Isaiah 26
1 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,
Some day, [people in] Judah will sing this song: Our city [of Jerusalem] is strong! Yahweh protects our city; He is like [MET] a wall that surrounds it.
2 Open ye the gates, —That there may enter in—a righteous nation preserving fidelity.
Open the gates of the city for people who are righteous; allow people who faithfully [obey Yahweh] to enter the city.
3 A purpose sustained, thou wilt guard, [saying], Prosper! Prosper! Because in thee, hath he been led to trust.
Yahweh, those who trust in you, those who firmly resolve to never doubt you, you will enable them to feel perfectly peaceful.
4 Trust ye in Yahweh, unto futurity, —For, in Yah, Yahweh, is a rock of ages.
[So] always trust in Yahweh, because Yahweh, [our God], is forever [like] [MET] a huge rock [under which we are sheltered/protected/safe].
5 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:
He humbles proud people and destroys cities whose people are arrogant. He causes those cities to collapse into the dust/dirt.
6 The foot trampleth it, —The feet of the lowly, The steps of the weak,
[When that happens], poor and oppressed people will trample on the ruins.
7 The path of a righteous man, is, even, —O Upright One! the track of a righteous man, thou makest level.
[But as for] righteous people, Yahweh, you do what is right; [it is as though] you cause the paths where they walk to be level and smooth.
8 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:
Yahweh, by obeying your laws we show that we trust you to help us; and what we desire is that you will be honored/praised/exalted.
9 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.
[All] through the night I [SYN] desire to know you better, and each morning I still want to be with you. [Only] when you come to judge [and punish] people who live on the earth will they learn to do what is right.
10 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.
[But] your acting kindly toward wicked people does not cause them to do what is good. [Even] in places where people do what is right, the wicked people continue to do what is evil, and they do not realize that you, Yahweh, are great.
11 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!
Yahweh, [it is as though] your fist is raised up [ready to strike them], but they do not realize that. Show them that you are very eager to help your people. If your enemies would realize that, they would be ashamed; allow your fire to burn them up [because they are] your enemies.
12 O Yahweh, thou wilt ensure prosperity for us, —For even all our works, hast thou wrought for us,
Yahweh, [we desire that] you will allow things to go well for us; everything that we have done is what you have enabled us to do.
13 O Yahweh, our God! Lords other than thee, have owned us, —By thyself alone, will we call upon thy Name.
Yahweh, our God, others have ruled over us, but you [MTY] are the only one whom we honor.
14 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.
Those who ruled us are [now] gone; they are dead; their spirits have left this earth, and they will not become alive [again]. You punished those rulers and got rid of them, and people do not even remember them any more.
15 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.
Yahweh, you have enabled our nation to become great; we are more in [now], and we have more land, [so we] thank/praise you.
16 O Yahweh! in distress, they sought thee, —They poured out a whispered prayer, when thy chastening was upon them.
Yahweh, when we were distressed, we asked you [to help us]; when you disciplined/punished us, we were able only to whisper when we prayed to you.
17 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; —
Like pregnant women writhe and cry out when they are giving birth, we suffered very much, too.
18 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.
We had severe pain, but nothing good resulted [MET] from it. We have not rescued our people [from being conquered by our enemies], and we have not given birth to children [who will rule the world correctly] (OR, not defeated the armies [that have attacked other nations].
19 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.
But Yahweh’s people who have died will become alive [again], their corpses will become alive! Those whose bodies lie in graves will rise and shout joyfully! His light will be [like] dew that falls on his people who have died, who are [now] in the place where the dead people are, [and will cause them to become alive again].
20 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.
But now, my people/fellow-citizens, go home and lock your doors! Hide for a short time, until [Yahweh] is no longer angry.
21 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.
Listen to this: Yahweh will come from heaven to punish [all] the people on the earth for the sins that they have committed. People will be able to see [PRS] the (blood of those/the people) who have been murdered; their murderers will no longer be able to hide.
