Isaiah 26

1 In that day this song is sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city, He makes salvation [for] walls and bulwark.

In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; walls and bulwarks doth He appoint for salvation.

2 Open the gates, That a righteous nation may enter, Preserving steadfastness.

Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation that keepeth faithfulness may enter in.

3 You keep [him] in peace [whose] imagination [is] stayed—peace! For he is confident in You.

The mind stayed on Thee Thou keepest in perfect peace; because it trusteth in Thee.

4 Trust in YHWH forever, For in YAH—YHWH [is] a rock of ages,

Trust ye in the LORD for ever, for the LORD is GOD, an everlasting Rock.

5 For He bowed down the dwellers on high, A city set on high He makes low, He makes it low to the earth, He causes it to come to the dust,

For He hath brought down them that dwell on high, the lofty city, laying it low, laying it low even to the ground, bringing it even to the dust.

6 A foot treads it down, Feet of the poor—steps of the weak.

The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.

7 The path for the righteous [is] uprightness, O upright One, You ponder the path of the righteous.

The way of the just is straight; Thou, Most Upright, makest plain the path of the just.

8 Also, [in] the path of Your judgments, O YHWH, we have waited [for] You, To Your Name and to Your remembrance [Is] the desire of the soul.

Yea, in the way of Thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for Thee; to Thy name and to Thy memorial is the desire of our soul.

9 I desired You in the night [with] my soul, Also, I seek You earnestly [with] my spirit within me, For when Your judgments [are] on the earth, The inhabitants of the world have learned righteousness.

With my soul have I desired Thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me have I sought Thee earnestly; for when Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

10 The wicked finds favor, He has not learned righteousness, He deals perversely in a land of straightforwardness, And does not see the excellence of YHWH.

Let favour be shown to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness will he deal wrongfully, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.

11 O YHWH, Your hand [is] high—they do not see, They see the zeal of the people, and are ashamed, Also, the fire consumes Your adversaries.

LORD, Thy hand was lifted up, yet they see not; they shall see with shame Thy zeal for the people; yea, fire shall devour Thine adversaries.

12 O YHWH, You appoint peace to us, For You have also worked all our works for us.

LORD, Thou wilt establish peace for us; for Thou hast indeed wrought all our works for us.

13 O our God YHWH, lords have ruled us besides You, Only, by You we make mention of Your Name.

O LORD our God, other lords beside Thee have had dominion over us; but by Thee only do we make mention of Thy name.

14 Dead—they do not live, Rephaim, they do not rise, Therefore You have inspected and destroy them, Indeed, you destroy all their memory.

The dead live not, the shades rise not; to that end hast Thou punished and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.

15 You have added to the nation, O YHWH, You have added to the nation, You have been honored, You have put all the ends of the earth far off.

Thou hast gotten Thee honour with the nations, O LORD, yea, exceeding great honour with the nations; Thou art honoured unto the farthest ends of the earth.

16 O YHWH, in distress they missed You, They have poured out a whisper, Your discipline [is] on them.

LORD, in trouble have they sought Thee, silently they poured out a prayer when Thy chastening was upon them.

17 When a pregnant woman comes near to the birth, She is pained—she cries in her pangs, So we have been from Your face, O YHWH.

Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been at Thy presence, O LORD.

18 We have conceived, we have been pained. We have brought forth, as it were, wind, We do not work salvation in the earth, Nor do the inhabitants of the world fall.

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 land; neither are the inhabitants of the world come to life.

19 Your dead live—My dead body, they rise. Awake and sing, you dwellers in the dust, For the dew of herbs [is] your dew, And you cause the land of Rephaim to fall.

Thy dead shall live, my dead bodies shall arise — awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust — for Thy dew is as the dew of light, and the earth shall bring to life the shades.

20 Come, My people, enter into your inner chambers, And shut your doors behind you, Hide yourself shortly [for] a moment until the indignation passes over.

Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.

21 For behold, YHWH is coming out of His place, To charge the iniquity of the inhabitant of the earth on him, And the earth has revealed her blood, Nor does she cover her slain anymore!”

For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of His place to visit upon the inhabitants of the earth their iniquity; the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.