Isaiah 26
1 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.
In that day, shall be sung this song, in the land of Judah, —A strong city, have we! Salvation, will he set for walls and rampart,
2 Let the doors be open, so that the upright nation which keeps faith may come in.
Open ye the gates, —That there may enter in—a righteous nation preserving fidelity.
3 The man whose heart is unmoved you will keep in peace, because his hope is in you.
A purpose sustained, thou wilt guard, [saying], Prosper! Prosper! Because in thee, hath he been led to trust.
4 Let your hope be in the Lord for ever: for the Lord Jah is an unchanging Rock.
Trust ye in Yahweh, unto futurity, —For, in Yah, Yahweh, is a rock of ages.
5 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.
For he hath brought down the inhabitants of the height the city exalted, —He layeth it low, Layeth it low even to the ground, Levelleth it, even to the dust:
6 It will be crushed under the feet of the poor and the steps of those who are in need.
The foot trampleth it, —The feet of the lowly, The steps of the weak,
7 The way of the good man is straight; the road of the upright is made smooth by you.
The path of a righteous man, is, even, —O Upright One! the track of a righteous man, thou makest level.
8 We have been waiting for you, O Lord; the desire of our soul is for the memory of your name.
Surely in the path of thy regulations, O Yahweh, we waited for thee, —Unto thy Name and unto thy Memorial, was there a longing of soul:
9 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.
With my soul, longed I for thee in the night, Yea with my spirit within me, I kept on searching for thee, —For, when thy regulations [extend] to the earth, The inhabitants of the world will have learned, righteousness.
10 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.
Let favour be shewed to the lawless, he hath not learned righteousness, In a land of honest dealings, he acteth perversely, —And seeth not the splendour of Yahweh.
11 Lord, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see: let them see ... yes, your haters will be burned up in the fire.
O Yahweh though thy hand be lifted up, —yet do they not see, Would they might see—and turn pale at a people’s zeal, —Surely, the fire of thine enemies, must consume them!
12 Lord, you will give us peace: for all our works are the outcome of your purpose.
O Yahweh, thou wilt ensure prosperity for us, —For even all our works, hast thou wrought for us,
13 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.
O Yahweh, our God! Lords other than thee, have owned us, —By thyself alone, will we call upon thy Name.
14 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.
The dead, come not to life again, The shades, do not arise, —Therefore, thou hast visited and destroyed them, And caused to perish every memorial of them.
15 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.
Thou hast increased the nation, O Yahweh, Thou hast increased the nation thou hast gotten thyself glory, Thou hast extended far, all the ends of the land.
16 Lord, in trouble our eyes have been turned to you, we sent up a prayer when your punishment was on us.
O Yahweh! in distress, they sought thee, —They poured out a whispered prayer, when thy chastening was upon them.
17 As a woman with child, whose time is near, is troubled, crying out in her pain; so have we been before you, O Lord.
Like as a woman with child—Draweth near to giving birth, Is in pain, Crieth out in her pangs So, were we before thee, O Yahweh; —
18 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.
We were with child—We were in pain, As it were we brought forth wind, —Salvation, we could not accomplish for the earth, Neither were born the inhabitants of the world.
19 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.
Thy dead, shall come to life again, My dead body, they shall arise, —Awake and shout for joy, ye that dwell in the dust For, a dew of light, is thy dew, And, earth, to the shades shall give birth.
20 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.
Come my people, enter into thy chambers, And shut thy doors behind thee, —Hide thee as it were a little moment Till the indignation pass over.
21 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.
For lo! Yahweh, is coming forth out of his place, To visit the iniquity of earth’s inhabitant upon him, —Therefore shall the earth unveil her shed-blood, And throw a covering, no longer over her slain.
