zeal for Your people and be put to shame. The fire set for Your enemies will consume them!
Thy hand, O Jehovah, is lifted up, yet do they not see; But they shall see with shame thy zeal for thy people; Yea, fire shall devour thine adversaries.
12 O LORD, You will establish peace for us. For all that we have accomplished, You have done for us.
Thou, O Jehovah, wilt give us peace; For all our works thou doest for us.
13 O LORD our God, other lords besides You have had dominion, but Your name alone do we confess.
O Jehovah, our God, other lords have had dominion over us besides thee; Only through thee do we call upon thy name.
14 The dead will not live; the departed spirits will not rise. Therefore You have punished and destroyed them; You have wiped out all memory of them.
They are dead, they shall not live; They are shades, they shall not rise. For thou hast visited and destroyed them, And caused all the memory of them to perish.
15 You have enlarged the nation, O LORD; You have enlarged the nation. You have gained glory for Yourself; You have extended all the borders of the land.
“Thou wilt enlarge the nation, O Jehovah! Thou wilt enlarge the nation; thou wilt glorify thyself; Thou wilt widely extend all the borders of the land.
16 O LORD, they sought You in their distress; when You disciplined them, they poured out a quiet prayer.
O Jehovah, in affliction they sought thee; They poured out their prayer, when thy chastisement was upon them.
17 As a woman with child about to give birth writhes and cries out in pain, so were we in Your presence, O LORD.
As a woman with child, when her delivery is near, Is in anguish, and crieth aloud in her pangs, So have we been, far from thy presence, O Jehovah!
18 We were with child; we writhed in pain; but we gave birth to wind. We have given no salvation to the earth, nor brought any life into the world.
We have been with child; we have been in anguish, Yet have, as it were, brought forth wind. To the land we bring no deliverance; Nor are the inhabitants of the land born.
19 Your dead will live; their bodies will rise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust! For your dew is like the dew of the morning, and the earth will bring forth her dead.
O might thy dead live again, Might the dead bodies of my people arise! Awake, and sing, ye that dwell in the dust! For thy dew is like the dew upon plants, And the earth shall bring forth her dead.”
20 Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourselves a little while until the wrath has passed.
Come, my people, enter into thy chambers, And shut thy doors behind thee; Hide thyself for a little moment, Until the indignation be overpast!
21 For behold, the LORD is coming out of His dwelling to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth will reveal her bloodshed and will no longer conceal her slain.
For behold, Jehovah cometh forth from his place, To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; And the earth shall disclose her blood, And shall no longer cover her slain.

< Isaiah 26 >