Isaiah 26
1 In that day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah: "We have a strong city. He appoints salvation for walls and ramparts.
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 the gates, that the righteous nation may enter: the one which keeps faith.
Let the doors be open, so that the upright nation which keeps faith may come in.
3 You will keep him in peace, in peace whose thoughts are fixed on you, because he trusts in you.
The man whose heart is unmoved you will keep in peace, because his hope is in you.
4 Trust in YHWH forever; for in JAH, YHWH, 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 to the ground. He casts it 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 feet of the poor tramples it down, the footsteps 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 righteous is level. O Just One, you make the path of the righteous smooth.
The way of the good man is straight; the road of the upright is made smooth by you.
8 Yes, in the path of your judgments, YHWH, have we waited for you. Your name and your renown are 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 have I desired you in the night. Yes, my spirit within me will seek you early, for when your 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 the wicked, yet he will not learn righteousness. In the land of uprightness he will deal wrongfully, and will not see YHWH's majesty.
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 YHWH, your hand is lifted up, yet they do not see; they see the zeal of the people, and are ashamed. Yes, fire will consume your 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 YHWH, you will ordain peace for us, for you have also worked all our works for us.
Lord, you will give us peace: for all our works are the outcome of your purpose.
13 YHWH our God, other lords besides you have had dominion over us, but by you only will we make mention of your 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 The dead shall not live, and the departed spirits shall not rise. Therefore have you visited and destroyed them, and caused all memory 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 You have increased the nation, YHWH. You have increased the nation. You are glorified. You 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 YHWH, in trouble they sought you. They poured out a prayer when your chastening was on them.
Lord, in trouble our eyes have been turned to you, we sent up a prayer when your punishment was on us.
17 Like 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 you, YHWH.
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 gave birth, it seems, only to wind. We have not worked any deliverance in the earth; neither 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 Your dead shall live; my dead bodies shall rise. Awake and shout for joy, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like the dew of the dawn, and the earth shall bring forth the departed spirits.
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 into your chambers, and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourself for a little moment, until the indignation is past.
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, look, YHWH comes forth out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth also will disclose her blood, and will no longer 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.
